In a recent exclusive report by The Post, Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic contender for an open US Senate seat in Michigan, has been discovered to be taking advantage of a farming tax credit at her home located in Holly, Oakland County. The property was given to Slotkin and her brother by their father Curtis in May 2023, with no money exchanged between the parties as shown through the use of a quitclaim deed.
The home is currently classified as “agricultural-improved,” a designation that covers any improvements, buildings, structures or fixtures suitable for use in farming situated on agricultural land. As a result of this categorization, Slotkin’s property receives a full 100% exemption from property taxes. However, the property has no active agricultural licenses and no apparent farming activities, as can be seen through aerial photography of the site.
This arrangement saves Slotkin approximately $2,700 each year in property taxes. Michigan State Tax Commission guidelines state that there are two ways for a property to be classified as agricultural: it may already be designated as such, as is the case with Slotkin’s home, or if 50% or more of the land is utilized for farming purposes.
The ownership of the land can be traced back to 1956 when it was owned by the Slotkin family and housed between 400 and 500 heads of cattle. However, Elissa Slotkin moved into the home as a child in 1980 and reports indicate that the cattle were gone by the 1980s.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee criticized Slotkin’s claims to be farming on the property, stating that she was “lying to Michigan voters and pretending she is a farmer,” while also mentioning past allegations of Slotkin falsifying her living arrangements with a lobbyist.
Slotkin’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment before publication. However, after The Post published their story, a spokesperson from the campaign stated that “Rep. Slotkin’s farm has been in her family for three generations since 1956. It has been agricultural since then and Oakland County has confirmed on multiple occasions that the property qualifies for the agricultural exemption.
Slotkin’s residency and living arrangements have been a topic of controversy before, as she moved into a Lansing apartment owned by lobbyist Jerry Hollister during her 2022 congressional run. She later returned to Oakland County after winning the election. The lobbyist claimed he was not residing in the property at that time, and records showed both Slotkin and Hollister were registered to vote from the Lansing address.
During her divorce proceedings with husband David Moore, which began in February 2023, it was revealed that Slotkin had been separated from her husband since August 2022. Moore filed for divorce from his previous wife on their 25th anniversary in June 2010 while he was living with Slotkin in Washington, DC. Slotkin and Moore were married in September 2010, just three months after Moore’s divorce filing, a decision she has attributed to her mother’s deteriorating health condition at the time. Slotkin filed for divorce from Moore on February 1, 2023, which was finalized two days before she announced her Senate run on February 27.
