By: Joe Tate
What is a Michigan where working families can no longer afford to put food on the table, where the jobs that built our middle class are shipped overseas? What kind of identity, what type of soul, would our state have then?
Would it still be the Michigan that fueled America’s auto industry, that raised generations
through union wages and steady manufacturing, that stood as a model of innovation and
resilience? By relentlessly standing up for working people, for our auto industry, and for our democracy, Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) is refusing to let that promise slip away.
I am Joe Tate, the first Black Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, and I am
proud to endorse Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) for United States Senate. I chose to endorse Haley because she has always been a fighter for Michigan and for our communities. She has the experience to deliver real results, and she represents our best chance to defeat Mike Rogers, push back against Donald Trump’s agenda that is sowing chaos in the homes of families across this country.
I have spent a good portion of my life focused on improving the quality of life of all
Michiganders. I know the difference between talk and results. Haley Stevens delivers results.
She was born and raised in Michigan and is the daughter of small business owners who instilled in her the values of hard work and service. During the Great Recession, when our auto industry teetered on collapse, she served as Chief of Staff to President Obama’s auto rescue. That effort helped stabilize the industry and save more than 200,000 Michigan jobs. She knows firsthand what it takes to fight for working families when the stakes are highest.
After flipping a Republican held seat in 2018, Haley went to Washington and immediately got to work. She helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act, positioning Michigan to lead on
semiconductor manufacturing. She was recently named one of Michigan’s most effective
lawmakers, proof that she knows how to turn ideas into laws that matter.
Let me be clear about one thing, in moments like these, when protections for people of color, for voters, and for our basic freedoms are being rolled back by the Trump Administration, we need someone in Washington who will fight for us and put our interests first. That person is Haley Stevens.
Haley has written legislation to expand opportunities for Black-owned businesses by improving access to capital, networks, and supply chains. She introduced the Increasing Developing Entrepreneurship Access (IDEA) Act, which would create a network of small business accelerators designed to lift minority-owned firms. She drew on her own private-sector experience, where she helped create one of the first online job training programs in the country, to push for apprenticeships and shop classes that prepare students for good-paying jobs, whether or not they go to college.
She has also focused on breaking down barriers that hold people back. With her Clean Slate Through Repayment Act, she is making it easier for borrowers, especially those from
marginalized communities, to clear defaulted student loans from their credit histories and rebuild their financial futures. She has worked on bills like the CHIPPING IN Act and the Data Science and Literacy Act to expand access to technology careers. And her very first bill signed into law, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, opened the door for underrepresented students to pursue opportunities in science and engineering.
If you are a Michigander worried about rising costs at the grocery store or the pharmacy, Haley Stevens is fighting for you. If you feel uncertain about the future of our auto industry, threatened by reckless tariffs that are putting our jobs at risk, Haley is standing in your corner. If you are a senior wondering whether your hard-earned Social Security and Medicare benefits will be there when you need them, Haley is committed to protecting them.
She doesn’t just talk about these challenges; she listens. She will bring our voices back to
Washington, shaping solutions that reflect the lived experiences of people in every zip code.
Haley Stevens shows up in our neighborhoods, listens to families, and fights for the issues that matter most to us. She has focused her campaign on lowering costs for families, strengthening manufacturing, and standing up to Donald Trump.
Michigan needs a senator who can go toe-to-toe with Mike Rogers and win. Haley Stevens is that candidate. She knows and cares about our communities, is guided by our values, and is relentless in her fight for every Michigander.
That is why I’ve endorsed Haley Stevens for United States Senate and why I believe my fellow Michiganders should support her candidacy.
Joe Tate is former Speaker of the House in Michigan.
