Wayne County executive Warren Evans is putting his chips behind a progressive newcomer who’s running against a current state House member to represent the state’s newly drawn 2nd state Senate district.
Evans is endorsing Abbas Alawieh, a former congressional chief of staff and one of the co-founders of the 2024 Uncommitted movement. The new state Senate seat represents Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Allen Park, Melvindale, plus parts of Taylor and Detroit.
Also running for the seat are state Reps. Erin Byrnes, D-Dearborn, and Tullio Liberati, D-Allen Park. Both candidates filed campaign committees last summer, while Alawieh filed his campaign committee in December.
“Abbas entered this race with a clear vision for improving our communities, and it’s a vision that is about bringing people together and bringing resources where they’re needed most,” Evans said. “His determination to ensure Wayne County continues to lead the way in quality of life is undeniable.”
Evans will be featured as a special speaker at the Abbas for State Senate community kickoff event on Thursday, Feb. 12 at Byblos in Dearborn.
When on Capitol Hill, Alawieh worked for U.S. Representatives Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib, and served as chief of staff to Congresswoman Cori Bush.
“I know what it takes to stand tall when others tell us to sit down,” Alawieh said in his announcement video.
His work on the Uncommitted campaign, which became a national movement after over 100,000 Michigan voters protested President Joe Biden over the war in Gaza during the 2024 February Democratic primary election. Ultimately, leaders of Uncommitted broke with other anti-war groups by encouraging supporters to vote against Donald Trump, instead of supporting the Republican over Harris as many Arab and Muslim voters did in 2024.
“As State Senator, partnering with our County Executive to deliver historic investments across Wayne County will be a top priority,” Alawieh said in a statement. “To have Executive Evans’s trust and support means the world, not only because he will be a stellar partner in governance, but also because I know I will draw on his leadership and example when serving the residents of District 2.”
