As Election Day draws near, the 47th House District Race is heating up between two candidates seeking to represent parts of Washtenaw and Jackson County.
Representative Carrie Rheingans is the Democratic incumbent for the 47th House District. She says the biggest issues she plans on tackling are affordability and healthcare reform if she gets another term. She says she’ll continue promoting her proposal called MiCare.
“MiCare would be a universal health payment system for every Michigander, and it would use public dollars.”
Justin Griffis is the Republican challenger. He has a background as both a criminal defense and prosecuting attorney. He says he’d work to give communities more options against politicians and businesses who want data centers in their area. He adds that he wants to push for firmer punishments for repeat criminal offenders.
“What really made me mad as a prosecutor was seeing these people that are trafficking in drugs that have 15, 16 prior convictions; they're getting probation for the 11th time. I find that entirely ridiculous.”
This will be the first election with new district lines drawn by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.
This story is part of a series previewing major local races in the 2026 midterm elections. Click here for more of WEMU's local election coverage.
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