MI

Endorsing Leaders for Michigan House & Senate

Working people deserve leaders who will stand up to corporate power, invest in our communities, and fight for a government that works for everyone—not just the wealthy and well-connected.

That’s why Our Revolution is proud to endorse these four progressive champions for the Michigan Legislature: Abbas Alawieh for State Senate (District 2), Joanna Whaley for State House (District 2), Chris Gilmer-Hill for State House (District 8), and Jen Strebs for State House (District 41).

Together, these candidates represent a new generation of people-powered leadership committed to making Michigan more affordable, strengthening public education, and uplifting working families.

Abbas Alawieh for State Senate (District 2)

Abbas Alawieh is a former congressional chief of staff, community leader, and grassroots organizer running to represent the people of Dearborn and Detroit in the Michigan Senate. His campaign is rooted in the belief that elected officials should be “unbought and unafraid” to take on special interests and fight for every neighborhood they serve.

Abbas pledges to fight for investments in children, students, workers, elders, and local communities while building a government that serves everyday people instead of powerful interests. His campaign is powered by grassroots volunteers and small-dollar supporters working together to build “something bigger than ourselves.”

Joanna Whaley for State House (District 2)

Joanna Whaley is a lifelong Southeast Michigan resident, parent, and clinical spiritual care provider who has spent her career supporting families through some of life’s most difficult moments. Now she’s running to make sure Lansing works for working people.

Her campaign focuses on the dignity of work, strengthening public schools, lowering utility costs, protecting consumers, relieving medical debt, defending workers’ right to negotiate fair wages, and ensuring every Michigander has the opportunity to thrive. Joanna is also committed to protecting civil liberties, equal opportunity, and the freedom of every resident to live safely and with dignity.

Chris Gilmer-Hill for State House (District 8)

Chris Gilmer-Hill is a lifelong Detroiter, democratic socialist, environmental justice advocate, and proud union member running to make life more affordable for Michigan families.

His campaign calls for real investments in public education, stronger funding for local communities, and getting corporate money out of Michigan politics. Chris has pledged never to accept money from corporate or conservative PACs and is committed to remaining deeply rooted in the communities he represents by showing up, listening, and working alongside local organizations year-round.

Jen Strebs for State House (District 41)

Jen Strebs is the Chair of the Kalamazoo County Commission running to bring proven progressive leadership to Lansing. Her campaign is focused on lowering costs for working families by expanding affordable housing, protecting reproductive freedom, investing in public education, strengthening workers’ rights, and making healthcare more affordable. Jen has also pledged not to accept corporate PAC money, reflecting her commitment to people-powered leadership and accountable government.

Building Progressive Power in Michigan

Michigan has become one of the most important battlegrounds for the progressive movement. Electing leaders who reject corporate influence and fight for working people is how we continue building power from the bottom up.

Abbas Alawieh, Joanna Whaley, Chris Gilmer-Hill, and Jen Strebs are running campaigns grounded in community, accountability, and public service. They understand that government should invest in people, strengthen neighborhoods, and give every family the opportunity to thrive.

Election Day for this Democratic Primary is August 4!

When we organize, we win.

Our Revolution

Endorsing Progressive Champions for Ann Arbor

Strong cities are built by leaders who put people before corporate interests, invest in thriving neighborhoods, and believe local government should improve everyday life for working families.

That’s why Our Revolution is proud to endorse Yousef Rabhi for Mayor of Ann Arbor, Dave Zeglen for City Council (Ward 4), and Ryan Bartholomew for City Council (Ward 3).

Together, these candidates are running people-powered campaigns focused on making Ann Arbor more affordable, strengthening public services, expanding democracy, and ensuring that working people—not wealthy special interests—shape the city’s future.

Yousef Rabhi for Mayor

Yousef Rabhi has spent more than a decade serving the Ann Arbor community in public office, including as a Washtenaw County Commissioner and State Representative. His campaign is centered on making Ann Arbor affordable for working families and seniors while putting residents—not consultants or special interests—at the center of city government.

Yousef is campaigning to make historic investments in permanently affordable public housing, strengthen public services, repair infrastructure, eliminate unnecessary consultant contracts, and ensure that public work is performed by public workers. His vision is grounded in the belief that government should lower costs, expand opportunity, and work for everyday people.

Dave Zeglen for City Council (Ward 4)

Dave Zeglen is a union organizer, teacher, and proud democratic socialist running because he believes Ann Arbor should belong to its people—not corporations, landlords, or the wealthy few.

His campaign calls for permanently affordable social housing, publicly owned renewable energy through municipal power, stronger labor rights, and protecting immigrant communities. Dave is committed to building a city where public resources serve the public good and where working people have a stronger voice in local government.

Ryan Bartholomew for City Council (Ward 3)

Ryan Bartholomew serves as a policy director in the Michigan Legislature and is running to make Ann Arbor more affordable for working-class people, families, and seniors. His campaign is focused on delivering practical progressive solutions that put residents ahead of corporate interests.

Ryan’s platform includes expanding permanently affordable housing, protecting renters, strengthening public services by ending privatization, embracing public power, defending workers, increasing transparency in city government, and rejecting corporate PAC contributions. He believes Ann Arbor should be governed with integrity, independence, and accountability to the people who call the city home.

Building People Power in Ann Arbor

Across Ann Arbor, voters have an opportunity to elect leaders who understand that affordable housing, strong public services, worker power, climate action, and transparent government go hand in hand.

Yousef Rabhi, Dave Zeglen, and Ryan Bartholomew are running campaigns rooted in community, accountability, and grassroots organizing—not corporate influence. Together, they’ll fight to build a city where government works for working people and every resident has the opportunity to thrive.

Election Day for the Democratic Primary is August 4.

When we organize, we win.

Our Revolution

Our Revolution Supports the Michigan Money Out of Politics Initiative

Our democracy should belong to the people—not billionaires, monopoly utilities, or corporations looking to buy influence.

That’s why Our Revolution proudly supports the Michigan Money Out of Politics ballot initiative, a people-powered campaign to restore accountability, transparency, and trust in Michigan’s democracy.

For too long, powerful corporations and special interests have used campaign contributions and dark money to gain outsized influence over the decisions that affect millions of Michiganders. Regulated monopoly utilities and large government contractors have poured money into politics while everyday people are left wondering whether their elected officials are working for the public—or for their biggest donors.

The Michigan Money Out of Politics initiative offers a straightforward solution.

The citizen-led ballot proposal would:

• Ban regulated monopoly utilities from contributing to state officeholders and political party committees.
• Ban corporations with large state or local government contracts from contributing to candidates who oversee those contracts.
• Close the “issue ad” loophole that allows dark money groups to spend heavily on political advertising while hiding their donors.
• Modernize Michigan’s campaign finance disclosure laws so voters know who is paying for political ads, including online advertising.

These reforms strike at the heart of pay-to-play politics.

Michigan voters deserve to know who is trying to influence their elections and should be confident that elected officials are accountable to the people—not corporations seeking favorable treatment or lucrative government contracts. According to polling commissioned by supporters of the initiative, there is broad bipartisan support for limiting political contributions from regulated monopolies and companies seeking government contracts.

Just as importantly, this campaign is being driven by ordinary Michiganders.

Rather than waiting for politicians to reform a system that often benefits them, a broad coalition of community organizations launched this citizen-led initiative and collected more than 560,000 signatures to place the proposal before voters. After a bipartisan vote of the Michigan Board of State Canvassers, the initiative has officially qualified to move forward toward the November 2026 ballot.

At Our Revolution, we’ve long fought to get corporate money out of politics because democracy works best when every voice carries equal weight—not just those with the deepest pockets.

The Michigan Money Out of Politics initiative represents exactly the kind of structural reform our democracy needs. It would shine a light on dark money, reduce conflicts of interest, and help ensure that elected officials answer to voters instead of powerful corporations.

Michigan has the opportunity to become a national leader in campaign finance reform.

Our Revolution is proud to support the Michigan Money Out of Politics initiative, and we urge Michiganders to vote YES for a more transparent, accountable, and people-powered democracy.

When we organize, we win.

Our Revolution

Rashida Tlaib for re-election to Congress

Our Revolution is proud to endorse Rashida Tlaib for re-election to Congress in Michigan’s 7th District because she has never stopped advocating for working people, challenging corporate power, and standing up for communities too often ignored by Washington.

From her first day in Congress, Rashida has refused to back down from the toughest fights. Whether she’s defending immigrant communities, taking on corporate power, or defending civil rights, she has remained accountable to the people—not special interests.

Fighting for Working Families

Rashida’s campaign is rooted in a simple belief: government should put working people and vulnerable communities first.

In Congress, she has fought to lower costs for families, pushed for Medicare for All, and worked to ensure every person has the opportunity to thrive. Rashida has remained one of Congress’s strongest independent voices.

Her campaign is powered by people, not corporate PAC money, and she has made clear that she’s running to take on billionaire bullies that too often drown out the voices of everyday Americans.

Delivering for Her Community

Rashida believes that public service means showing up for your community every day.

Her congressional office has helped hundreds of thousands of constituents, resolved thousands of individual cases, and returned millions of dollars to residents of Michigan’s 12th District while continuing to fight for justice.

She understands that effective representation means both delivering real results at home and fighting for bold change in Washington.

The Leadership This Moment Demands

Working families need leaders who won’t compromise with corporate power or abandon their values when the pressure mounts.

Rashida Tlaib has built her career confronting injustice and organizing alongside the communities she represents. She continues to fight for a more equitable country and will never give up on the values she holds dear.

Together, let’s send one of our movement’s boldest champions back to Congress.

When we organize, we win.

Our Revolution

William Lawrence for Congress in MI-07

Our Revolution is proud to endorse William Lawrence for Congress in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District.

William is running a people-powered campaign centered on the needs of working families across Mid-Michigan.

Raised in East Lansing, William has spent his career organizing people to take on powerful interests and deliver real results. 

As a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, he helped build one of the nation’s most influential grassroots climate organizations — securing historic investments in clean energy and good-paying jobs, including hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Michigan’s 7th District. 

William also helped found the Michigan Rent Is Too Damn High Coalition and the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center, working to advance protections for renters and helping families avoid homelessness. 

William’s campaign platform reflects the kind of bold leadership this moment demands. He is focused on lowering the cost of living by expanding affordable housing, protecting Social Security, guaranteeing healthcare for all, and standing up to corporate price gouging. 

He is also calling for stronger environmental protections for Michigan’s water and farmland, greater accountability for polluters, and restoring trust in government through measures like banning stock trading by members of Congress and holding powerful interests accountable. 

Throughout his campaign, William has emphasized that Washington should work for Mid-Michigan families—not billionaires. He has pledged to build a representative’s office that listens to constituents, shows up in every community, and fights for the people who have too often been left behind. 

We’re proud to endorse William Lawrence for Congress and look forward to helping build the grassroots movement needed to send another fighter for working people to Washington.

When we organize, we win!

Our Revolution