Hard work is in Jessica Swartz’s DNA. Born and raised in West Michigan by a public school teacher and small business owner, Jessica got her first job at age 13. She went on to become a Division One rower at Michigan State University, picking up shifts in the school cafeteria and local restaurants when she wasn’t at practice or studying.
After graduating from American University Washington College of Law, Jessica worked as an appellate attorney for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, making sure veterans got the benefits to which they were entitled by cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse. Jessica waited tables on nights and weekends to pay down her student loans and mortgage.
In 2007, Jessica married her husband, Jamie, a former Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. They moved back to West Michigan to be close to family and raise their daughter. She continued her work for VA at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center before taking a job at Western Michigan University, where she specialized in free speech cases and served as Deputy General Counsel.
In 2018, Jessica worked hard with the nonpartisan organization Voters Not Politicians to ban both parties from partisan gerrymandering. She was also a Girl Scout troop leader and spends her Sundays at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish Church.
In 2024, Jessica ran for Congress in Michigan’s 4th District, raising $1.1 million. She improved on Democrats’ 2022 showing in the district despite a far more difficult climate that kept national organizations on the sideline.
Jessica currently represents Veterans as they work to get their benefits from VA. She lives in Kalamazoo with her husband, daughter, dog, and cat.
Jessica's Experience:
My commitment to public service began when I was a kid. As a high school junior in the Grand Rapids Public Schools, I watched my district consider cutting high school sports or making them pay‑to‑play. Instead of accepting it, I knocked on doors, spoke at School Board and City Council meetings, and urged my community to support our public schools. We were not successful in getting the millage passed, but the city found a way to continue our sports. That experience taught me something fundamental: when people get involved, they can inspire change.
I carried that lesson with me to college, where I worked in Lansing for a State Senator and later in Washington, D.C. for Congressman David Bonior, then the Minority Whip. In those roles, I learned how policy is shaped, how constituents’ voices influence decisions, and how having leaders who listen is critical to the functioning of our government. I also had the privilege of working for Senator Carl Levin as he chaired the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations during the Enron hearings—an experience that showed me the importance of transparency, accountability, and strong oversight. When I am in the legislature, I will follow the examples of integrity and caring that I learned from Congressman Bonior and Senator Levin.
My commitment to fair representation and voting rights led me to volunteer with Voters Not Politicians beginning in 2017. As a co‑team lead for Kalamazoo, I helped put Prop 18‑02 to end partisan gerrymandering on the ballot and pass it, working alongside community advocates and leaders across Michigan. I collected more than 1,000 signatures and led a team of volunteers doing the same. Later, I successfully pushed for a clerk’s office on WMU’s campus to make it easier for students to register and vote. Protecting democracy isn’t theoretical to me—it’s work I have already done and will continue to do.
For more than twenty‑five years, I’ve practiced law representing public entities in state and federal court. My work in administrative law has given me a deep understanding of how legislation is written, interpreted, and implemented—and how poor drafting can create real‑world harm. That invaluable experience will help me craft laws that solve problems instead of creating new ones.
I have also served in the federal government as a Senior Appellate Attorney and Government Ethics Official with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. I represented the Secretary in court, advised senior leaders on ethics compliance, and led a team of attorneys working to ensure fair, fact-based, unbiased decision‑making.
I’ve seen how laws and policy affect people’s lives, and I’ve learned how to lead with integrity. From my earliest days knocking doors for my high school to my work strengthening voting rights and advocating for veterans, my path has always been for the same purpose: standing up for people and making government work better for everyone. That’s the experience I’ll bring to the State House—practical, principled, and focused on delivering results for our community.