A dispute over a long-awaited bridge connecting Michigan and Canada has become a major issue in one of the country’s most competitive Senate races, with Democratic candidate Mallory McMorrow launching what is believed to be the first significant effort to use the controversy against President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
McMorrow’s latest campaign ad, first shared with The Associated Press, charges that Trump is preventing the Gordie Howe International Bridge from opening — and that he’s doing it to benefit a wealthy political donor. The accusation fits squarely into an anti-corruption theme she has been building her campaign around.
The bridge crosses the Detroit River, linking Detroit with Windsor, Ontario. A ribbon-cutting ceremony had been scheduled for June 12, but it was suddenly called off after officials announced that the U.S. and Canada were still working through what they described as “outstanding issues.”
For Democrats, the situation presents a rare opening to connect Trump directly to a project with real economic consequences in a battleground state. For McMorrow specifically, it’s also a way to stand out in a three-way Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.
The eventual Democratic nominee is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024. Rogers has also weighed in on the bridge issue, pledging that if elected he will push to get it open.
Filmed while standing in front of the bridge, McMorrow states in the ad that the structure is ready to be used but remains shut down because “Donald Trump won’t open it.”
“I’m Mallory McMorrow and I have one message for the president: open this damn bridge,” she says in the spot.
McMorrow further argues that Trump is holding up the bridge because “the billionaire family that owns the other bridge gave him a million bucks.”
That charge points to the Moroun family, who privately own the Ambassador Bridge, which also runs between Detroit and Windsor. Federal campaign finance records confirm that Matthew Moroun contributed $1 million to Trump’s super PAC earlier this year.
Back in February, Trump posted on social media demanding that Canada give the U.S. government at least half ownership of the bridge, along with other unspecified concessions — part of his ongoing disputes with Canada over trade policy.
Canada paid for the bridge’s construction. The project was originally negotiated by the former Republican governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, with construction beginning in 2018 at a total cost of nearly $4.4 billion.
The bridge is named after the late Canadian hockey legend Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons as the face of the Detroit Red Wings. Once open, it is expected to serve as a critical economic link between the two countries.
McMorrow is working to make a stronger impression in a race that many observers increasingly view as a two-candidate contest. In a conversation with the AP, she acknowledged she entered the race as a “dark horse.” A state senator who gained national attention for a viral speech in 2022, she is competing against the well-funded Stevens and El-Sayed, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018 and has secured the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The Gordie Howe bridge ad is the second in a series, with an initial advertising buy of more than $400,000 across TV and digital platforms in the Detroit area. The first ad, a 30-second television spot, was released Tuesday.
“Right now in this primary, my two opponents are trying to present a false binary choice,” McMorrow said.
Outside money is also flowing into the contest. A PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has invested nearly $8 million this month in support of Stevens, while a super PAC backing McMorrow called Yes Michigan Action Committee has reserved close to $6 million in ad spending, according to AdImpact.
El-Sayed became the first Democratic candidate in the race to directly purchase advertising, doing so last week.
“We have six weeks. I mean, anything can happen,” McMorrow said. “There are so many people who are just starting to tune into this race.”
