|
Editorial Board endorses McDonald Rivet “for her deep understanding of the problems the district faces, and her vision for effective and level-headed lawmaking”
“McDonald Rivet is best prepared, not only to win election to the U.S. House, but to serve Michiganders once she’s there”
Today, the Detroit Free Press endorsed Kristen McDonald Rivet for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District.
“A moderating voice eager to tackle big issues,” the Editorial Board praised McDonald Rivet’s “intimate familiarity with all corners of the district” and experience putting “in the time it takes to develop intricate strategies on a wide range of issues from educational accountability to keeping and developing tech jobs in Michigan.”
During her time in the state senate, McDonald Rivet passed the largest state tax cut for working Michigan families and seniors in decades and pioneered legislation to make child care more affordable. Work like this is what the Editorial Board referred to as the “kind of ambitious but responsible approach to significant change” that “is just what Michiganders need in Washington.”
Read the full endorsement below.
Detroit Free Press: In Michigan’s 8th, McDonald Rivet best suited to fill retiring Dan Kildee’s shoes
Detroit Free Press Editorial Board | June 11, 2024
-
Michigan’s 8th Congressional District is far-flung and wildly diverse, demographically and geographically — spanning Bay and Saginaw counties and parts of Genesee, Midland and Tuscola counties — encompassing vast farmland, tourist towns, college and industrial centers and cities that have long struggled with gun violence and economic decline.
-
In the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township — who’s represented the area since 2013 after replacing his uncle Dale Kildee, who’d served since 1977 — one candidate stands out for her intimate familiarity with all corners of the district.
-
For her deep understanding of the problems the district faces, and her vision for effective and level-headed lawmaking, the Free Press Editorial Board endorses KRISTEN McDONALD RIVET in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary.
-
The road to partisan control of the U.S. House of Representatives runs through Michigan’s 8th District, and the top vote-getter in the August primary will face a heated battle in the November general election.
-
But McDonald Rivet, in her short time as a lawmaker, has put in the time it takes to develop intricate strategies on a wide range of issues from educational accountability to keeping and developing tech jobs in Michigan.
-
McDonald Rivet, 53, of Bay City, is a first-term state senator with a clear and honest assessment of who she is, and who she wants to be as a lawmaker.
-
She describes herself as a moderating voice eager to tackle big issues in big ways.
-
“For me, being a moderate means what is the most practical … thing we can do to get the result that we want, and have the buy-in from the people we work for, which is the voters,” McDonald Rivet said last month in an endorsement interview with the Free Press Editorial Board.
-
In April, she and six other Democrats in the state Legislature introduced a package of bills calling for an investment of $1.5 billion to making child care more affordable in Michigan.
-
McDonald Rivet — whose resume includes time at the education-focused Skillman Foundation and as executive director of Michigan Head Start — wants the state to make that investment immediately, without raising any taxes. That means cutting other child care programs that serve smaller numbers — and that means tension with other Democrats and advocates.
-
But she is not afraid of tense negotiations.
-
That kind of ambitious but responsible approach to significant change is just what Michiganders need in Washington.
-
She’s keenly aware of the wide range of problems residents of the 8th District face, and quick to point out that 60% of jobs in Michigan pay less than $50,000 a year. (That’s according to Ann Arbor-based think tank Michigan Future, where McDonald Rivet served as vice president before winning office.)
-
“In my district, that number is 80%,” she said. “So while there is diversity in terms of prosperity, it’s important to recognize where most people are.”
-
She notes the difficulties rural families have accessing mental health care. She wants to bring federal funding to urban mentorship initiatives aimed at preventing youth violence in cities like Saginaw. And she recognizes a generational obligation to continue supporting families impacted by lead poisoning in the Flint water crisis.
-
She said she spends most of her time with her sleeves rolled up, working on strategies for economic stability, child care access and building a strong workforce. And she believes the biggest role of a member of Congress is to find ways to put money back in working families’ pockets.
-
She stands firmly opposed to any sort of abortion bans, even as a practicing Catholic, calling them fundamental violations of the privacy of women.
-
“I have my own personal views on abortion,” she said. “Those are my views. It’s not a place for government.”
-
In this competitive race, McDonald Rivet is best prepared, not only to win election to the U.S. House, but to serve Michiganders once she’s there.
|
