Michigan Primary 2024 Voter Guide: 12th Congressional District

Democratic Candidates

Name: Rashida Tlaib

Age: 48

Current Occupation: U.S. Congresswoman

Education: BA, Wayne State University | JD, Cooley Law School

Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.

Rashida Tlaib is the current Congresswoman for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District. She has served in Congress since being elected in 2018. She previously served in the Michigan State House of Representatives for six years.

Rashida grew up the eldest of 14 children in a working-class family in Southwest Detroit, the proud daughter of Palestinian immigrants. Rashida has made history as the first Muslim woman ever elected to the Michigan Legislature, one of the first two Muslim women in the U.S. Congress, and the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress.

Throughout her time in office, she’s focused on helping her constituents get through everyday challenges, while holding corporate polluters and billionaires accountable for taking advantage of the communities she represents. A bold, transformative leader and public servant, Rashida is fighting for families of all backgrounds, especially people who’ve been left out and marginalized.

Rashida and her team created Neighborhood Service Centers in the district, which help people with college debt, veterans’ services, immigration issues, and Social Security benefits, as well as help fight for access to healthcare, housing issues, and more. Rashida understands that supporting constituents through everyday issues is as important as getting legislation passed.

Why are you running for Michigan’s 12th Congressional District?

As the eldest of 14 children, I have been taking care of people all my life. I grew up in a UAW family in Southwest Detroit and graduated from Detroit Public Schools, where I learned to speak truth to power and fight back against those who try to hurt our communities. I don’t have it in me to sit on the sidelines while the community that raised me is under assault by corporate greed, structural racism and oppression that prevents opportunity for the most vulnerable.

I first ran for Congress in 2018 to bring effective constituent services and put forward fearless legislative advocacy to the people who need them most but have been left out and marginalized. Before becoming a member of Congress, I served in the Michigan State House of Representatives from 2009-2014 and worked in non-profit law at the Sugar Law Center in Detroit.

What are the top 3 priority issues that the 12th Congressional District faces, and what actions would you, as its representative, take regarding each of them?

We must address the fact that it’s so hard for many residents to thrive and that folks are exhausted about navigating ways to access resources. This is why I created Neighborhood Service Centers that help our families get through everyday challenges — already returning $5.8 million directly back to our families across the district.

While focusing on transformative constituents services, I am also working on holding the auto insurance industry accountable with the PAID Act. I founded the Get the Lead Out Caucus, working towards clean drinking water — and I’m fighting for our fair share of resources in the federal budget.

What is your stance on gun reform in the U.S.?

Gun violence has become as American as apple pie and baseball. Communities across our country have had to deal with the devastating impact of the harm caused by people with guns on our streets. This widespread epidemic calls for a widespread response on all levels of government.

I was proud to vote for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This law invests more resources into expanding mental health and early intervention programs. It also prevents certain individuals from getting access to dangerous firearms. I was also proud to introduce the Safe Storage Saves Lives Act to reduce firearm deaths in children.

We must also implement policies that make gun owners report lost or stolen firearms within 48 hours, require background checks for gun shows and online sales, and ban assault rifles like AR-15s. This must go hand in hand with investing resources in communities to decrease poverty, increase access to public education, and increase opportunities for people to thrive.

What is your stance on abortion rights?

I fully support access to abortion care and reproductive health care. I was a supporter of Michigan’s Proposal 3 in 2022 that enshrined access to abortion and reproductive health care into our state’s constitution. I will continue to fight the GOP’s dangerous attempt to ban abortions nationwide and ensure that our government does not restrict health care decisions.

What is your solution to fight the current inflation crisis in the U.S.?

We must tackle corporate greed. Data point after data point has shown that corporations and greedy CEOs are the driving force behind families having to pay for essential goods like groceries and fuel. That’s why I’ve introduced and co-sponsored legislation to punish corporations for gouging our families and disrespecting workers with lower pay while their CEOs make exorbitant salaries.

What actions/decisions by your challenger have you disagreed with and how would you do things differently?

I am running unopposed in the August primary.