On the Issues

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.

In the final years of my dad’s life, my family found ourselves navigating the overwhelming reality of needing around-the-clock care. My mom couldn’t provide that level of support on her own, so we turned to assisted living. It was expensive, confusing, and often heartbreaking. Living through that experience made one thing painfully clear: every family deserves a health care system that is accessible, affordable, and humane.

That’s why in Lansing, I will fight to:

• Restore Medicaid funding that extreme Republicans in Washington and Lansing have cut, so families aren’t left without the care they depend on.
• Ensure nurses and long‑term care workers earn a living wage and have safe, supportive workplaces.
• Expand maternal and child health coverage, because healthy families start with healthy beginnings.
• Bring back and expand RxKids, giving parents the financial stability they need during their child’s earliest months.

No family should have to go through what mine did. I’m running to make sure they don’t.

My path to motherhood was not easy. Thanks to advancements in reproductive technology—including in vitro fertilization (IVF)—my husband and I were able to welcome our amazing daughter into the world. Going through IVF strengthened my belief that reproductive health care must be protected, accessible, and affordable for everyone who needs it.

In Michigan, personal health decisions belong to the person whose body is affected, their doctors, and their God if they have one. I will fight to make sure that does not change.

In Lansing, I will work to:

• Protect access to abortion and abortion‑related health care and push back against efforts in Washington to take those rights away.
• Safeguard IVF and other fertility services, ensuring that anyone who wants to start a family has the freedom and support to do so.
• Expand insurance coverage for fertility treatments, making IVF more affordable and accessible for all families.

Everyone deserves the freedom to make their own reproductive health decisions. I’m running to make sure that freedom is protected.

I grew up in a family that understood hard work. My mom was a public school teacher and my dad ran a small business, so we experienced the same financial ups and downs that many families in our community face. I got my first job at 13 and later, after graduating from law school, worked two jobs to help pay my mortgage and student loans. Those experiences shaped who I am. Hard work is in my DNA—just like it is for so many people in Kalamazoo.

In Lansing, I’ll fight for families by working to bring down costs, strengthen our economy, and create real opportunity. That means:

• Advancing tax credits for organizations that build low‑income and mixed‑income housing across our region.
• Expanding state grants that support affordable housing projects so more families can find a safe, stable place to live.
• Expanding renewable energy, which will reduce energy costs for families and protect our environment.
• Supporting small businesses by cutting unnecessary red tape, increasing access to grants, expanding high‑speed internet, and exploring innovative tools to help new entrepreneurs succeed.
• Holding data centers accountable so corporations—not residents—bear the cost of increased energy use and take responsibility for environmental impacts.

I know what it’s like to work hard and still worry about making ends meet. I’m running to make sure Michigan families have the stability, opportunity, and support they deserve.

I come from a proud labor family. My mom spent her career teaching public school in West Michigan. My grandfather was an electrician in Detroit. My husband and father‑in‑law worked at Meijer’s and were members of UFCW 951. I’ve seen up close the challenges workers face —from stagnant wages to efforts to weaken organizing rights. I know how much strong unions matter to Michigan families.

In Lansing, I’ll work alongside labor leaders to restore power to workers and protect the rights that built Michigan’s middle class. That includes:

• Voting no on any attempt to bring back so‑called “Right to Work,” which undermines workers’ ability to organize and bargain.
• Supporting prevailing wage laws that ensure workers are paid fairly for their skills and expertise.
• Building strong, ongoing relationships with unions by being accessible, listening to their concerns, and partnering on the issues that matter most to working people.
• Build our workforce by continuing to develop pipelines between schools and apprenticeship programs so students can have well-paying jobs upon graduation.

Michigan’s future is stronger when workers have a voice. I’m running to make sure they do.

As a proud graduate of the Grand Rapids Public Schools, I’ve spent the last thirty years fighting for the education that shaped me. Today, our classrooms are facing real challenges—from teacher shortages to learning gaps—and our students and educators deserve better. In Lansing, I’ll work to strengthen public education and ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.

I will fight to:

• Restore funding lost to years of state budget cuts, so our schools have the resources they need.
• Increase investment in early childhood education, including programs like Head Start, to give every child a strong start.
• Expand workforce training, apprenticeships, and continuing education, preparing students and adults for good‑paying jobs.
• Ensure no child goes to school hungry, because a child can’t learn on an empty stomach.
• Make higher education accessible and affordable, so anyone who wants to pursue college or career training can do so without going into crushing debt.

Every student deserves an education that meets their needs—and I’m ready to fight for them.

The Great Lakes are at the heart of who we are as Michiganders. They define our state, fuel our economy, and sustain our communities. Climate change, pollution, and corporate negligence threaten the health of our waters and the people who rely on them. We have a responsibility to protect these irreplaceable resources for today and for future generations.

In Lansing, I will fight for:

• Modernizing and upgrading our water infrastructure to ensure every community has clean, safe drinking water free from PFAS and other harmful contaminants.
• Keeping Michigan’s water in Michigan, by safeguarding our freshwater from exploitation and misuse.
• Strengthening protections against invasive species with increased funding and improved infrastructure to defend our lakes and waterways.
• Passing stronger regulations that hold polluters accountable, ensuring corporations—not taxpayers—pay for the damage they cause.
• Accelerating our transition to renewable energy, by reducing emissions, improving energy efficiency, and protecting our natural resources from further strain.
• Transforming brownfields into safe, usable spaces for housing, small businesses, and green space that benefits our communities.
• Ensuring large data centers meet strict environmental and consumer‑protection standards, so local residents aren’t left paying the price for corporate energy use.

Michigan’s natural resources are our greatest inheritance. I’m running to make sure we protect them—and the communities that depend on them—for generations to come.

This isn’t a debate about immigration. It’s about upholding the rule of law and protecting the basic rights that define our country. Like every nation, the United States has laws that apply to anyone within our borders—fairly, consistently, and transparently.

The heart of this issue is human dignity. We can acknowledge that our immigration system needs serious reform, and Congress must do its job. Abducting people off our streets without questions, without probable cause, without warrants, and without any knowledge of where they’re being taken is not who we are as Americans.

Our community deserves better. I will stand up against unlawful actions and defend the rights and safety of every person who calls this place home.