‘The Good Doctor’ actor Hill Harper is inching toward a potential Senate bid in Michigan, report says

• The actor Hill Harper is making moves toward a US Senate campaign launch in Michigan, per Politico.
• Harper, who lives in Detroit, could be a strong candidate among the state’s Democratic electorate.
• Allies of the actor believe he can attract support from the state’s Black and progressive voters.

The actor Hill Harper, known for his roles on “CSI: NY” and “The Good Doctor,” is inching toward a potential 2024 Senate campaign in Michigan — a development that could shake up the Democratic primary in a major way.

According to Politico, Harper, who lives in Detroit, is putting the final touches on a campaign launch that is still likely a few weeks away.

An individual with ties to Harper’s team told Politico that Harper was making plans for a Senate kickoff event, adding that he had already filmed an announcement video and placed an order for campaign T-shirts.

Another source told Politico that The Win Company, which made ads for John Fetterman’s successful Senate bid in Pennsylvania, also put together Harper’s launch video.

While many Democratic leaders have already coalesced around Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a moderate who represents a Lansing-area swing district that stretches to rural and suburban areas northwest of Detroit, some in the party have been pushing for a contested primary in the race to succeed retiring veteran Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Harper, who is Black, could made significant inroads with Black voters in the state’s Democratic primary electorate, leaning into support in Detroit and many of its suburbs, along with cities like Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Saginaw. And his political allies think he has the potential to win over many progressive voters in the state.

“I think Hill getting in the race would be a really good thing for Michigan Democrats,” Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton told Politico. “In my experience, coronations tend to hurt the party, while robust and competitive primaries with a healthy and respectful debate over the real issues tends to help.”

If Harper jumps into the campaign, it would be his first time running for public office.

In addition to Harper’s film and television career, he has written several bestselling books and in 2017 purchased the Roasting Plant Coffee shop in downtown Detroit.

Harper — a graduate of Brown University who first became friends with Barack Obama while they were students at Harvard Law School — was appointed to the President’s Cancer Panel by the then-president in 2012.

Most major Democratic officials in the state passed on the race earlier this year, but the Democratic primary is not hurting for candidates. Besides Slotkin, the other announced Democratic candidates include former state Rep. Leslie Love, businessman Nasser Beydoun, Michigan State Board of Education president Pamela Pugh, and attorney Zack Burns.

Republicans in the race include Nikki Snyder, a member of the Michigan State Board of Education; Ezra Scott, a former Berrien County Commissioner; Michael Hoover, a small business owner; and Alexandria Taylor, an attorney.