Sarah Anthony, State Representative for Michigan's 68th district, greets the crowd during the Women’s March On Lansing 2020 on Jan. 18, 2020, hosted by the Blue Brigade.
State Rep. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, has formally announced her run for state Senate at a 3 p.m. press conference Wednesday.
Anthony currently serves as the state representative from the 68th House District, which includes areas of Lansing. She looks to take on fellow Democrat Sam Singh in the primary for the 23rd Senate District seat, currently held by Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr., who is currently serving his last four-year term due to term limits.
Anthony took office in 2018, after winning a special election. She then won her second term as state representative in the 2020 general election and has since served as the Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, the Vice Chair of the Progressive Women’s Caucus and the First Vice Chair of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus.
According to her campaign website, she focuses on fighting for quality education, access to healthcare and workers rights. She said she plans to continue focusing on these issues should she win her election.
"I think the issues I've been fighting for in the House, I will continue to fight for those same issues in the Senate," Anthony said. "We talk about education, we talk about healthcare and housing, making college more affordable. The reality of that is you should not have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and so I look forward to continuing to fight for those priorities that we've already started doing in the House - we want to fight in the Senate for those same priorities."
Anthony said she wants her Senate run to be reflective of those who she represents.
"My campaign is reflective of this community," Anthony said. "I was born and raised here, I've spent my entire life serving our community, and I am connected to every corner of this mid-Michigan area. And, I think that I have the education, the experience and the skill-set to serve."
Most recently, she has introduced a bill, with bipartisan support, aimed to curb drag racing and speeding.
In addition to her legislative actions, Anthony has made history. After her victory in 2018, she became the first Black, woman state representative in Lansing’s history. In 2012, she became the youngest Black woman ever elected to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners. Moreover, Anthony is the youngest person in the country to be elected to this position.
While her record looks impressive going into the state Senate election, Anthony will need to convince voters that she is the better candidate compared to Singh, who also served as a state representative for an Ingham County district.
The contested state senate district typically votes blue, with Sen. Hertel Jr. receiving 68.5% of the vote in 2018.
The people of Michigan’s 23rd State Senate District will head to the polls in 2022, which means campaign season is just beginning.
However, Michigan is currently under a redistricting process, in accordance with the 2020 census data.
While Anthony is anticipated to run for the 23rd District, congressional lines have not yet been solidified in the state.
Due to Michigan voters passing a proposal in 2018, the legislature will not be in charge of redistricting this year. Instead, an independent commission made up of 13 Michigan voters, including Democrats, Republicans and Independents, is in charge of drawing district boundaries.
Nonetheless, there is still redistricting occurring that could lead to new voting districts by the 2022 election.
This is a developing story. Stay with The State News for updates.
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