Michigan U.S. House District 11 Candidates
Michigan U.S. House District 11 Candidates
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens faces one Democratic challenger, Ahmed Ghanim, in the Aug. 5 primary. Two Republicans, Charles Frangie and Nick Somberg, are vying for a place on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. The 11th District covers southeastern Oakland County.
Democratic Candidates
Ahmed Ghanim, Democrat
Ghanim, a Ferndale activist with a background in health care management and foreign policy, has emphasized on social media and elsewhere that he’s running to battle what he calls the "disgusting and indefensible" killing of innocent civilians in Gaza by Israel funded in part by the U.S. and what he calls the complicity of current U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, who he is challenging. Ghanim has also called for a universal health care system and more affordable housing.
Read more about Ghanim here: https://ag4congress.com/
Haley Stevens, Democrat
Formerly the de facto chief of staff to President Barack Obama’s auto task force, Stevens, of Birmingham, flipped what had previously been a Republican-leaning district in 2018 and has remained a force in Michigan politics. Two years ago, in a redrawn (and more Democratic-friendly) district, she handily defeated former U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township, in a campaign that saw her as the candidate considered more friendly to Israel while Levin, who is Jewish, was chastised for his friendship of other members of Congress more critical of Israel. Stevens has been a reliable Democratic vote throughout her career and has also championed legislation to build up American supply lines, protect manufacturing and extend STEM research. She also has been a voice for LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive freedoms.
Read more about Stevens here: https://haleystevensforcongress.com/
Republican Candidates
Charles Frangie, Republican
Born and raised in Lebanon, Frangie, a Bingham Farms attorney, has been practicing law in Michigan since 1984. A lifelong Republican, on his campaign website he says he is “convinced that America is losing its supremacy and its grip on foreign policy,” questioning the amount of funding being spent to help undocumented immigrants. He also says the U.S. “should not use our judicial system to prosecute our political opponents,” a claim made without evidence by former President Trump in regard to cases brought against him.
Read more about Frangie here: https://frangieforcongress.com/
Nick Somberg, Republican
A Bingham Farms criminal defense and personal injury lawyer, Somberg describes himself as a conservative and a libertarian, saying his political interest took off after he volunteered for former Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Paul’s presidential campaign in 2012. Saying his beliefs transcend party lines, Somberg says on his campaign website that he is reaching out to voters “who believe in the Constitution, support free speech and free markets, and want the freedom to defend themselves and raise their families as they see fit.”
Read more about Somberg here: https://picknickforcongress.us/
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan U.S. House District 11 Candidates