All of the state House districts in Oakland County are on the ballot this year. Voters face many of the state’s most pressing issues, including affordability, educational challenges and data center development. Representatives from Oakland County reflect the region’s mixed urban, suburban and rural footprint.
Of the 20 House districts in Oakland, eight have uncontested primaries on both the Democratic and Republican sides. Those districts are: the 21st, 23rd, 49th, 55th, 56th, 57th, 66th and 72nd. Candidates in those primaries automatically advance to the November general election ballot.
We have endorsed in the districts with competitive primaries. Many of the districts have overlap with Wayne and Macomb counties.
5th District (North-central Detroit, Royal Oak Township and Oak Park): This district is currently represented by Regina Weiss, who declined to seek another term in the House. Competing in the Democratic primary are: Candace Calloway, Crystal Bailey and Soummer Moore-Crawford.
Bailey is CEO of the Walk Fashion Show and an appointee to the State of Michigan Behavioral Health Advisory Council. The former vice president of the Oak Park Board of Education finished second to Weiss in the 2024 Democratic primary for this same seat.
Calloway works in construction for the city of Detroit. She previously served as a learning coach with the Detroit schools and worked on infrastructure projects for the Nature Conservancy.
Moore-Crawford is a member of the Wayne County Women’s Commission and a longtime advocate for housing access and affordability.
Candace Calloway’s experience in designing sustainable infrastructure, as well as her building trades knowledge would be assets to the House, and she gets our endorsement in the Democratic primary. Chris Venable of Oak Park is unopposed on the Republican side of the ballot.
6th District (Berkley, Huntington Woods and parts of Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Royal Oak, Southfield and Southfield Township): This district is currently represented by Democratic state Rep. Natalie Price of Berkley, who is running for a state Senate seat.
Democratic contenders include Charlie Gandy-Thompson, David Lauer and Melanie Macey. The winner of this primary race will face the sole Republican candidate, Mike Steger, in the November election.
Gandy-Thompson is a former automotive executive and tutor whose economic priority is to bring sustainable jobs to Michigan that support long-term growth.
David Lauer is a renovation contractor and activist who would tackle affordability and housing.
Melanie Macey is a public interest attorney and served as a member of the Royal Oak City Commission from 2017 to 2025. She also served as mayor pro tem from 2021 to 2023. Macey has done substantial work on election law in her role as policy and government affairs director for Promote the Vote.
She has pragmatic views on corporate subsidies and the rapid development of artificial intelligence and data centers in Michigan, which could benefit a bipartisan makeup in the state House. Combined with her experience in local government and her awareness of constituents, Melanie Macey is the best choice in the Democratic primary.
8th District (Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge and Detroit’s near west side): This combination city-suburban district is currently represented by Helena Scott of Detroit, who is seeking a fourth term. Opposing her in the Democratic primary are Deanne Austin and Chris Gilmer-Hill of Detroit and Fedor Kinaya of Ferndale.
Austin is an educator and community organizer. Gilmer-Hill is a policy expert at the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition. Kinaya is on the far-left of his party and targets corporate America as the cause of the state’s ills.
Scott has made affordability her priority in the Legislature and has paid attention to how policy affects her constituents. Helena Scott should be renominated.
Two Republicans, Bruce P. Langran and Tonya Renay Wells, are competing for the Republican nomination. We cannot find enough information about either candidate to make an endorsement in the GOP primary.
14th District (Center Line, Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Warren): On the Republican side, Larry Szyska of Warren is running unopposed.
Democratic State Rep. Mike McFall is serving his second term in the House representing this district. He faces challenger Minhaj Chowdhury, a labor advocate and community activist.
Mike McFall has served his constituents well and deserves to be renominated.
18th District (Southfield, Lathrup Village, Oak Park, Farmington Hills and Farmington): This district is currently represented by Democratic Rep. Jason Hoskins, who is seeking a seat in the state Senate. Kelly Garrett is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
On the Republican side, Ryan Foster faces Ronald Ulmer-Paul. Foster was convicted of assault in 2018 and there’s not enough information about Ulmer-Paul to endorse his candidacy. Neither receives our endorsement.
19th District (Farmington Hills, Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Southfield, Bloomfield Township, Bingham Farms, Franklin and Southfield Township): Democratic Rep. Samantha Steckloff is in her third term in the Legislature representing this district. She has been an effective representative to her constituents and a leader on health care policymaking.
She faces Brandon Young of Southfield, a consultant with expertise in public safety and other areas, who would prioritize small business growth and development. Samantha Steckloff deserves renomination.
On the GOP side, Kevin Hammer faces Mitch Swoboda. Hammer is a longtime community leader with a solid understanding of the role of government. Kevin Hammer gets our endorsement.
20th District (West Bloomfield Township, Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake, Sylvan Lake and parts of Commerce and Bloomfield townships): Democratic State Rep. Noah Arbit is currently serving his second term in the Legislature from this district and is running unopposed in the Democratic primary race.
GOP contenders are S. Dave Sullivan and Hermon Barbe. There is little information about Sullivan.
Barbe has worked in mortgage banking and investing and ran unsuccessfully in the primary for this seat in 2024. He would prioritize property tax reform and seek to reduce the state’s income tax rate. He also supports efforts to expand educational options and prioritize phonics in literacy instruction. Hermon Barbe receives our endorsement.
51st District (Commerce, Highland, Milford, Springfield and White Lake townships): Republican state Rep. Matt Maddock is serving his fourth term representing this district and is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
He will face the winner of the Democratic primary, either Stacey McDuffie or Gary Murrell. McDuffie is a realtor and businesswoman who is focused primarily on government transparency and improving student outcomes.
Murrell is running mainly on a platform against Maddock. Stacey McDuffie has experience in the private sector that would be useful in the Legislature and receives our endorsement.
52nd District (Lake Angelus, Clarkston, Independence Township and portions of Springfield and Waterford townships): Republican state Rep. Mike Harris is currently serving his second full term representing this district and is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
On the Democratic side, Brendan Leddy and Tom Owensby are running. Leddy is a substitute teacher with Clarkston Public Schools. With his educational background, he would prioritize skilled trades to jumpstart employment and educational opportunities while focusing on college and career readiness.
Owensby is a volunteer with a nonprofit that teaches English to Ukrainians. Brendan Leddy receives our endorsement.
53rd District (Pontiac and portions of Waterford and Auburn Hills): Democratic State Rep. Brenda Carter is currently serving her fourth term in the Legislature from this district. She faces Robert Anderlie, about whom there is little publicly available information.
Brenda Carter receives our endorsement for renomination in the Democratic primary. Melissa Schultz is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
54th District (Bloomfield Hills, Orion Township, portions of Auburn Hills, and parts of Bloomfield and Oakland Townships): Republican state Rep. Donni Steele currently represents this influential district and is running for a seat in the state Senate.
Roman Gaskey and Jeffrey Omtvedt seek to replace her in the Republican primary race. Gaskey is a strategy and product analyst and a member of the Oxford Downtown Development Authority Economic Vitality Committee.
Omtvedt is a former Oxford Charter Township Board trustee and local business owner who understands the importance of local control and would seek to streamline necessary government regulations. He supports lower taxes and responsible budgeting. With his ties to his community and his experience, Jeffrey Omtvedt receives our endorsement.
Sarah Pounds is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
68th District (Burton, Davison, Goodrich, Grand Blanc, Atlas Township, and portions of Grand Blanc, Genesee and Groveland Townships): Republican state Rep. David Martin is currently serving his third term representing this district and is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
On the Democratic side, community worker Isaiah Grays and retired auto worker Matt Schlinker are running.
Grays has served as an intern for Republican members of Congress from Michigan, making his candidacy as a Democrat curious.
Schlinker is running on a standard Democratic agenda, but has deep roots in the region. Matt Schlinker is the better choice and receives our endorsement.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Our picks for state House from Oakland County | Endorsements
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
