Greetings!

 

My name is Erika Geiss, and I am running to be the State Senator for the newly drawn First State Senate District, which includes parts of Detroit primarily along the Detroit River and the Downriver communities of Allen Park (most), Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, River Rouge, and Taylor (most).

 

This community is my home. It is where my husband and I bought our first house, started a family, celebrated the good times, and weathered the bad. I met amazing young students while teaching at Wayne County Community College at both the Detroit Main Campus and the Downriver Campus, and their stories continue to motivate me to fight for our public schools. And when I first moved to Michigan, my first job in my field was at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History working on the And Still We Rise exhibition and where I fell in love with the city and its proud, deep, strong history. I’m also proud to be a Little League baseball mom and to serve on the Teen Health Center Advisory Board and the Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, which serves several communities in the newly drawn first senate district. l. My passion for serving in the legislature and fighting for equity and justice is why I first ran for State Representative, and serving in both the Michigan House and in the Michigan State Senate has been one of the greatest honors of my life and I hope to be able to continue that service for one more term. 

 

As a member of this community, I share in your frustration over the persistent inequities and injustices that too many in our collective community face--and many of the same things that likely keep you up at night, also keep me up at night.  I know firsthand that we can do better when it comes to increasing our school funding and empowering our teachers. Our workers deserve representatives who will continue the fight to repeal Right to Work, preserve Prevailing Wage, establish equal pay for equal work for all workers, establish paid family leave so that we can tend to caring for ourselves and family members (however we define our family) without worrying about losing wages, and advocate for better overall workers’ rights. I know all of this because I live it with you. The pandemic has provided a glaring bright lights on all the areas where we need to bring forth equity and justice when it comes to policymaking and legislation--but we cannot address those issues without listening to and hearing the needs of our residents and communities and learning about what our government is doing well and where we need to make significant improvements.

 

As your State Senator, I will continue to fight for our schools, teachers, and families. 

I will fight for our workers because I know that we cannot have a strong economy without valuing our workforce and supporting workers’ rights.  I will also continue to fight for our seniors because they deserve representatives who will advocate for them and ensure that their needs are met, and ensuring that I am there to amplify the voices of those who may often feel voiceless and unheard.  I have never been afraid to stand up for the people that I serve, and together we will make Lansing listen to our collective values and understand the issues, and that my work for you is always centered in equity and justice. 

 

As the 2022 Democratic Nominee for State Senate District 1, I would be honored to have your continued support in this journey to serve a final term in the Michigan State Senate as the senator for the first senate district. You can watch this video for more of my thoughts on serving our collective community and I hope to earn your vote on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. 

 

Warmly,