Building the Future Right Here at Home
Economy
The U.P. has manufacturers who never left. They kept workers on the job, kept our economy moving, and kept Michigan products flowing to the world. Now it’s our turn to have their back. We can’t keep exporting our young people and importing our goods. The next generation of Michigan manufacturing — and Michigan innovation — must be built here, by us and for us. As technology evolves, our rural communities must lead, not lag. My work with organized labor has taught me that when workers have a seat at the table, transitions are safer, fairer, and more sustainable.
That’s why I’ll fight to:
• Expand state grants and tax credits that help modernize local plants and keep them strong
• Support businesses adopting clean, cost-saving technologies that protect our air, water, and natural resources
• Invest in skilled-trade apprenticeships and technical education rooted in union standards
• Strengthen local supply chains so companies in Ironwood, Marquette, Escanaba, Hancock, and beyond buy and sell with each other first
• Grow clean-energy manufacturing right here at home — building components for wind, solar, grid storage, and electrified transportation
• Expand affordable broadband and digital access so workers can train, upskill, and access remote work opportunities across the U.P.
• Protect and value human work — automation shouldn’t replace lives, it should upgrade them, with collective bargaining, fair wages, and worker protections
• Support locally owned small businesses adopting AI and smart tools to stay competitive
• Create jobs that blend human judgment and technology — from data-assisted forestry to digitally enhanced tourism — so the U.P. captures value, not just services
Technology should work for working people — not the other way around. Manufacturing built the foundation of the U.P.’s economy. By investing in innovation, protecting workers, and leading the clean-energy transition, we can ensure the next chapter of Michigan industry is written right here at home — proudly Made in the U.P.
Rural Health Care and Affordable Housing
Strong communities start with care — care for our health, our families, and our future. Across the Upper Peninsula, too many of our neighbors face impossible choices between paying for a doctor’s visit, affording their medications, or finding a home they can actually afford. When our hospitals struggle and our housing costs rise, the very foundation of rural life is at risk. As a veteran, a father, and a labor representative, I know that commitment and care go hand in hand. Our state must invest in both the people who keep our communities healthy and the places they call home.
I’ll fight to:
• Expand urgent care, telehealth, and mobile clinic services so U.P. residents don’t have to drive hours just to see a doctor.
• Recruit and retain rural health-care professionals through student loan forgiveness, housing incentives, and local residency programs that grow talent from within our communities.
• Strengthen mental-health and addiction-treatment access — because rural isolation should never mean silence or neglect.
• Ensure caregivers have collective bargaining rights, safe working conditions, and fair reimbursement for the essential work they do in rural hospitals and clinics.
• Protect privacy, bodily autonomy, and every person’s right to make private health decisions — including reproductive and maternal care — without political interference.
• Establish state-level subsidies to reduce out-of-pocket costs for essential medications, especially for those with chronic conditions and those on Medicaid.
• Develop affordable housing solutions that make it possible for working families, educators, health-care workers, and young professionals to live and thrive in the Upper Peninsula.
• Partner with local builders, unions, and community leaders to create workforce housing and modernize rural infrastructure, keeping our small towns strong and sustainable.
Education
Schools in the Upper Peninsula are more than brick and mortar — they are the heart of our towns, the keepers of our pride, and the foundation of our future. But too many of our schools face shrinking budgets, aging buildings, and teacher shortages. This isn’t just an education issue — it’s an economic one. When our schools struggle, families struggle. And when families struggle, communities fade.
I’m committed to policies that ensure:
• Reliable broadband access so every student can learn without digital dead ends
• Housing support and long-term incentives to recruit and retain talented teachers
• Funding that reflects the real cost of rural education, including transportation across long distances
• Expanded skilled trades, apprenticeships, and early-college programs to build careers right here at home
• Strong protection of teachers’ collective bargaining rights
Our kids deserve classrooms that inspire them — not a message that their ZIP code defines their future.
Veterans Services and Rural Access
As a proud Veteran, I’ll always stand by my brothers and sisters who served — before me, beside me, and after me. When we come home, our state must defend our health, livelihoods, and dignity just as fiercely as we once defended this nation.
I’ll work to:
• Expand access to Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) services and County Veteran Service Officers (CVSOs) across the U.P.
• Prevent Veteran homelessness with dedicated housing support and targeted U.P. funding streams
• Fund and expand mental health, suicide prevention, and caregiver support for rural Veterans and families
• Support Veteran entrepreneurship and small business ownership through state grant programs and contract preferences
When Veterans return home, they shouldn’t have to fight another battle just to access care or find housing. We owe them more than gratitude — we owe them results.
Your Rights
Our freedoms aren’t gifts from government — they’re guarantees it must never take away. I’ll defend the rights that define us: to speak, worship, work, vote, and bear arms. In the U.P., freedom isn’t partisan — it’s personal. Every bill I support will be measured by one test: does it protect your constitutional liberty?
Mapping Our Future
The path forward is ours to shape. Together, we can make the U.P. not just a place to be from — but a place to stay, thrive, and lead.