Mallory McMorrow runs for US Senate to ‘cut through the BS’ and deliver for Michigan

Exclusive: State Sen. Mallory McMorrow opens up about her rural roots, viral rise, and why she believes Michigan needs bolder leadership to take on the Trump administration and deliver for working families.

LANSING—State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) says she’s done waiting for permission to lead.

From her small-town upbringing where the front door was never locked, to a viral floor speech that made her a national voice for LGBTQ+ rights, McMorrow has carved out a reputation as a no-nonsense Democrat who isn’t afraid to call things what they are—and get things done.

Now, the two-term state senator is running to represent Michigan in the US Senate with a message that aims to cut through the noise: The system just isn’t working for working people. It’s time for a newer, bolder generation of leaders who aren’t afraid to say so out loud.

In a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview with The ‘Gander, McMorrow opened up about her decision to run for US Senate, her push to rebuild trust in government, and how her experiences as a parent, designer, and state lawmaker have helped to shape her vision for the country. 

She also reflected on the impact of President Donald Trump’s economic policies on Michigan, the power of community, and why she believes this moment demands something “different.”

The following Q&A has been edited and condensed for grammar, style, and clarity.

You’ve talked before about your small-town upbringing and the values that shaped you. But was there a particular moment growing up that anchored your sense of service or helped shape your politics?

My childhood and upbringing wasn’t exactly normal. We didn’t have keys to my house growing up. The doors were never locked at my house. We grew up in a very small town—about 1,000 people in this tiny, little colonial village. My house was 200 years old, an old boarding house.

Every day when I would come home from school, there would be somebody at the kitchen table—whether it was a neighbor, a friend, or one of my brother’s friends who maybe got kicked out from their parents’ house. It was always a place where people knew they could come.

I loved that. It was kind of like coming home to a community center. I had this entire village of people who knew me and who raised me. It was really beautiful. We all knew each other, and if somebody was sick or had lost someone or was going through a hard time, you had support.

You had people who had your back.

And as I think about where we’re at in this country, I try to really understand why so many people were willing to vote for somebody like Donald Trump. I think part of the appeal of the vision of “Make America Great Again” is this idea of seeking that kind of feeling—where I’m welcome and I belong and I’m part of a community, more than just a specific type of politics.

So, that really shaped who I am. It’s been interesting growing up and realizing, as I meet more people, this was a very unique way to have been raised. Not a lot of other people have had that.

What pushed you to jump into this race for US Senate?

This feels like such an existential moment in our country. As I think about where my skills and my background best fit in, there was no doubt in my mind that I would look at the US Senate.

I started calling people when [US Sen.] Gary Peters made his announcement that he wasn’t going to seek re-election—people all across the state. I started a PAC a few years ago supporting other state legislative candidates, so I’ve been campaigning across the state.

The sense I get from people is that they’re scared and anxious. They want to know that there is somebody who is going to fight for them and also bring them on board, so we can fight together.

It is not the time for politics as usual. It’s not the time for the usual kind of DC-style politics.

What concerns me is that when Donald Trump’s poll numbers start to decrease, the only thing less popular than Donald Trump is the Democratic Party. That sets off major red flags for me. 

We have a lot of work to do to fix this party. 

I have a really strong track record in the state legislature of flipping a Republican district, serving in the minority, and not accepting that that’s where I had to be. I leveraged the moment I had a few years ago with my viral speech. I opened my political action committee, raised millions of dollars, and I’ve made the case to voters across Michigan that we have a lot of great policy ideas—and what’s standing in the way is not a lack of will, it’s a lack of political power.

We delivered on a lot of what we said we were going to do. That’s what people are hungry for. We just need to fight differently, and I’m excited to be a part of it. 

You’ve said that politics as usual just isn’t working right now. But what does this new sort of leadership actually look like to you?

A lot of people are burned out on politics that feel very transactional. I’ve been critical of elected officials who say, “This is the most important election of our lifetimes.” How many times have we heard that? It implies that if you just vote hard enough, everything’s going to be fixed.

It feels like politics is a thing that happens to you instead of with you.

I’m proud of having built a reputation for giving people real, tangible, tactical ways to participate beyond just voting and donating. On my Instagram account, I do regular videos where people can ask me any question they want. I’ve done probably close to 300 videos since Election Day.

A teacher at a rally told me she watches every single one. She said it makes her feel calm, but motivated. That’s what’s different about me. I’ll be the first to say: I cannot do this by myself. Any politician who tells you they can is lying. But together, we can really move the needle on policy. 

We’re not going to ghost you after Election Day. I think that’s how we rebuild trust in politics and get to a place where more people are voting and participating—not because they feel like they have to, but because they’ll want to and because they’ll know that they’re actually a part of it.

What do you say to people who’ve lost faith in the government?

You level with them. 

We have to meet people where they are and say: “You have every right to be angry.” More than anything else, I hear people saying, “I’ve done everything right and I’m still getting screwed.” 

I graduated with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. I slept in the back of my car and on friends’ couches, whoever would have me. I applied to something like 300 jobs.

That’s what I hear from people: They’re still in debt. They can’t afford a house. They can’t afford to start a family. They’re not saving any money, saving for retirement. They can’t go on vacation.

So, step one is telling people: Yeah, the system is broken and you have every right to be angry. And the solution to getting through this moment and defeating Trump and this version of the Republican Party is not to go back to the way things were because that wasn’t working either.

You should be pissed off and we have to build something new that actually works for you. 

You’ve talked about fighting back against the Trump administration. But is there a particular issue or policy area you’re most focused on?

We’re really focused on this idea that we have to create a new American Dream. 

People are checked out because they don’t believe the system works for them anymore, that we were promised growing up—that if we work hard and play by the rules, we’ll be able to afford to buy a house, start a family, and build a career—isn’t guaranteed for people.

Our vision of a new American Dream acknowledges that we can’t go back. It’s not in the past. It’s not “making America great again.”  It’s something new, and it’s centered on three things: success, safety, and sanity.

Success means being able to buy a house in the neighborhood you want, to access childcare and paid leave. It shouldn’t cost your entire salary to have childcare. I would be one of the only parents of a young child in the US Senate and that would be at the center of my policy priorities.

I’ve also been critical of how our state approaches economic development. We keep trying to recapture the prosperity of our past by just doing the same thing over and over again.

Michigan’s economy is tied to trade and Trump’s tariffs have been causing chaos. What’s your take on how he’s handled trade policy?

It’s a disaster. 

Trump’s approach seems to be “ready, fire, aim.” He just announces stuff to see what happens.

I came from the auto industry as a car designer and I was also a senior global designer at Mattel. Whether it was full-size cars or Hot Wheels, I’ve dealt with the entire supply chain. And it’s just not sustainable to have trade policy that changes from one day to the next.

If companies are forced to bear the brunt of higher costs, they’ll pass that on to consumers. 

The idea that tariffs make other countries pay? That’s either intentionally lying to people about what tariffs actually do, or, worse, a vast misunderstanding of how global trade actually works.

What is something that Michigan voters should know about you—and what’s something that you think most folks still get wrong?

A lot of people know me from that viral speech or they saw me at the Democratic National Convention. Already, Republicans are painting me as a progressive social media troll. 

But what a lot of people don’t know about me is that I grew up in a small, rural community.

I pig-sat for my neighbors. My first pets were chickens. My brother worked on a farm. And if you happened to hit a deer, I worked at a family-run grocery store and we would butcher it for you.

I have a lot of lived experiences that are similar to a lot of people. I’m comfortable in dive bars and at dirt track races and fixing cars in a way that I think a lot of Democrats are not.

You were the first to jump into this race. Now the field is getting crowded. What’s your case to voters about why you stand out?

This feels like a very different moment in our country and in our state. To me, it’s less about where you fall on the political spectrum and more about how you show up in this moment.

People are looking for fighters. 

But they also want to know that you’re actually going to do what you say you’re going to do. It’s not enough to stand on the sidelines and be critical or lay out policies that you can’t deliver. 

In the state Legislature, we have an incredibly strong track record of recognizing when we don’t have the power to pass the policies that we want to pass, but mounting successful campaigns across the state that help us get that power and then be able to deliver on those promises.

I’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve had for this campaign. I raised $1 million on my first day—from all 83 counties in Michigan, with more than 12,000 individual donors. 

That says a lot about the energy and the excitement, and that people are looking for somebody who knows when to fight, how to fight, and that somebody is fighting for them and actually bringing them to the table to be part of creating our own future together. 

About the Candidate

Here’s what to know about the candidate, her platform, and the road ahead:

Mallory McMorrow was first elected to the state Senate in 2018 after flipping a Republican-held district that included former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s hometown. 

Following redistricting, she won re-election in 2022 and currently serves as state Senate majority whip, where she’s played a key role in passing legislation to prevent gun violence, repeal the state’s abortion ban, raise wages, and expand civil rights protections.

McMorrow rose to national prominence in 2022 after delivering a viral floor speech pushing back against Republican-led attacks on LGBTQ+ rights—positioning herself as a leading voice for a new generation of Democratic leadership. She’s since built an online following by breaking down state policy and encouraging civic participation through regular “Ask Me Anything” videos.

A former industrial designer who once served coffee at bingo night in her hometown volunteer firehouse, McMorrow says her working-class upbringing and experience as a parent have helped shape her vision for rebuilding trust in government and creating what she calls a “new American Dream”—focused on success, safety, and sanity for working families.

To win Michigan’s open US Senate seat in 2026, McMorrow must first emerge from a competitive Democratic primary that also includes US Rep. Haley Stevens, former state House Speaker Joe Tate, and former gubernatorial candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed.

Whoever advances will likely face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman making his second Senate run after narrowly losing to US Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024.

The general election isn’t until November 2026—so there’s still plenty of time for Michiganders to get registered to vote and learn more about the candidates ahead of Election Day.

READ MORE: State Sen. Mallory McMorrow announces Democratic bid for US Senate

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