Actor Hill Harper, who plays Dr. Marcus Andrews on ABC medical drama “The Good Doctor”, announced that he will be running against U.S. Rep. Elissa Slatkin for the Democratic nomination for a Michigan Senate seat in 2024.
Both Harper, 57, and Slotkin, 47, will be campaigning to succeed retiring Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in what is expected to be one of the most highly competitive (and expensive) 2024 Senate contests.
In a campaign video posted Monday morning, Harper can be heard reading a message to his son, Pierce, whom he adopted in the spring of 2017.
“Dear Pierce,” Harper says in the voiceover of the ad, “I’m recording this video for you because I’m about to make a big announcement. And it’s going to be tough for us.”
As clips to the actor and his son are seen, Harper continues: “You know, I’m not going to be able to tuck you in every night, or do our nighttime prayers together … Fighting for what you believe in is hard enough, but it’s worth doing when you found something that makes your heart beat faster. And for me, it’s you.”
“For me, adopting you is the greatest thing I’ve done in my life,” Harper continues.
Harper moved to Detroit in 2018 and bought a local coffee roaster. He has been spending time revitalizing one of the city’s most iconic homes.
This campaign will mark his first run in the political circle. Prior to pursuing his acting career, Harper attended Brown University and Harvard Law.
“We’re in a state where I think the triple blue leadership in Lansing has done really hard work moving the state forward, but in Washington, D.C., it’s still broken. And folks feel like it’s still broken. And I’m one of them,” Harper said in a statement. “Without energized, bold leadership in the U.S. Senate, our state will continue to be held back from achieving its full potential. We deserve a better brand of politics than politics as usual, and that’s why I’m running for the U.S. Senate.”
Harper acknowledged he wasn’t sure whether, if elected, he would continue to film The Good Doctor, noting that filming has been put on pause amid the Writers Guild of America’s ongoing strike.
“That is impossible to say because we’re on strike. The industry is on strike right now. Nothing’s happening as far as the industry, so who knows?” he said.
Harper faces an uphill battle in launching a campaign against Slotkin, who announced her campaign four months ago and has since raised more than $5 million and secured a number of high-profile endorsements.
