Rep. Haley Stevens runs for US Senate on grit and growth

In an exclusive interview, Stevens discusses Trump’s tariffs, Macomb County roots, and why manufacturing workers need a “fighter” in Washington.

LANSING—US Rep. Haley Stevens doesn’t just talk about manufacturing—she lives it.

As chief of staff on former President Barack Obama’s auto rescue task force, Stevens worked closely with manufacturers and union leaders to help stabilize the state’s automotive industry—work that she now credits for saving about 200,000 Michigan jobs. 

So, last month, when the  Oakland County Democrat launched her US Senate campaign, she did so with a clear warning about the uncertainty created by the Trump administration’s ever-shifting tariff policies. Michigan’s economy could be rocked by tariff instability.

Since then, Stevens has been visiting factory floors as part of her weekly “Manufacturing Mondays” initiative, which has taken her to more than 200 different Michigan manufacturers since she was first elected to Congress in 2018.

Now, with Democratic Sen. Gary Peters stepping aside after two terms in office, Stevens believes Michigan needs a new “fighter” who can look out for working families in Washington.

In an exclusive with The ‘Gander, Stevens reflected on the values instilled by her parents, seeing her mother run a small business, her work rescuing automotive manufacturing jobs under the Obama administration, and her legislative focus on expanding skilled trades training, defending Social Security and Medicaid, and “building the innovative future of tomorrow.”

The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

You’ve said Michigan has hit boiling point over the Trump administration’s tariffs. Was there a moment when that truly hit home for you—and can you elaborate?

There was. I spend a lot of time with manufacturers through my “Manufacturing Mondays” initiative. There’s a small manufacturer in my district called Detroit Axle. It’s run by a really impressive man, and the workforce there is remarkable—I just felt right at home.

I asked him about tariffs, and he told me, “This is a headache. But it’s not like it’s an exclusive Detroit Axle tariff. This is an across-the-board tariff, so I’m willing to manage it and deal with the headache.” And just the other week, he came forward and said, “This is so ridiculous. This is so harmful.” And it’s not the tariff per se—it’s that we have erratic change by the minute, this shoot-by-the-hip approach when manufacturers and their workers need consistency. 

As someone who worked on behalf of Michigan during a really tough moment—the US auto rescue under the Obama administration—it’s frustrating. Every single day, we’d walk in the door and see headlines about General Motors or Chrysler going bankrupt. But we saved 200,000 Michigan jobs. And it all came down to Michigan grit, ingenuity, and determination.

Now, 15 years later, I’m having the same conversations about job insecurity, hiring on hold, production and procurement becoming so difficult. These are the same, chaotic supply chain disruptions we were dealt with five years ago. But this time, it’s self-inflicted. It’s maddening.

Were you always planning to run for US Senate?

My life has been defined by these moments of uncertainty and crisis for Michigan.

I love what I do. I love helping people and serving in a public service role for our incredible state. But really, I’m just a kid of two parents who had a small business. My dad is still in the landscaping business. He’s still driving the Ford F-150 with “Stevens Landscaping” on the side.

Growing up, my parents were covered in dirt, hauling heavy equipment out of a plot of land in Macomb County. That’s the value of hard work. That’s what showed me from a young age that you can run a small business, provide for your family, and achieve the American Dream.

Gary Peters leaves big shoes to fill. I have a lot of respect for him. But Michigan needs a champion in the US Senate, and I believe that’s me.  We need a champion to stand up to Trump and Elon Musk. It’s not just the tariffs; it’s cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security while costs are going through the roof. We need a proven leader to push back and deliver for our state.

What does public service mean to you? And how do you stay grounded in that work after all these years serving in the US House of Representatives?

I was just with the mayor of South Lyon and a city councilman, picking up trash on a Saturday. They were continuing their Earth Day tradition. That’s what this is all about—people. A fully paralyzed veteran reached out to me at the beginning of the Trump chaos agenda, asking if he needed to be worried about his benefit check. These are the people I help in my job right now.

We’ve returned about $150 million to the people of Michigan’s 11th District—helping folks untangle federal benefits programs, particularly Social Security, veterans benefits, and even some issues with the IRS. And a lot of this work all starts with the people I meet.

What keeps me up at night is: Who’s not right in front of me? Who still needs help?

I’ve knocked on doors, and families have told me they didn’t qualify for financial aid—even though both parents were UAW factory workers and the dad still had student loan debt. That’s how I wrote the AID Act. I was out in Hazel Park that day, just listening to people.

Some voters are tired—tired of the chaos, tired of politics. What do you say to folks who’ve lost faith that their government can work for them?

I’ll tell you what motivates me. It’s Michigan and it’s our incredible state that I get to come to the House of Representatives and brag about. Time magazine ran a front page cover asking who was going to shut off the lights in Detroit. Well, newsflash: The lights are on and they’re bright. It’s not just our sports teams that are doing well. It’s our workforce, families, our public schools. 

Michigan has a lot of bragging points. We have the most FIRST Robotics teams in the country.

Before I was in Congress, I was creating STEM education programs and initiatives. That is a selling point for us. And so, when you think about what’s exhausting people, a lot of times we need to be more positive. I’m positive and fired up for Michigan, and that’s one of the reasons I’m running for the US Senate. I want to blow the whistle on the Trump-Musk chaos agenda, but I also want to be in the US Senate because I want to share and sing the story of Michigan.

You’ve talked a lot about supporting manufacturing and the middle class. What does building an economy that works for everyone actually look like to you?

I just introduced legislation to improve the Family and Medical Leave Act—making sure both parents can qualify if they work at the same place. That was bipartisan legislation. I’m also working on paid family leave legislation in a similar, bipartisan way—bringing in small businesses, healthcare providers, and, of course, families and other stakeholders.

We’ve got to look the 21st Century in the face. We’ve got an incredible ecosystem in Michigan for job training and apprenticeship programs. A lot of it is tied to organized labor. And as a representative, I’m also working really closely with county elected leadership on these initiatives.

In Oakland County, we have a goal for 80% of residents to have a degree, certificate, or credential. That’s already beating benchmarks. We’re a state of 10.8 million people, so we got to talk to 10.8 million people. But in a lot of ways, it all begins with making a difference in a few lives and then taking that same formula and approach and expanding it out to other people. 

If you have skills, no one can take that away from you. We see that with building trades. That’s why the infrastructure bill was such a big deal for Michigan—it’s jobs, it’s experience. But it’s not just maintenance and improvement jobs. It’s building the innovative future of tomorrow. We’re saying leave no one behind in the economy of the future, that there’s a role for everybody. 

What’s at stake for Michigan if these federal cuts continue?

The big, beautiful bill that Donald Trump is backing would just be one, big, beautiful tax cut for the gazillionaires and it would not deliver for everyday working Michiganders. In fact, it would come at their expense—at the expense of their healthcare and our manufacturing industry.

We can’t afford more setbacks. We want to be as strong as we can as we’re competing on the global stage, to make sure that the things that are grown in Michigan continue to be sold.

Some lawmakers fall into the trap of talking points and lip service. This is beyond that. This is everyday reality for people. Medicaid is essential. Medicaid is life for people. I am pushing —and have been pushing for years—to expand Medicaid and tackle these rising costs. 

Costs are going up across the board. We need someone who understands what it’s like to walk a day in the shoes of people—like my parents who are living off of Social Security. Someone who knows the feeling of dread over a grocery bill, which is ridiculously high right now.

We’re not seeing this administration take seriously what is impacting Michiganders and we need a serious lawmaker in the US Senate who will have their backs. And that’s me. 

This race is getting crowded. What sets you apart from the field?

I’m incredibly fired up about what’s happening in Michigan and what our state represents to so many people and to this country. My unique background in manufacturing is something that I can bring to the voters to earn their trust because I get what drives our economy. 

I get what drives small businesses. And having served on the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry to recently being named one of the most effective lawmakers for the state, I want to get things done for Michigan and I’ve done that time and time again throughout my career.

No one’s going to out-geek me when it comes to industrial policy or manufacturing and the needs of our workforce. It’s a profound and incredible honor to get out there, to meet voters where they’re at, to hear what’s on their mind, and to let them know: I’ve got your back.

About the Candidate

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

Haley Stevens was born Rochester Hills, attended high school in Birmingham, and went to college in Washington, DC. She’s now serving in her fourth term in the US House of Representatives, representing Michigan’s 11th Congressional District—which encompasses Oakland County and includes Farmington Hills, Royal Oak, and Madison Heights.

Before serving in Congress, Stevens was the chief of staff on President Barack Obama’s auto rescue task force, where she worked with manufacturers and labor leaders to prevent an estimated 200,000 Michigan jobs from being eliminated after the 2008 financial crisis.

In the US House, Stevens has built a reputation around supporting manufacturers and their workers. She helped write the CHIPS and Science Act to boost semiconductor manufacturing, led programs to boost STEM education, and regularly visits with Michigan workers on factory floors across the state through her ongoing, weekly “Manufacturing Mondays” initiative.

Her top campaign priorities include lowering costs, defending Social Security and Medicare, expanding job training, ensuring Black-owned businesses have access to the resources they need to succeed, and confronting what she calls the “Trump-Musk chaos agenda.”

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

Whoever advances will likely face Republican Mike Rogers, an ex-congressman who is making his second US Senate run after narrowly losing to Congresswoman 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: Michigan congresswoman enters race to represent Michigan in US Senate

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