attacking our affordability crisis
At every level, the past year has brought incredible stress to the economic prosperity of the state. And when the state’s economy suffers, its citizens suffer as well.
Whether it’s tariffs affecting the auto, construction and small business sectors, or the trade war with China denying our farmers markets for the product of their work, or an unjustified war with Iran causing chaos across the globe, the result is that Michigan families are finding it more difficult to pay the rent or mortgage and put food on the table.
As we absorb these blows from different angles, I will look for ways to increase the resilience of Michigan businesses that are hurt by economic factors beyond their control. We must find ways to help our current industry survive this economic downturn to preserve their investment in our state and the jobs they provide. I’ll also work to encourage innovations, such as renewable energy, which can help us secure a strong economy for our future success.
Equal Protection Under the Law
Liberty and Justice for All is something we have to live, not just say. But every day we see certain factions trying to remove rights that we have been granted.
In Michigan, there are currently two ballot proposals whose effect would be to remove voting rights from anyone who doesn’t jump through hoops to prove their citizenship. There have been many efforts to get rid of the 2022 constitutional amendment that ensures the right to reproductive health care, including abortions. The GOP’s “bathroom bill” would remove the right of transgender students to use the bathroom that conforms to their gender. And that’s just a sample.
In Lansing, I will stand with those whose rights have come under attack from the Right, and I will work to stop legislation that removes or blocks rights for any part of the population. My goal is to assure Michigan laws are fair and equitable and offer equal protection, regardless of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
Resources
From the first French voyageurs who entered the territory to trap beaver, we have been enchanted by, and made an economy of, our natural resources in Michigan. All of us, regardless of politics, draw strength and vitality from the clean air, water and land that we have been entrusted with.
Current cuts at the federal level threaten the safety and even existence of those resources: funding for programs, staff that manage our national areas, environmental cleanup funds, grants that help build safer infrastructure, the eternal effort to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. On a state level, Republicans attempted to pass a budget this year that included significant cuts to the DNR budget.
Our shared stewardship of this great state includes protecting and nurturing our natural resources as well as maintaining the integrity of infrastructure like water, sewer and gas lines that could adversely affect our environment. I will work to prioritize and fund through alternate methods what our state needs in order to pass the legacy of safe and beautiful natural areas to our children and grandchildren.
Education
Education is a group effort: Parents, educators and community all work in big and small ways to develop the citizens who will inherit the Michigan of the future. Every morning the first concern of many parents is not for themselves, but to make sure their child is as prepared as possible for the day ahead. At the same time educators and administrators rise with the same goals.
In 2025, Michigan Republicans proposed a plan that would have eliminated grants that helped fund school lunches, mental health programs, safety in schools, and special ed. They aimed to cut $1.4 billion from public schools for the coming fiscal year. While they were not successful, their intent remains.
Alongside continuing to support local control to achieve state and national priorities, I will work to make sure every student receives what they need to help make them a better learner. I will push for the reestablishment of and increasing pre-K programming, continued access to free breakfast and lunch for all, access to support for those who need it, whether it’s delivered through an IEP or through educator intervention, and making sure funds designated for public education stay in that domain and are not filtered out into charter and private schools.
Health
In a state and nation as abundant as ours, there is no reason we cannot handle the health needs of all our residents in a thoughtful, empathetic manner. This comes from recognizing that we all have different health needs. Children’s health, rural mental health, women’s health —including reproductive health and menopausal health — and LGBTQ+ healthcare needs are just some of the specific segments we must consider when we build the resources and space to help our residents.
We will not, as a state, be able to dodge all the effects resulting from the federal budget, particularly in the rural areas of our state. But I will work to advocate for and develop resources for our public health system, so we can strengthen the support for those and other needs of Michigan residents.
Alongside this is the as-yet-unknown structure of our new Community Mental Health system. I completely disagree with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ desire to create an entirely new system. But since it is impossible to stop this process at this point, I will strongly advocate for very close legislative oversight as this process develops. We need to make sure it equitably and economically serves the interests of some of our most vulnerable citizens, as well as the communities that support them.