Candidate Profile, Debbie Dingell, U.S. Congress

PLYMOUTH-CANTON, MI — U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell is seeking reelection to a newly drawn U.S. Congressional District that includes the Plymouth-Canton and Ann Arbor.

Dingell is running uncontested in the Democratic primary on Aug. 2 for the newly drawn Sixth Congressional District. She will either face either Hima Kolanagireddy or Whittney Williams in November's general election.

The Democratic representative was first elected to Congress in 2014 and represents Dearborn, Ann Arbor and several downriver communities.

Name

Debbie Dingell

Campaign website

https://DebbieDingellForCongre...

City or town of residence

Ann Arbor

Office sought

U.S. Congress

District, if applicable

6th Congressional District

Party affiliation

Democrat

Education

B.S.F.S. in Foreign Services and an M.S. in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University

Occupation

Member of Congress

Family

John Dingell was the love of my life and I miss him every day. For the first time in my Congressional career, I’ll be running to represent my mother who lives in Novi! And I have a wonderful extended family with many nieces and nephews who keep me grounded every day.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My stepson serves as a judge in the 3rd Circuit of Wayne County.

Age

68 years young

Previous public office, appointive or elective

I am currently serving as United States Representative for the 12th Congressional District of Michigan. Additionally, from 2007-2014 I served on the board of Wayne State University.

Why are you seeking this office?

I have proudly served Michigan’s 12th District for nearly eight years, and am running for re-election in the newly drawn Michigan 6th District to continue that work. Representing Michigan’s 12th District has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime, and fortunately approximately 60 percent of my constituents will remain in our newly drawn district. Entrusted with the responsibility to represent roughly 800,000 of my neighbors in Michigan, I am proud of my record as a tenacious fighter for working men and women, a voice for young people and seniors, and an advocate for families trying to make ends meet. With more than three decades of experience working in the auto industry, I know how to bring multiple stakeholders to the table to find common ground and bring real solutions to our community.

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?

In my time in Congress, I have worked across the aisle to deliver real results for the constituents I serve. With my good friend, Fred Upton, I have passed legislation to rid our environment of dangerous forever chemicals, like PFAS and PFOA. I have built strong coalitions to move our auto industry into a new era of mobility with affordable electric vehicles, and a strong EV infrastructure, as well as a strong domestic workforce to ensure EVs are built here in Michigan with good-paying, labor jobs. Just in the last few weeks, I have passed the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act to protect our environment, enhance our conservation efforts, and ensure the long-term health of our endangered species, while leading efforts to take an important first step towards closing the ‘dating partner loophole’ that has let too many dangerous individuals evade our laws and purchase guns to terrorize our communities.

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

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?

Absolutely. We need to pass legislation to lower costs for working families and to combat the corporate price gouging that has led to historic gas prices in our neighborhoods.

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

Absolutely. Women’s access to health care is under attack across our country and an unjust Supreme Court ruling has led to states already attempting to criminalize women’s health care. In Michigan, we must change our constitution to codify the right to privacy and health care for all patients. The separation of Church and State is a fundamental principle in our nation’s constitution, and we must pass legislation in Washington to ensure that a woman’s health care decisions are made between her, her doctor, her faith, and her family.

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, stagnant wages have failed to keep pace with the cost of living for decades. A minimum wage increase is long overdue, and that’s why I’m a proud original cosponsor of the Raise The Wage Act in Congress.

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?

Ensuring the security of our elections is critical, but it should not be influenced by partisan politics or the lies of a former president. We will continue to advance efforts to protect our democracy, increase access to the ballot box, and reform our campaign finance laws.

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

There’s too much hatred and division in our country today. But I have always been focused on bringing people together, building coalitions, and finding solutions even if it might make some people uncomfortable. We need civility in our politics and public discourse. That will always be one of my greatest priorities, because we won’t accomplish real, lasting, necessary change until we change the way we do politics in this country.

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

In my time in Washington, we have made progress for Michigan by working together across party lines on critical issues like lowering daily costs for American families, protecting our Great Lakes, improving our infrastructure, and creating jobs by supporting manufacturing and leveling the playing field for our workers. As a fierce environmental advocate, I have led efforts to strengthen fuel economy standards that accomplish the twin goals of environmental protection and affordability. Long before the pandemic began and exposed our fragile supply chain, I worked with colleagues in both parties to rebuild domestic manufacturing in Michigan and support the growth of our local businesses.

As Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, I successfully advocated for fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration initiative as well as fighting for more resources to combat PFAS chemical contamination in our state. As the author of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act in Congress, I helped pass landmark legislation in the House of Representatives to provide $3.8 billion to states to do proactive work to prevent animals from becoming endangered.

Before being elected to Congress, I was a proud car girl who spent three decades working in the auto industry. Beyond that work, I focused on supporting children, students, and families as chair of the Michigan Infant Mortality Task Force, the Children’s Leadership Council of Michigan, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, the Baby Your Baby public education campaign, and by serving on the board of Michigan’s Children.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason, so we can listen more and talk less.

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

Every day I’m home in Michigan, I am in my community at farmers markets, parades, festivals, concerts, and anywhere else where I can hear directly from the people I serve. You can find me volunteering with local organizations to keep our neighborhoods clean or providing support to people in need. What I love most about this job is the connection to my neighbors, and that will never change.