By Lavora Barnes
During my tenure as Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, from 2019 to 2025, our state saw some of the most competitive and consequential elections in its history. From 2020, when we elected President Joe Biden and re-elected Senator Gary Peters, to 2022, when we re-elected Governor Whitmer by a historic margin. In 2024, Michigan voters kept Debbie Stabenow’s Senate seat blue by electing Senator Elissa Slotkin as her successor.
Lavora Barnes (Linkedin photo)
My time at the party was defined by my commitment to building the infrastructure necessary to identify and elect Democratic candidates who reflect Michigan’s values and understand what it takes to win Michigan from the top to the bottom of the ticket.
Despite several wins in state and local elections, the 2024 presidential election did not go the way many of us had hoped, and in just over a year, the disorganization and instability of conservative leadership has already had far-reaching effects. Chaotic tariffs have created uncertainty for Michigan manufacturers and small businesses. Costs for housing and groceries continue to rise. Young people are entering one of the toughest job markets in recent history.
Communities of color who have been consistently fighting for a fair shot are seeing decades of hard-won progress be erased. The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) – created to help minority-owned businesses access capital and compete fairly – is facing renewed attacks from the Trump Administration. ICE agents are employing increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics, abusing their power, racially profiling and harassing American citizens, and killing innocent civilians.
Regardless of political affiliation or race, Americans want stability, fairness, and leadership, not chaos.
As petition season begins and campaigns for this year's midterm elections get underway, I have my eye, in particular, on the Michigan Senate election. Now more than ever, we need to elect leaders to federal office who will represent our best interests and fight to deliver for Michiganders in every zip code, which is why I recently announced my endorsement for Congresswoman Haley Stevens in her bid for the U.S. Senate.
Haley has been recognized as one of the most effective Democrats in Congress for our state and the most effective Democrat in Congress on technology issues. She has been going to the mat for the people and the industries that make Michigan what it is, long before she ever held elected office. When the auto industry, the backbone of our state economy, was nearing collapse, Haley stepped up and served in President Obama’s administration as Chief of Staff on the auto rescue, helping lead the effort to save 200,000 jobs.
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens
When Haley joined Congress, she worked tirelessly to help pass the CHIPS and Science Act, a landmark bill that brought manufacturing jobs back to the United States and ensured that semiconductor chips, the building blocks of the modern economy and necessary components in any new car, are built at home. Just last year, Haley unveiled a bill to win back the manufacturing supply chain, bring critical mineral production and innovation home from China, and prevent costs from going up.
If protecting organized labor and collective bargaining rights matters to you in this election, then Haley is your candidate. She is the only candidate in this Senate race who has earned the endorsement of multiple labor unions, all citing her relentless commitment to the working class and her role in helping pass the Butch Lewis Act, which took on Wall Street greed to protect the pensions of tens of thousands of Michiganders.
If Trump’s reckless shoot-from-the-hip tariffs are one of your biggest concerns, as they are mine, and you’re worried about rising costs at the grocery store, Haley is fighting for you. She’s working to bring down the cost of everyday food items so that families are not forced to pay more because of reckless policies.
When the Trump administration attempted to gut the MBDA, Haley stepped up and wrote her IDEA Act, legislation designed to help Black-owned businesses grow by expanding access to capital, building networks, and increasing opportunities to compete for federal contracts. Through her MI HOPE Agenda, Haley has laid out a vision to create opportunity–expanding access to capital for Black entrepreneurs, strengthening pathways to good-paying jobs, and investing in the small businesses that power our local economies.
This will be a tough Senate race. Democrats cannot afford to nominate someone who isn’t ready to go head-to-head with Republican Mike Rogers on day one. The question isn’t who can win a primary, but who can win statewide. Poll after poll tells the same story: Haley Stevens is the only Democrat making this race competitive against Mike Rogers, leading him in every poll, particularly with the independent voters who will decide this election. If we are serious about holding this seat, Haley Stevens is in the best position to do it.
This past year has underscored what’s at stake. My vote is with Haley Stevens. If you want stability, lower prices, and a candidate that puts Michigan first, then Haley Stevens is the candidate for you, too. She is a proven fighter who has never backed down when it comes to standing up for Michigan, has a bipartisan track record of getting things done for Michigan, and she will continue to fight for you in the Senate.
