Michigan State House District 2

Priorities & campaign themes: “Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, and Southgate represent the hardworking heart of Downriver. We are a community defined not by the 'elite,' but by the people who punch a clock every day to build the products the world relies on.” (Campaign website)

Education & schools: “While national politics often feels designed to divide us, our neighborhoods have always operated differently: we have each other’s backs. We believe in the dignity of work, the strength of our schools, and the fundamental duty to fight for our neighbors. I am running to ensure that the voices of our working families are heard in Lansing, and to protect the community that has always been the backbone of Michigan.” (Campaign website)

Priorities & campaign themes: “My name is Joanna Whaley. I’ve lived in Southeast Michigan my whole life, and I know House District 2 , containing Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, parts of Southgate , inside and out. I’ve been here as our neighborhoods go through good times and tough times, and I know how strong, hardworking, and generous our communities are.” (Campaign website)

Health care: “As a parent and a clinical spiritual care provider in local hospitals , I’ve held the hands of people in their hardest moments. I’ve seen families worry more about hospital bills than healing. I’ve listened to people fear losing their homes, their savings, or their dignity. That’s why I’m running for Michigan’s 2nd District, to make sure Lansing works for us, not just special interests.” (Campaign website)

Energy, environment & water: “This wasn't a natural disaster. It was a choice. NAFTA shipped our factories to Mexico. The 2008 Wall Street crash knocked us down again - and the people responsible got bailed out while our families didn't. Green mandates made our energy less reliable and more expensive, chasing away the employers we need.” (Campaign website)

Economy, jobs & cost of living: “Every problem we face Downriver - struggling schools, the drug crisis, unaffordable homes, crushing taxes, collapsing infrastructure, high prices - flows from one thing: a gutted economic foundation. Rebuild the foundation, and everything else becomes possible. That’s the answer to the “affordability” crisis.” (Campaign website)

Priorities & campaign themes: “The numbers tell a story that every family Downriver already knows in their bones. Since 1990, median household income and purchasing power in our communities have collapsed, not by a little, but by one-quarter to one-third.” (Campaign website)

Economy, jobs & cost of living: “This is not a natural disaster. This is the result of policy choices — free-trade agreements that sacrificed American workers, green mandates that punished industry, and a financial system that rewards speculation over production. Every issue we face Downriver — failing schools, the drug epidemic, unaffordable housing, crushing taxes — is downstream of this economic collapse. The solution is reindustrialization. Cheap, abundant energy. A tax base built on production, not paper. Jobs where you can raise a family on a single income. And leaders who will fight for it.” (Campaign website)