Politics

BRIGHTON, MI – In case you missed it, Matt Maasdam, Democratic candidate for Congress in Michigan’s 7th District, raised more than $615,000 in Q3 2025 — his first fundraising quarter since launching his campaign. This fundraising haul makes the former Navy SEAL the top-raising Democratic challenger in Michigan this quarter.

Q3 Fundraising Highlights:

• Maasdam was the highest-raising Democratic primary challenger in Michigan this quarter.
  • Maasdam is the only candidate in the MI-07 Democratic primary who has not loaned himself money.
  • Maasdam is the only candidate in his race who has taken ECU’s Unrig Washington / No Corporate PAC pledge.

• Maasdam’s fundraising numbers underscore his strong Michigan and grassroots support.
  • Maasdam’s campaign received over 10,000 contributions, with 96% of all contributions at $100 or less.
  • Maasdam’s campaign raised twice as much in small-dollar contributions as the next candidate in the primary.
  • Michigan was the top state for contributions to Maasdam’s campaign, and he raised twice as much from Michigan as the next candidate in the primary.

  
  

  Matt Maasdam served 20 years as a Navy SEAL, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan and serving as President Obama’s Military Aide, where he was responsible for carrying the nuclear codes. After his military service, he built a career as a business leader in the private sector. Now he’s running in Michigan’s only toss-up House race, as rated by the Cook Political Report, to defeat Republican Tom Barrett and help flip the House. He would be the first Navy SEAL to serve in the House as a Democrat.
  

Maasdam has already earned the support of VoteVets PAC, New Politics, former Congressman Mark Schauer, and local leaders across the district, including Delta Township Supervisor Fonda Brewer, Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark, and retired Eaton County Treasurer Bob Robinson 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) today highlighted data showing how Michiganders, particularly those between the ages of 60-65 who are retirement age but do not yet qualify for Medicare, will face dramatic increased health care costs next year, because of President Trump.

Watch Senator Slotkin’s Speech from the Senate Floor: Fighting for Your Health Care 

If the healthcare.gov enhanced premium tax credits expire at the end of the year it will contribute to a broad and deep health care crisis for both small businesses and families throughout Michigan. 500,000 Michiganders use healthcare.gov plans.
 

Currently, a 60-year-old couple in Michigan making a total of $85,000 a year will be seeing an increase of 235%, on average, on their monthly premium payments. In MI-01 (Marquette, Houghton) Michiganders in this category can expect to see their premium costs increased by nearly 400%.

Ahead of this impending health care crisis, Senator Slotkin is asking every single Michigander to black out their name and personal information and share their health insurance rate increase by submitting their letter. All Michiganders are at risk of either losing their health care or paying more than they already have. Starting this month, individuals will start receiving letters from their insurance providers about how much their 2026 plans will cost.  

A retiree from Jackson, MI, is an example of this dramatic increase. He is too young to qualify for Medicare. He currently pays $400, and his payment is projected to increase to $1,900. He found out that without healthcare.gov tax credits, his payments will go up to $1,500 a month. Nearly 500 Michiganders with similar stories have shared their letters with Senator Slotkin in the last few days.  

LANSING — Recently Governor Gretchen Whitmer traversed the state as she celebrated the new roads plan, education budget, and Medicaid protection bills with road workers in Clinton Township, students in Flint, and doctors in Kalamazoo. While Republicans were willing to gut Medicaid and take away free school meals, Democrats fought to protect working families from losing health care and skyrocketing costs in the state budget. 

Led by Governor Whitmer, Michigan Democrats delivered a budget and a roads plan that works for middle-class Michiganders, not just for the 1%. Even when Matt Hall tried to engineer a government shutdown to force the radical Republican budget, Democrats refused to cave on a budget that would have cost families thousands of dollars a year. 

Democrats will keep delivering on the kitchen table issues that impact people’s lives the most because we believe that every working Michigander deserves a fighting chance. 

-courtesy story from The Michigan Democratic Party  

 LANSING — For ten days, Trump and Republicans have kept the federal government shut down, endangering countless Michiganders’ jobs, lives, and communities because they would rather pass a tax cut for billionaires than protect our healthcare. From food stamps to national parks to health care, Republicans’ government shutdown is getting more and more dangerous with every passing day. 

Every day, hundreds of federal workers are forced to continue to work without pay or promise of back pay as they keep planes, Social Security offices, national parks, and military bases on track. In practice, this means that the workers who are most fundamental to Michiganders’ safety and well-being might be unable to pay rent or put food on the table for their own families during this shutdown. 

Unfortunately, Mike Rogers, John James, Tom Barrett, and Bill Huizenga are backing this Republican shutdown while ignoring the state’s looming health care crisis: nearly half a million Michiganders will likely see their health care premiums more than double on average if Republicans allow ACA premium tax credits to expire, starting in January. That’s on top of the hundreds of thousands of Michiganders who are at risk of losing their health insurance entirely because of the toxic GOP tax law supported by Rogers, James, Barrett, Huizenga, and Michigan Republicans. 

While Democrats are ready to negotiate and address the health care affordability crisis, Michigan Republicans have been absent and are letting this shutdown impact countless Michiganders. 

-courtesy story from The Michigan Democratic Party  

LANSING — One week after voting against the bipartisan state budget that protects health care, lowers costs for Michiganders, and fixes the damn roads, Republican gubernatorial candidate Aric Nesbitt is spending his time focused on renaming the Elliot-Larsen Building in Lansing after Donald Trump. 

The building is named after the major civil rights law, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, and its two bipartisan sponsors, former Democratic State Rep. Daisy Elliott and Republican State Rep. Melvin Larsen. 

Nesbitt’s desperate move is the latest instance of the Republican gubernatorial primary  focusing on pleasing Trump, not fighting for the people of Michigan. 

Nesbitt was just one of five Republican votes against the bipartisan state budget that includes major investments in fixing the damn roads, delivers record per-pupil funding for our public schools, protects Medicaid, and lowers costs for Michiganders. Nesbitt and the entire Republican primary field have also supported Trump’s disastrous tax law that is gutting Medicaid, with Nesbitt calling it a “win” and struggling to answer basic questions on whether he is concerned about the law’s cuts to Medicaid and rural hospitals. 

“The Republican gubernatorial primary is a race to the far-right focused on who can show the most loyalty to Donald Trump,” said Michigan Democratic Party spokesperson Derrick Honeyman. “Rather than vote to lower costs, protect health care, and fix the damn roads, Aric Nesbitt spends his days focused on renaming buildings after Trump. Michiganders want a governor who stands up for our state, not a shill like Nesbitt.” 

-courtesy story from The Michigan Democratic Party