Transcript for The Big Vote: Elissa Slotkin has a personal reason to run for Congress

For our big profile today let's meet one of those women looking to come to Washington and become a member of congress. Alyssa slackened joins us live now from her family farm in holly Michigan Alyssa thanks so much for coming on the big vote. Thanks are having me. Seger the democratic candidate running in Michigan's eighth district this is just northwest of Detroit you're up against Mike bishop he's a congressman. The Republican it's a tossup right now which. Has everybody talking and zeroing in on your race. It because your area president trump won by seven points in 46 team. So I guess we got to ask you why are you doing so well as a Democrat in front country. Sure. So I get this question a lot I think its first sort of two reasons one. And I background to national security I went fourteen years as a CIA officer added three tours in Iraq alongside the military. And I think you know my husband's in the military so we have a a service background that brings a kind of a broad respect from a lot of people especially in an error when institutions are being cut down. And then the most important thing is health care and I got into this race because of health care because of my mom. And she did not have health care when she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer and you know the experience of that first week in that first month. Dirt dealing with her terminal diagnosis. And then. You know. Having that same time be neat feeling working on her paperwork for bankruptcy it just it really compelled me to run and as I've told that story. It is very very clear that health care is the story that everyone's talking health care prescription drugs. And the price thereof. As I think no matter what party you are from a matter like what your inclination is. Those of the things that people care about. And they're talking to me about it and they're willing to vote for anyone who's gonna go and fight for those things and get something done. Like you said very personal for you in fact a lot of people talking about a campaign ad that you've been running. Very emotional people can receive a load of into the footage now can find it online at with the with. Your mom's story and the story that you went through that health care system is quite compelling. You know Alyssa some in your party say and single Payer could be the answer there's a lot of talk out there this campaign has been talking about here on the show. Of Medicare for all what do you say about that is that something is that a proposal that you think. Democrats should advance if they take they house for him. Well listen I think that all people deserve health care that they can afford. And I think how we do that is our generation's problem solved we are not settled as a nation and how we provide healthcare to our citizens. And so there's a lot of options to look at I personally want to understand a bit more about single Payer I frankly don't know how we afford it. But I think there are lots of ways that we can get this Don I believe in a buy into Medicare. I believe we can do simple things and to reduce the cost of prescription drugs Medicare can be allowed to buy prescription drugs in bulk tomorrow. If congressman and women want it to you so there are things that we can do to bring down the cost if our politicians actually want to do it. An Abbott and turns a single Payer I gotta tell you it's hard for me understand how we're gonna pay for not something I've looked at as a buy into Medicare. And and on the by an option would you support. Using the Medicare trust fund to help provide subsidies for batter would it be a pure buy and full cost to the consumer. Yeah I mean I think that. You know anytime you expand choices for the consumer you bring down prices you increase competition. And so for me would be buying in typical tea you know an employer Antonov an employer. Provided health insurance you'd be able to buy it come through Medicare. I think that the idea frankly came from a bunch of small business owners in one of my suburbs. Where the employers were saying the biggest constraint on their businesses is the price of health care. And providing it to all of there of their employees so would free them up to grow their businesses I think there's a lot of people I've talked to. Heuer and dead end jobs because they just they can't leave because of their health care so it just creates options and it would be something that would be similar. And create competitions for the other just similar to like the other programs that are out there. For a long time as you've been debating your DePaula a pony you know this is a core value of the Republican platform. Has been a strong national security multilateralism. You come from both the Republican administration democratic administration. What is the Democrat six parties with the democratic party's message right now on national security what is then that's. The aft. Well I mean I served under both Democrats and Republicans added fourteen years in national security. And no one ever asked me if I was Democrat or Republican by the way. And for me I think that on national security the wave that you protect ourselves our our homeland. The way. I think that that winning globalized world with glow Bryce globalized threats you cannot. Just go it alone and I think that the idea of sort of poking a finger in the chest of our of our allies as this administration has done is just doesn't make us safer. It doesn't build coalitions it doesn't help us counter some of those globalized threats as efficiently as we should be. So I believe in coalitions. And I also believe and a strong homeland defense protecting our borders protecting ourselves from homeland attacks. That is not one party or the other there's plenty of national security folks. Running there's Clough plenty of national security Democrats. The flag does not belong to one party. And Alyssa slack it before we let you go I want to come back to this. Being a record breaking year for women in politics here one of them you raised your hand a first timer running for office part of that so called pink wave. Hot looking back 1992. Saw a number of women running was referred to as the year of the woman. What we look back on 2018 why won't this mid term season be remembered that it's. That's interesting it's a good question. I honestly think that it will be thought of as the mid term where people across the aisle. Democrats independents Republicans all said to themselves this we have to do better than what we half. That the tone and tenor of politics right now is fundamentally unbecoming. Of that country that I serve the country that we all love and we have to do batter and it is time for a new generation different generation. That stinks bigger and works harder and remembers that they are public servants. I think that's hopefully how the service or this out this cycle will be. Remembered. Part Alyssa Sloc and the democratic candidate for congress in Michigan's eighth district thank you so much for coming on the big big vote we really appreciate it listeners to meet you.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.