Former Democratic state Rep. Ellen Lipton has entered the race to succeed longtime U.S. Congressman Sander Levin. Levin has announced he will retire from his 9th Congressional District seat at the end of his term in 2019.
Lipton said she is running to fight for working families and against what she describes as the corporate agenda of the Trump administration.
She said one of her top priorities is investment in public education, "making sure that our schools are fully funded, buildings are places where children want to learn, and pushing back on a lot of dangerous policies that are focused on testing and punishing."
Lipton said another high priority for her in Congress would be significant investment in infrastructure.
"We in Michigan have borne the brunt of years and years of cutting, cutting, and cutting, and trying to make do. And I think we're really seeing the results of that. We need significant investment in roads, bridges, schools, VA hospitals," said Lipton.
Lipton served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 27th District which covers part of Oakland County.
"I had a reputation for being a tenacious fighter, and also someone who built bridges between various coalitions in order to get the job done," said Lipton. "So I think that puts me in a very unique position to represent the families in Macomb and Oakland counties."
Lipton said her experience in the state Legislature, combined with more than ten years of work as a patent lawyer specializing in medicine, science, and technology, makes her well-qualified to tackle health care reform and find solutions to big problems like climate change and the opioid epidemic.
Lipton is a founding member and president of the Michigan Promise Zone Association, a statewide organization providing access to post-secondary education and free college tuition for high school graduates.
Lipton is the fourth Democratic candidate to announce a run for the open 9th Congressional District seat.
