U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens received an endorsement from the Congressional Black Caucus Friday as voters are already casting ballots via mail ahead of the Aug. 4 primary election.
Stevens is running against former Wayne County and Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed, who also has a number of endorsements from Black organizations.
“I’m incredibly humbled and honored and excited about what that means for my campaign and what this moment means for Michigan and voting rights and issues so specific to the Black community,” Stevens told Michigan Chronicle in a phone interview Friday.
“Right now, we see Black representation and Black voices being shut out in the Congress and in offices of elected representation,” Stevens said. “It’s not acceptable. And now, as someone who represents a congressional district with a bigger Black population, you know I continue to just ask the questions: What does this mean for Black Michiganders?”
Stevens said when Michigan Democrats passed a law banning cell phones being used by drivers, Stevens joined Black Democrats who raised concerns over whether the legislation would give police more reasons to pull over Black drivers.
“We obviously don’t want anyone texting while driving, and so there were laws in our state legislature that were strengthened. A private question I asked because grew up on 15 Mile and 14 Mile, and I remember growing up in the quote Detroit suburbs and paying witness to the challenges of ‘driving while black.’ So, does no texting and driving mean that black drivers are going to be pulled over more? No, and how is that being monitored?”
She also brought up the nationwide effort by Republicans to redraw political maps after the gutting of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Stevens mentioned the Trump administration’s declaration to send the Department of Justice to Michigan during the state’s primary election.
“They’re trying to nationalize elections, and they are trying to take away voting rights. It is incredibly harmful, incredibly dangerous,” Stevens said. “Look at the recent history. The Voting Rights Act is not being reauthorized. It used to be reauthorized on bipartisan grounds, and the Trump administration, the MAGA members of Congress, have rejected that, and they’re now pushing their agenda, which will suppress the vote.”
Stevens’ website contains a string of policies aimed at Black residents, called the MI Hope Agenda. She says the agenda came together through work and conversations she’s been apart of alongside community leaders, like Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus chair Keith Williams, DNC Black Caucus chair Virgie Rollins, Detroit Branch NAACP president Wendell Anthony and Hester Wheeler, an advisor to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Her plan focuses on making communities safer, equitable federal investments into urban communities and increasing access to capital.
“Intentionality is deeply important, and throughout my career and my life, I have always felt drawn and active in the equality movement and in efforts to recognize and serve the needs of our Black community,” Stevens said. “For the Hope Agenda, this was very intentional for my campaign as a statewide operation to ensure that the Black community is heard is part of my platform and that I have accountability to them as a senator. The agenda was not drawn in a vacuum.”
Her agenda, unveiled at the start of her campaign during a conversation moderated by state Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit) at the Durfee Innovation Society, is as follows:
- Equitable Federal Investment
- Ensure federal resources and infrastructure investments are delivered equitably to underserved Michigan communities to strengthen public services, transit, and economic opportunity where it is needed most.
- Economic Empowerment and Access
- Expand access to capital and training for underserved communities and advance an industrial policy that creates jobs, lowers costs, and strengthens Michigan’s economic future.
- Safer Communities
- Advance fair and accountable policing, invest in community-based violence prevention, and strengthen commonsense gun safety laws to protect families and rebuild trust.
- Health and Family Stability
- Lower health care costs, advance health equity, protect science-based care, and defend Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid so Michigan families can live with dignity, health, and security.
- Education, Innovation, and STEM Workforce Future
- Ensure Michigan leads 21st-century manufacturing and innovation by investing in education, STEM and job-training pipelines, and policies that strengthen the supply chain and prepare workers for the industries of the future.
- Water and Infrastructure
- Prioritize safe, clean drinking water, invest in lead pipe replacement, and fight contamination like PFAS, especially in communities most affected by environmental injustice.
- Lowering Housing Costs
- Increase housing supply, support low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities, and strengthen pathways to the middle class.
