Candidate Profile: Andy Levin, U.S. Congress, Oakland County

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — Congressman Andy Levin is running for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives in a newly created Oakland County district that includes the Birmingham, Farmington Hills, Royal Oak and Troy areas.

Levin will face Congresswoman Haley Stevens in a Democratic Primary on Aug. 2.

Here's how he filled out his candidate profile:

Name

Andy Levin

Campaign website

https://www.andylevinforcongre...

City or town of residence

Bloomfield Township

Office sought

U.S. Congress

District, if applicable

11th Congressional District

Party affiliation

Democratic

Education

Williams College, B.A. Religion; University of Michigan, M.A. Asian culture and language; Harvard Law School, J.D. Law.

Occupation

I have served in US Congress since 2019.

Family

My wife Mary Freeman and I have 4 children aged 16-28. Our children are the 5th generation of my family to be raised in Oakland County

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

I am the nephew of former Senator Carl Levin and the son of former Congressman Sandy Levin. My son Saul is a policy advisor for Rep. Cori Bush.

Age

61

Previous public office, appointive or elective

2009-2011 I was appointed by Governor Granholm to the MI Department of Labor where I served as Chief Workforce Officer.

Why are you seeking this office?

I’m a two-time cancer survivor and dad of kids with chronic diseases, so when Donald Trump tried to rip away people’s health care, I was inspired to run for Congress to stop him and fight for Medicare for All.

When I got to Washington, I didn’t settle for incremental change. I was raised to fight for justice, and I’ve always championed bold policies. The pandemic and the disparities it highlighted have made me all the more eager to go back to Congress and keep fighting for the fundamental change we need. I will never waver in doing what is right, whether it’s standing up to insurance companies and Big Pharma as a Medicare for All cosponsor, corporate interests as a union organizer, the fossil fuel industry as a Green New Deal champion, or oppressive forces at home and abroad as a human rights activist.

We need decisive, creative, effective leaders fighting for our families in this moment, and I have the background and record to show that I am that leader.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am the only progressive Democrat in this race. I’m the only one member of Congress who’s raised workers’ wages and improved benefits as a union organizer, fought climate change as the founder of a green energy company and created the largest job-retraining program in the country as the head of a state workforce agency.

Inspired by my family’s values of public service and activism, I have dedicated my career to championing the working class, human rights and clean energy. And with the colliding crises of the pandemic and ensuing public health emergency, racial injustice and climate change, my life’s work has never been urgent.

I have helped lead the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the House of Representatives as an original cosponsor of Medicare for All and the Green New Deal and holding the line for Build Back Better. I am a decisive, effective, creative leader in Washington — and I’ve proven that I know how to get things done.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

My politics is not transactional, and I'll never put my finger up to the wind to test the environment - I'll do what's right. That's why I don't take money from corporate PACs and why I stand up to corporations and special interests who support those who hope to destroy our democracy, our civil rights and our planet.

Do you think the federal government can or should do more to curb inflation, which has led to an increase in prices for food, gas and other goods?

Corporations — including oil and gas companies — are making record profits while using inflation and international crises as excuses to raise prices even higher and continue to pollute our planet. All of these effects are felt the hardest in low-income communities and communities of color. We must simultaneously end our reliance on fossil fuels and make CEOs and corporations pay their fair share in taxes. Then, we can afford to provide universal health care and lower costs that are crushing families — from prescription drugs to childcare and housing.

Do you support changing the state’s constitution to ensure that women have to right to get an abortion?

Absolutely. That is why my campaign has made acquiring signatures for the ballot initative petitions a priority. As a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus, I will continue to fight for the rights of all to make their own choices concerning their bodies and reproductive health. I cosponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act and introduced a resolution to honor abortion providers and clinic staff.

Do you support the Raise the Wage ballot initiative, which would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027 and provide cost-of-living increases in later years?

Yes. As a union organizer, I’ve spent my entire career working to make life easier for working people and have put them at the center of every policy decision I make in Congress. To meet the needs of working Americans, we need to end failed trickle-down economics and create a bottom-up economics. As it is, the U.S. economy was beset by the worst inequality of income and wealth in a century before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the crisis made it worse by laying bare all manner of injustice. In Congress I have worked hard to raise the national minimum wage to $15 with no sub-minimums for tipped workers; protect workers’ pensions; restore the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively; provide universal childcare and pre-school and excellent public school education for every child; and make college free or affordable for all.

Would you support an election initiative to require another audit of the 2020 presidential election, to transfer authority over the audit from the Secretary of State to a newly created auditing panel, and to change how elections are reviewed in the future?

No. We don’t need another audit of the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s challenges failed 61 times in the courts. President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and made history with Vice President Kamala Harris. I’m concerned not only about the reviews of future elections but even more broadly, how future elections are conducted. That’s why I was an original co-sponsor and voted for H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which would put in place a number of election reform measures like putting a stop to voter roll purging; shining a light on dark money by including my amendment requiring greater transparency for corporate contributions; and raising the bar on financial disclosures to root out potential conflicts and strengthen the enforcement of ethics laws. In addition, I have introduced H.R. 6872, the Election Worker and Polling Place Act to make sure that those who administer elections are able to do so without fear of harassment and intimidation. I also introduced H.R. 8015, the Enhanced Pay for Election Worker Act to ensure retention and improve recruitment of elections workers, which is critical for the long-term health of our election system.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

As the union organizer in the congress, I'm committed to passing the Pro Act to give workers back the power in this country. We must also address the climate crisis that we are hurdling toward, and that's why I'm one of only 27 members of Congress who cosponsor each of the Green New Deal bills, including the Build Green Act which I authored with Senator Elizabeth Warren. We need to fight the forms of oppression people of color face today. Among the things we need to do are protect the right to vote; decriminalize marijuana; put more emphasis on treatment than incarceration for substance abuse problems; protect the rights of returning citizens in terms of voting, employment, housing and more; abolish the discriminatory death penalty; end qualified immunity; and stop the scourge of police brutality in America.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My life's work of championing the working class, human rights and green energy has never felt more urgent with the colliding crises of the pandemic, racial injustice, and climate change. The only member of Congress who ran a state workforce agency and worked as a union organizer and a green energy entrepreneur, I am highly regarded for crafting strong policies in these areas.

I meet every challenge on the House Education and Labor Committee by asking the same question: how do we put workers at the center of the solution? How do we secure universal child care, public education, health care for all, job training, the freedom to form a union, good-paying jobs, and a dignified retirement for workers impacted by the pandemic, by systemic inequalities and by the transition to a low carbon economy?

On the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am uniquely positioned to shape the policies that protect human rights, democracy and a free press abroad. My understanding of the intersection of trade agreements and workers’ rights make me a sought-after voice on how to protect U.S. jobs.

Even during the Trump administration, I had several bills signed into law that will make it easier for mothers and babies to access nutrition assistance, protect our waters from PFAS and help prevent veteran suicides. I describes my politics as “practical progressivism.” I champions unapologetically bold policies to tackle our most urgent needs but finds ways to work across the aisle and get things done.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My mom always told me to be true to my heart. She was quite the scholar, a very good student. But she was wise in the ways of human beings. You can study and learn a lot and be an expert, but the most consequential problems in life often involve relationships and conflict between people. In the end, you need to do what your heart tells you is right.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

We need to abolish the Senate filibuster, a relic of the Jim Crow era, to get voting rights, workers rights and women's rights to President Biden’s desk.