Actor Hill Harper Set For Michigan's 2024 Senate Race

There goes an Alpha man.

Politico has confirmed that Alpha Phi Alpha member and actor Hill Harper announced his first-ever run for office on Monday, which joins a field of Democrats for Michigan's 2024 Senate race.

Known for his roles in He Got Game, Concussion and All Eyez on Me, among other prominent roles, Harper joined other Democrats who are vying to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who will not return after her fourth term.

The big-time Alpha man is running against Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a moderate, a three-term Democratic House member from a swing district. She launched her Senate bid in February.

Harper, who culminated plans to launch his Senate campaign last week, said that he's running for Senate because "we deserve a better brand of politics than politics as usual," according to the Detroit Free Press.

"There's a high degree of frustration by a lot of Democrats -- not just African American Democrats in Michigan -- that for the first time in 57 years Michigan does not have a Black Democratic representative in Congress. And that is going backwards," Harper told the Detroit Free News. "I think that folks want to see a real people-powered representation over big-donor, establishment representation."

Right now, just three Black men are serving in the U.S. Senate: Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

Additionally, in an announcement via video on Monday, Harper spoke on his son, Pierce Hill Harper, saying that he's, unfortunately, growing up in an increasingly divisive and dangerous world.

"At the core of so much of this are too many politicians in office and don't really care about people," Harper said. "I believe our government should work for the people, be a force for good and protect our freedoms. And that won't happen if we keep electing the same type of people to office."

Born in Iowa, Harper purchased a house in Detroit and also bought a coffee shop, Roasting Plant Coffee, in the city in 2017, according to The Associated Press.

Harper will have to go against several Democrats in the Senate race: Michigan State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh, former state Rep. Leslie Love, businessperson Nasser Beydoun and attorney Zack Burns.