As we move toward the midterm elections on November 6, Stateside has been having conversations with congressional candidates around the state. Today, we spoke with the 11th District's Democratic candidate Haley Stevens.
We reached out to Stevens' opponent, Republican Lena Epstein, for an interview. Her campaign staff has not responded.
Stevens worked on the financial bailout of GM and Chrysler, and has a background in advanced manufacturing. She was also part of Hillary Clinton's, and later, Barack Obama's, 2008 presidential campaigns.
When asked how her background has prepared her for public office, Stevens pointed to her work for the Obama administration.
"I served as the chief of staff on President Obama's U.S. auto rescue, which was the initiative responsible for saving General Motors and Chrysler, and 200,000 Michigan jobs. We basically stood up for our entire regional economy, and that's what I want to go to Congress to do. I want to be the best advocate for this region," Stevens said.
In July, the conservative Washington Free Beacon claimed that Stevens was misleading constituents by calling herself the chief of staff for the Auto Task Force. They pointed out that within the Treasury Department, she was officially designated as a "special assistant."
Regarding the accusations, Stevens said, "I'm going off of what my boss has said to me and the work I did. I wasn't there to be a peacock, but I was there to serve our region and stand up for our economy."
If elected into office, Stevens said her top three priorities would be ensuring federal support for infrastructure projects, supporting public schools, and promoting the skilled trades.
Listen above to hear more on these policies, Steven's bipartisan initiatives, and her views on campaign finance reform.
(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)
