Democrats flip Michigan seat in race between two political newcomers

Democrats flipped Michigan’s 11th District on Tuesday with the victory of former Obama official Haley Stevens over GOP businesswoman Lena Epstein.

The race became competitive when Rep. Dave Trott (R) announced his retirement in the red-leaning district.

{mosads}Stevens and Epstein, both millennial political newcomers, were neck-and-neck throughout the campaign in a race that Democrats considered a priority in their quest to flip the House.

But most election forecasters predicted Democrats would win the seat, largely due to enthusiasm among liberal voters ahead of the midterms and Stevens’s lead in fundraising.

Stevens, a former chief of staff for former President Obama auto task force, cast herself as a “lifelong advocate” for workers in the manufacturing industry in the suburban district just outside Detroit.