Democrat Mallory McMorrow jumps into Michigan's open U.S. Senate race
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who rose to national prominence for a 2022 viral speech hitting back at Republican opponents on cultural issues, on Wednesday became the first candidate to officially launch a campaign for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, after teasing her intention to run in recent days.
The millennial lawmaker and New Jersey native has called for fresh leadership in her party that's ready to "be bold" in fighting for a positive vision of a new American dream, saying too many feel "anger and rage and embarrassment" at those who are currently leading the country. She has denounced the "MAGA" takeover of the Republican Party but also said it's time for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York to step aside.
"Our message is going to be that the status quo ― for even our own party ― is not working. That standing behind a podium in front of the Capitol in D.C. and saying, 'We're fighting, we're winning,' and then turning around to text people to ask for $5 is, frankly, bullshit," McMorrow told The Detroit News.
"This is time for something new. It is time for a new generation of leadership that is a bit of an outsider, without being a complete outsider."
McMorrow said she plans to build her campaign around an approach to economic policy that talks about kitchen table issues and "isn't just holding onto minimum wage jobs."
"It's about supporting our entrepreneurs and our innovators and bringing more people in who are going to create the next version of what Michigan is known for," she said. "We need a real partner in the Senate seat who understands how things work in the states and is going to move us forward in a way that Michigan is no longer taking scraps."
McMorrow, who was first elected to the Legislature in 2018, is aiming to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, who announced earlier this year he wouldn't seek another term.
She's the first to enter what could be a crowded Democratic primary contest. Other potential Democratic contenders include U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens of Birmingham and Kristen McDonald Rivet of Bay City; Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel; and progressive Abdul El-Sayed, who said he plans to step down Thursday as head of Wayne County’s public health division.
More: Michigan Democrats vow to focus on 'results' in bid to bounce back from 2024 losses
El-Sayed and Stevens are expected to announce their decisions this month. Stevens, who was also first elected in 2018, on Tuesday said she'd raised $1.1 million last quarter ― a significant haul as she mulls a bid for the upper chamber.
“With the retirement of a manufacturing powerhouse in the Senate, Michigan needs bold and dedicated leadership, and I look forward to making an announcement on how I can best support our state’s future soon,” Stevens said in a statement.
McMorrow, 38, grew up in central New Jersey, graduated from the University of Notre Dame and previously worked in product design, media and advertising. She's viewed by many as a rising star in Democratic politics and spoke at last year's Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
In her new book, “Hate Won't Win: Find Your Power and Leave This Place Better Than You Found It,” McMorrow wrote that she was inspired to Google “how to run for office” after Republican Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 election.
“Be the change to make this country one that continues to value and celebrate diversity, acceptance and equal rights for all,” McMorrow wrote in a social media post after Trump's win in November 2016.
As a first-time candidate, McMorrow won a seat in the state Senate in 2018, defeating incumbent Sen. Marty Knollenberg, a Republican from Troy, 51.9%-48.1%.
More: Insider: Why ex-Michigan Senate GOP leader inspired chapter title in McMorrow's book
McMorrow found the national spotlight in April 2022, when she gave a five-minute speech responding to a fundraising email that her colleague, Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, sent out attacking her.
The GOP fundraising message specifically claimed McMorrow and others were "outraged" they couldn't "groom and sexualize kindergarteners."
McMorrow denounced the political smear, highlighting her Christian upbringing and saying she wanted every child in Michigan to feel "seen, heard and supported."
"We cannot let hateful people tell you otherwise to scapegoat and deflect from the fact that they are not doing anything to fix the real issues that impact people's lives," she said. "And I know that hate will only win if people like me stand by and let it happen."
Her speech, given on the Senate floor in the state Capitol in Lansing, went viral, with millions of views, and spurred a phone call to McMorrow from then-President Joe Biden.
While often labeled a progressive, McMorrow instead calls herself a pragmatist. She favors a public option that would allow individuals to buy into Medicare or other government insurance, over Medicare For All. As chairwoman of the Senate Economic and Community Development Committee, she's pushed for more community investments in things like regional transit and child care to supplement the state's traditional reliance on incentives for big companies for economic development.
She supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine but declined to say whether she'd vote for further security aid for Israel without conditions, wanting to first see the legislation.
"I don't know that I would be in office in my first district if I was at the far left end of the party, and I don't think that's what people are looking for right now," McMorrow said.
McMorrow's state 8th Senate District includes Birmingham and Oak Park, which has a large Jewish population.
"This is not about where you fall on the political spectrum," McMorrow added. "This is about your approach. Do you listen to people? Do you show up? Do you connect with voters in a way that they trust ― that you treat them not as just a number, but as a true part of the team."
Her legislative achievements include sponsoring a bill, after a shooting on the campus of Michigan State University in February 2023, that created the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, also known as the state’s red-flag policy.
The standard allows a spouse, family member, a former spouse or a mental health professional to seek a court order temporarily barring someone from owning or purchasing a firearm.
McMorrow complained that she was ostracized during her early days in the GOP-led state Senate and didn't get hearings on her sponsored legislation, including a bill on repealing the 6% sales tax on feminine hygiene products. A deal was struck to give the bill to GOP Rep. Bryan Posthumus to get it through, she said.
"That hurt, but you accept that in the best interest of passing legislation sometimes you've got to give your bill up to a member on the other side of the aisle because that's what leadership wants," she said.
Former state Sen. Jim Ananich of Flint was the Senate Democratic leader when McMorrow first emerged as a political candidate. He described her as ethical, tenacious and a strong leader.
“Mallory has definitely exceeded my expectations,” Ananich said. “She’s a tremendous communicator.”
In a quote on the jacket of her new book, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, labeled McMorrow “one of the most exciting young political leaders in America.”
But Jason Cabel Roe, a Republican political consultant from Oakland County, had different thoughts on McMorrow, saying her “smug” approach to politics made her the personification of what aggravates people about the Democratic Party.
“I hope and pray that she is the nominee,” Roe said of McMorrow.
McMorrow, who likes to remind people that she represents Mitt Romney's hometown of Bloomfield Hills, argues that the traditional GOP is gone, as are its respect for norms and institutions. And that requires a different approach from Democrats, she said.
"This is Donald Trump's party. This is the MAGA party," she said. "And I don't think that it's necessarily an age thing, but it is a new generation that has come up into a new reality that understands that you fight in this reality very differently."
mburke@detroitnews.com
cmauger@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Democrat Mallory McMorrow jumps into Michigan's open U.S. Senate race
