Michigan

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers need a stronger safety net and better tools to manage increasingly unpredictable conditions. I support improving crop insurance, strengthening agricultural research and extension services, expanding access to precision agriculture and broadband, and investing in research on drought resilience, soil health, crop disease, fertilizer efficiency, and water management.

Scientific innovation should help farmers lower input costs, increase yields, and respond to changing conditions without forcing one-size-fits-all mandates on them. Farmers should be partners in research and implementation, not an afterthought.

I also support strengthening trade enforcement, expanding markets for Michigan agricultural products, and ensuring that family farms have access to the financing and technology needed to remain competitive. The goal should be simple: keep farmers productive, profitable, and able to pass their farms to the next generation.”

KEYWORDS: Resilience, Innovation, Family Farms

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Ending wars for Israel, we’ll play a big role in keeping energy costs under control. Many of our leaders take money from PACs that support israel, and so we end up in a lot of wars that raise our energy costs.”

KEYWORDS: AIPAC energy costs

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers are the backbone of our food system and rural economy, and government should help create the conditions for them to succeed—not tell them how to run their farms.

I would support investments in agricultural research, water management, resilient infrastructure, crop development, precision agriculture, and technologies that help farmers reduce costs and increase productivity. We should also make sure trade and agricultural policies don’t put Michigan farmers at an unnecessary disadvantage in global markets.

Science and technology can be powerful tools here. Better weather modeling, drought-resistant crops, soil monitoring, automation, robotics, AI, and precision irrigation can help farmers make better decisions while using fewer resources. I would support research based on evidence and measurable results, not political ideology.

Most importantly, farmers should have a seat at the table. Researchers can provide the science, government can provide resources and oversight, and farmers can tell us what actually works in the real world.”

KEYWORDS: Agriculture; Innovation; Resilience

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farming plays a significant, vital role in our State’s economy, in the country and globally. I support farmers and innovation/technology that can safely and efficiently help them with productivity, profitability and good health of our farms and farmers. I will protect our farmers and listen to them to help address needs and barriers to their best possible success. “

KEYWORDS: Vital, innovation, productivity, profitability, support

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan’s farmers face increasing challenges from weather variability, global competition, labor shortages, and rising costs. Research and innovation can help improve productivity, crop resilience, resource efficiency, and profitability. I support partnerships among farmers, universities, and the private sector to develop practical solutions that help producers remain competitive. Investments should prioritize real-world applications that strengthen domestic food production, reduce costs, and support rural communities.”

KEYWORDS: Agriculture, Innovation, Competitiveness

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“I am not a farmer, and I would not pretend to understand every challenge farmers face better than the people doing the work. Good agricultural policy should begin by listening directly to farmers, agricultural researchers, extension specialists, and rural communities.

Different farms face different conditions, so policy should not be built around a single national model. Congress should help farmers manage risks they cannot control, including severe weather, crop disease, volatile markets, and rising input costs. That means strengthening crop insurance and disaster assistance, investing in rural infrastructure, and supporting research that improves drought tolerance, soil health, water efficiency, disease resistance, and productivity.

We should also address the pressure farmers face from concentrated corporate power in seed, fertilizer, equipment, processing, and distribution markets. Innovation should give farmers more options, not make them more dependent on a small number of large companies.

My role would not be to tell farmers how to farm. It would be to listen, remove unnecessary barriers, support practical research, and make sure farmers have the tools and fair markets they need to remain productive and profitable.”

KEYWORDS: Listening, Resilience, Fair Markets

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Although I haven’t previously served on the MI House Agricultural Committee, I am attuned to the plight of Michigan agricultural businesses and workers, especially given the effects of federal tariff policy and climate change on the agricultural economy.

I would continue to come to the rescue of certain agricultural sectors, as I did in my second session in the MI House in context of the Michigan tart cherry industry.

I would prioritize Michigan agriculture in the budget process; buttress MSU Extension programs (I served on an MSU Extension advisory board for the 8 years I served as a Calhoun County commissioner); and support Future Famers of America with state funding impetus.”

KEYWORDS: tariff; climate change; Extension

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“From a scientific standpoint I fully support research and investment into reducing human impact on the climate, alternative fuel sources for farm equipment, more efficient farm equipment, better soil science to reduce the fertilizer input needed, more efficient and less energy intensive fertilizers, combining renewable energy sources with agriculture, crops that are lest reliant on pesticides/herbicides, and the development of healthier end products for the consumer.”

KEYWORDS: Research, Renewable Energy, Climate Change

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Federal funding programs to support farmers can play a powerful role in providing economic security, but it must be designed in partnership with its potential recipients. For example, programs under USDA created in the Inflation Reduction Act supported farmer efforts to adapt their practices to be more sustainable and climate resilient. Programs like these provide support for more innovative farming practices in a way that allows the changes to happen on their terms.”

KEYWORDS:

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers are essential to our economy, food security, and rural communities. Government should help farmers remain competitive by reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, encouraging innovation, and supporting infrastructure that improves productivity and profitability.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Expand Agricultural Research: Increase competitive research funding through Michigan State University and other institutions for crop resilience, soil health, pest management, and agricultural productivity.

Support Precision Agriculture: Establish targeted tax incentives and matching grants for technologies such as GPS-guided equipment, sensors, automation, and water-efficient irrigation.

Strengthen Rural Infrastructure: Prioritize investments in rural broadband, roads, bridges, and reliable electrical service essential for modern farming.

Reduce Regulatory Burdens: Review agricultural regulations to eliminate duplication, streamline permitting, and protect farmers from unnecessary compliance costs while maintaining environmental safeguards.

Expand Agricultural Markets: Support Michigan food processing, value-added agricultural businesses, and partnerships that connect farmers with new domestic and international markets.

My scientific and technology commercialization experience has demonstrated that innovation can increase productivity while reducing costs and environmental impacts.

My priority is straightforward: keep Michigan farms profitable, preserve family farming, encourage the next generation of farmers, and ensure taxpayer investments deliver measurable economic benefits.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation, Farm Profitability, Rural Infrastructure

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers remain productive when they control their own decisions and can adopt tools that lower costs or raise yields. I support state-level agricultural research and extension programs focused on practical needs such as soil health, water efficiency, pest resistance, and precision agriculture. Private companies, land-grant universities, and farmer cooperatives are best positioned to develop and test these innovations.

Federal involvement should stay limited to interstate commerce issues, genuine trade enforcement, and any infrastructure that is clearly national in character. Broad subsidies, open-ended research grants, or mandates that override local conditions fall outside a proper federal role. Farmers, not distant agencies, should decide which technologies fit their operations. The priority is keeping family farms solvent and competitive through voluntary innovation and state-supported practical research.”

KEYWORDS: State research, Farmer control, Practical innovation

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“During the tenure of the current Michigan state administration, 500,000 acres of farmland are ‘gone’ due to solar fields and data centers. Recently passed legislation in the US House strengthens farm risk insurance, food security & safety, improves the cost of doing business, etc. Reciprocal global tariff policies will improve & expand/open export markets, but I incrementally support & advocate for an increase in Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience to first improve domestic; soil/environmental health, product yield/quality, and resilience/profitability for which research will play a pivotal role. Abundant research opportunities include reduced reliance on pesticides, use of organic vs chemical treatments, non-GMO expansion, vertical farming, hydro/aero/aquaponics, operation automation/robotics/optimization, applied AI/ML/IoT, etc.”

KEYWORDS: Resilience, Viability, Innovation

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan’s 8th District farmers are the backbone of our economy, but they are being crushed by skyrocketing input costs and inflation driven by disastrous economic policies. While I will fight to leverage agricultural science—like advanced drought-resistant crops and precision farming technology—to help our farmers stay productive, we must first get government off their backs. Kristen McDonald Rivet is completely out of touch with the struggles of our agricultural community. As a career politician and lobbyist, she supports the same radical, job-killing regulations championed by her extremist allies. Her economic agenda only increases the cost of fertilizer, fuel, and equipment, making it impossible for our farmers to compete globally. I will champion investments in agricultural innovation and fight for deregulation, while Rivet pushes the heavy-handed mandates suffocating Michigan agriculture.”

KEYWORDS: Precision agriculture,Deregulation, Competitiveness

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farmers don’t need Washington telling them how to farm. They need Washington helping them stay competitive.

Michigan’s farmers are some of the most innovative people in the country, but they’re facing real challenges—from unpredictable weather and rising input costs to labor shortages and volatile global markets. My job is to help remove barriers, not create new ones.

That means investing in agricultural research, expanding extension services, improving rural broadband, and advancing practical tools like precision agriculture, water management, and more resilient crops.

We also need to strengthen local food processing, protect family farms from consolidation, expand export opportunities, and reform agricultural labor programs so farms have the workforce they need.

As someone who designs solutions for complex problems, I believe the best ideas come from listening to the people doing the work.

Good policy should help Michigan farmers stay productive, profitable, and competitive for generations to come.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation, Family Farms, Competitiveness

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“I support targeted federal policies that expand crop insurance protections, lower the costs of essential inputs, and invest directly in regional agricultural infrastructure. Scientific research and innovation are critical tools that can help our agricultural sectors adapt to these evolving challenges.

I advocate for expanding public funding for land-grant university extension programs to develop drought-resistant crops, improve soil health metrics, and advance precise water conservation technologies. By providing farmers with localized, real-time data, we can help them mitigate environmental risks and lower operational overhead.

Furthermore, we must invest in local renewable energy systems and bio-manufacturing innovations to help family farms diversify their revenue streams.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation; Family Farm Protections; Rural Economic Resilience

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farmers could benefit from insurance policies that will cover them when drought, flooding and unforeseen weather related catastrophes occur. Farmer should have a Fair Farm Bill that guarantee fair prices for crop sales, dairy and meat. Scientific research could help farmers plan their planting season, determining which crops to plant and rotate, to understanding soil nutrients and composition. All this and more is possible with research.”

KEYWORDS: Fair Farm Bill

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Our farmers need to be profitable again and can’t continue to rely on public bailouts for their livelihoods, however they continue to vote against their best interests. Many don’t believe in science. Educating the farming communities in invocations/new ideas and voting in their best interests is an essential place to start.”

KEYWORDS: Farmers-Education

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but large-scale data centers can place major demands on local water systems, power grids, and public infrastructure while creating relatively few permanent jobs.

I do not support federal policies that simply subsidize data center expansion without requiring clear public benefits and strong protections for host communities. Projects should pay their fair share of infrastructure costs, demonstrate reliable water and energy plans, disclose resource demands, and avoid shifting utility costs onto local residents.

My background in AI and federal technology programs has taught me that innovation should be judged by what it contributes to society, not simply by how quickly it can expand. We should support responsible AI research and advanced computing while ensuring that growth does not undermine water security, grid reliability, environmental protection, or local control.”

KEYWORDS: Responsibility, Infrastructure, Local Control

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“A I and data centers cannot negatively impact the public’s need for power to run air conditioners.”

KEYWORDS: Power grid brown outs

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I support technological growth, but we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past by letting technology advance faster than the rules protecting people and the infrastructure we all depend on. We need clear, enforceable, technology-neutral regulations and what I would call Asimov-style rules: AI should be designed to protect human life, respect human rights, and remain accountable to humans.

Data centers should pay their fair share of the infrastructure they consume. If a company requires massive amounts of electricity, water, or new transmission capacity, taxpayers shouldn’t automatically be stuck with the bill. Developers should demonstrate that projects can be supported without compromising reliability or local water resources.

I would support research into more energy-efficient AI, advanced cooling systems, water conservation, grid modernization, and cleaner power generation. I also support transparency around energy and water consumption so communities can make informed decisions.

Most importantly, regulation should be clean, understandable, and based on measurable risks—not political panic or corporate lobbying. We shouldn’t try to stop AI. We should make sure the technology serves people rather than the other way around.

Innovation and regulation aren’t enemies. Good rules create the foundation for sustainable innovation.”

KEYWORDS: AI Safety; Infrastructure; Sustainability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Although these centers already exist in our country on a fairly large scale, I need to learn more about this rapidly changing technological expansion. Location, energy and water usage are among many concerns that people have. I expect these to be addressed objectively and not blurred by big business, money, politics and non-disclosure agreements. Water and energy infrastructure created by the centers themselves seems like a reasonable requirement, but again I need objective, honest data and projections from experts and from actual residents who live, work and are impacted by these centers already.”

KEYWORDS: Controlled, objective, self-sustaining, location, infrastructure, plan, balance, environment, health, economics

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence and data centers are becoming increasingly important to economic growth, manufacturing, healthcare, and national security. Policies should encourage innovation while ensuring adequate energy infrastructure, grid reliability, and responsible resource management. The federal government should support infrastructure improvements that allow technological growth without compromising affordability or reliability for households and businesses. Regulatory approaches should provide clear rules while preserving America’s leadership in innovation and technological development.”

KEYWORDS: Privacy, Grid Reliability, Local Control

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Technological growth should be welcomed, but it must be planned responsibly. New data centers, factories, and energy-intensive industries should not be allowed to overwhelm local electrical grids, water systems, roads, or emergency services.

I would support requiring large projects to disclose their expected energy, water, and infrastructure needs before approval. Companies should help pay for the upgrades their projects require rather than shifting those costs onto local residents through higher taxes or utility bills. Federal support should be tied to clear public benefits, strong environmental protections, and meaningful community involvement.

Congress should also invest in grid modernization, energy storage, water infrastructure, broadband, and research into more efficient technologies. Improving efficiency can allow innovation to continue while reducing waste and pressure on natural resources.

Environmental review should remain thorough, but the permitting process should also be clear and predictable. Good regulation should protect communities and ecosystems without creating unnecessary delays.

Technological progress and environmental responsibility are not opposing goals. With careful planning and accountability, we can build the infrastructure needed for growth while protecting reliability, affordability, and the places people call home.”

KEYWORDS: Responsible Growth, Infrastructure, Sustainability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I would now support skyscraper-high guardrails for Michigan AI data centers, given what we know now in relation to what we didn’t know 2 and 3 years ago. Data centers shouldn’t be tax-incentivized and must pay their own freight; data centers must pay their market share of water and electricity requirements; data centers must control their noise (see news on a noisy data center in Dowagiac); and the State of Michigan must prioritize local control in relation to the siting of data centers in a community.”

KEYWORDS: guardrails; noise; local control

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data centers should be placed in industrial areas where the infrastructure is already in place to support them. They should be required to use recycled water for cooling or some other methods that doesn’t draw from ground water, build a green energy source that supplies their power, not pass on any infrastructure cost to the public via utility price hikes or cost to government services, limit noise and heat pollution from reaching neighbors, and provide the community it’s located in a reclamation bond to restore the site when the AI data bubble bursts and the site is abandoned.”

KEYWORDS: Green Energy, Resource Sparing, Pollution Limiting

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data center buildout needs to be more stringently regulated. There is currently no accountability or oversight over Big Tech companies that prop up massive data centers and consume unprecedented amounts of energy and water. This displaces the communities around them and increases costs and environmental health costs. Stronger regulation and slower buildout will ensure that technological growth does not come at the expense of the people it is meant to benefit.”

KEYWORDS:

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Michigan should welcome technological innovation and investment in data centers, but not at the expense of reliable utilities, affordable energy, or environmental protection. Economic development must deliver measurable benefits without shifting infrastructure costs onto residents and small businesses.

As a State Senator, I would support specific legislative actions:

Protect Ratepayers: Require data center developers to pay their fair share of electrical grid upgrades, new generation capacity, and infrastructure improvements rather than passing those costs to existing customers.

Ensure Grid Reliability: Require independent assessments of electricity demand, grid capacity, and potential impacts on residential and commercial customers before approving major projects.

Protect Water Resources: Establish water-use reporting requirements and encourage closed-loop cooling, water recycling, and other conservation technologies.

Promote Responsible Development: Tie state tax incentives to measurable commitments involving Michigan jobs, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency, and environmental performance.

Increase Transparency: Require public disclosure of projected energy consumption, water usage, infrastructure costs, and long-term community impacts.

I support innovation and economic growth, but development must be responsible.

My priority is clear: attract technology investment, protect Michigan’s natural resources, maintain reliable infrastructure, and ensure taxpayers and ratepayers are not subsidizing private development.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure Reliability, Environmental Sustainability, Ratepayer Protection

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I support private-sector technological growth that improves productivity, provided it does not expand a surveillance state or consume productive farmland.

Data centers should be sited on brownfields and already-developed industrial sites rather than verdant agricultural land. Projects must fully cover their own grid, water, and infrastructure costs, disclose resource demands in advance, and meet state and local environmental standards. Local communities should retain primary authority over siting and conditions.

Federal involvement should stay limited to genuine interstate grid reliability. High-risk AI uses involving mass surveillance or unrestricted data collection should face strict statutory limits.

The goal is reliable infrastructure, environmental protection, and civil liberties alongside responsible private innovation.”

KEYWORDS: Brownfields, Privacy, Local control

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data centers are needed to support next-generation technologies, but not at the unbalanced expense/detriment of people, infrastructure, and environment. The free-market combined with existing zoning and regulatory requirements should be instrumental in determining data center volume/density, location(s), and size. Incremental research is needed to condense the size of data storage units/centers and associated energy/resource consumption, make more efficient use of natural resources in the technologies/solutions used, perform cause/effect modeling that accurately reflects now/near/far benefits and risks, establish regulatory guidelines/requirements, and also reference my interdependent “Energy” questionnaire response. Data center strategies/plans should ideally include self-contained/sustaining power generation, grid-independent water sources/treatment/reclamation facilities, EMF transmission mitigation, and sound wave/noise abatements.”

KEYWORDS: Balanced, Sustainable, Growth

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“The expansion of artificial intelligence offers incredible opportunities, but it cannot come at the expense of our grid’s reliability or the American taxpayer. I support policies that encourage technological growth while requiring developers to ensure they aren’t placing unmanageable strains on our energy and water infrastructure. Kristen McDonald Rivet, however, has proven she will sell out Michigan taxpayers to benefit corporate special interests. While serving as a career politician, Rivet eagerly supported massive tax breaks for data centers, handing out corporate welfare while hardworking families in the 8th District struggle with rising utility costs and inflation. She prioritizes her lobbyist connections over the everyday realities of our citizens. I will ensure that the growth of AI and data centers is balanced, responsible, and never subsidized on the backs of Michigan taxpayers.”

KEYWORDS: Grid reliability, Taxpayer protection, Responsible innovation

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but Michigan’s natural resources are not for sale. If AI data centers want to locate here, they should meet Michigan’s standards—not ask Michigan to lower them.

I support federal policies that give local communities the legal and financial backing to negotiate with large corporations on equal footing. Local governments should have the authority to approve projects, require full transparency, and negotiate binding Community Benefit Agreements.

AI developers should add new clean generating capacity so existing residents and businesses don’t subsidize their electricity demand. They should also protect our water resources, pay the full cost of any infrastructure they require, and provide meaningful, ongoing tax revenue to the communities that host them.

Finally, I support mandatory decommissioning bonds and legally enforceable site restoration requirements so taxpayers are never left with abandoned facilities or cleanup costs. Michigan has seen too many outside interests profit from our land and resources while local communities assume the risks.

Innovation is welcome. Extractive business models are not. My priority is protecting the Great Lakes while ensuring any development leaves our communities stronger than it found them.”

KEYWORDS: Community Benefit Agreements, Resource Stewardship, Site Restoration

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“The rapid expansion of AI and data centers must benefit working people, not just enrich big technology corporations. We cannot allow massive tech companies to consume enormous amounts of electricity and water while raising utility costs for families, farmers, and small businesses.

Data center operators should pay the full cost of the infrastructure they require and invest in clean energy generation rather than shifting those costs onto taxpayers and ratepayers. Strong environmental standards must also protect our water resources and agricultural land, and developers should prioritize the redevelopment of existing industrial sites whenever possible.

Federal investment in public research and energy-efficient AI technologies can help ensure innovation serves the public good if robustly regulated. Technological progress should strengthen our communities, create good-paying jobs, and protect our natural resources, not come at their expense.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure Resource Accountability; Closed-loop Sustainability; Grid Load Balance.

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Although AI and Data centers are rapidly expanding, I would encourage residents to ask questions and research areas that are prime for construction of Data Centers. Primarily, large areas of cheaper land, reservoirs of water, existing transmission lines are some necessary elements for Data Center’s construction. As said earlier the trade-off, or balance between environmental concerns versus technological advancement and job creation will be different in the eyes of residents in each community.”

KEYWORDS: Community. Residents Environment

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Just say No to Data Centers. I advocated and approved a 12 month moratorium on new data center permitting in Delta County and I will advocate and approve the same at the State level.”

KEYWORDS: No Data Centers

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers need a stronger safety net and better tools to manage increasingly unpredictable conditions. I support improving crop insurance, strengthening agricultural research and extension services, expanding access to precision agriculture and broadband, and investing in research on drought resilience, soil health, crop disease, fertilizer efficiency, and water management.

Scientific innovation should help farmers lower input costs, increase yields, and respond to changing conditions without forcing one-size-fits-all mandates on them. Farmers should be partners in research and implementation, not an afterthought.

I also support strengthening trade enforcement, expanding markets for Michigan agricultural products, and ensuring that family farms have access to the financing and technology needed to remain competitive. The goal should be simple: keep farmers productive, profitable, and able to pass their farms to the next generation.”

KEYWORDS: Resilience, Innovation, Family Farms

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Ending wars for Israel, we’ll play a big role in keeping energy costs under control. Many of our leaders take money from PACs that support israel, and so we end up in a lot of wars that raise our energy costs.”

KEYWORDS: AIPAC energy costs

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers are the backbone of our food system and rural economy, and government should help create the conditions for them to succeed—not tell them how to run their farms.

I would support investments in agricultural research, water management, resilient infrastructure, crop development, precision agriculture, and technologies that help farmers reduce costs and increase productivity. We should also make sure trade and agricultural policies don’t put Michigan farmers at an unnecessary disadvantage in global markets.

Science and technology can be powerful tools here. Better weather modeling, drought-resistant crops, soil monitoring, automation, robotics, AI, and precision irrigation can help farmers make better decisions while using fewer resources. I would support research based on evidence and measurable results, not political ideology.

Most importantly, farmers should have a seat at the table. Researchers can provide the science, government can provide resources and oversight, and farmers can tell us what actually works in the real world.”

KEYWORDS: Agriculture; Innovation; Resilience

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farming plays a significant, vital role in our State’s economy, in the country and globally. I support farmers and innovation/technology that can safely and efficiently help them with productivity, profitability and good health of our farms and farmers. I will protect our farmers and listen to them to help address needs and barriers to their best possible success. “

KEYWORDS: Vital, innovation, productivity, profitability, support

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan’s farmers face increasing challenges from weather variability, global competition, labor shortages, and rising costs. Research and innovation can help improve productivity, crop resilience, resource efficiency, and profitability. I support partnerships among farmers, universities, and the private sector to develop practical solutions that help producers remain competitive. Investments should prioritize real-world applications that strengthen domestic food production, reduce costs, and support rural communities.”

KEYWORDS: Agriculture, Innovation, Competitiveness

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“I am not a farmer, and I would not pretend to understand every challenge farmers face better than the people doing the work. Good agricultural policy should begin by listening directly to farmers, agricultural researchers, extension specialists, and rural communities.

Different farms face different conditions, so policy should not be built around a single national model. Congress should help farmers manage risks they cannot control, including severe weather, crop disease, volatile markets, and rising input costs. That means strengthening crop insurance and disaster assistance, investing in rural infrastructure, and supporting research that improves drought tolerance, soil health, water efficiency, disease resistance, and productivity.

We should also address the pressure farmers face from concentrated corporate power in seed, fertilizer, equipment, processing, and distribution markets. Innovation should give farmers more options, not make them more dependent on a small number of large companies.

My role would not be to tell farmers how to farm. It would be to listen, remove unnecessary barriers, support practical research, and make sure farmers have the tools and fair markets they need to remain productive and profitable.”

KEYWORDS: Listening, Resilience, Fair Markets

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Although I haven’t previously served on the MI House Agricultural Committee, I am attuned to the plight of Michigan agricultural businesses and workers, especially given the effects of federal tariff policy and climate change on the agricultural economy.

I would continue to come to the rescue of certain agricultural sectors, as I did in my second session in the MI House in context of the Michigan tart cherry industry.

I would prioritize Michigan agriculture in the budget process; buttress MSU Extension programs (I served on an MSU Extension advisory board for the 8 years I served as a Calhoun County commissioner); and support Future Famers of America with state funding impetus.”

KEYWORDS: tariff; climate change; Extension

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“From a scientific standpoint I fully support research and investment into reducing human impact on the climate, alternative fuel sources for farm equipment, more efficient farm equipment, better soil science to reduce the fertilizer input needed, more efficient and less energy intensive fertilizers, combining renewable energy sources with agriculture, crops that are lest reliant on pesticides/herbicides, and the development of healthier end products for the consumer.”

KEYWORDS: Research, Renewable Energy, Climate Change

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Federal funding programs to support farmers can play a powerful role in providing economic security, but it must be designed in partnership with its potential recipients. For example, programs under USDA created in the Inflation Reduction Act supported farmer efforts to adapt their practices to be more sustainable and climate resilient. Programs like these provide support for more innovative farming practices in a way that allows the changes to happen on their terms.”

KEYWORDS:

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers are essential to our economy, food security, and rural communities. Government should help farmers remain competitive by reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, encouraging innovation, and supporting infrastructure that improves productivity and profitability.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Expand Agricultural Research: Increase competitive research funding through Michigan State University and other institutions for crop resilience, soil health, pest management, and agricultural productivity.

Support Precision Agriculture: Establish targeted tax incentives and matching grants for technologies such as GPS-guided equipment, sensors, automation, and water-efficient irrigation.

Strengthen Rural Infrastructure: Prioritize investments in rural broadband, roads, bridges, and reliable electrical service essential for modern farming.

Reduce Regulatory Burdens: Review agricultural regulations to eliminate duplication, streamline permitting, and protect farmers from unnecessary compliance costs while maintaining environmental safeguards.

Expand Agricultural Markets: Support Michigan food processing, value-added agricultural businesses, and partnerships that connect farmers with new domestic and international markets.

My scientific and technology commercialization experience has demonstrated that innovation can increase productivity while reducing costs and environmental impacts.

My priority is straightforward: keep Michigan farms profitable, preserve family farming, encourage the next generation of farmers, and ensure taxpayer investments deliver measurable economic benefits.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation, Farm Profitability, Rural Infrastructure

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers remain productive when they control their own decisions and can adopt tools that lower costs or raise yields. I support state-level agricultural research and extension programs focused on practical needs such as soil health, water efficiency, pest resistance, and precision agriculture. Private companies, land-grant universities, and farmer cooperatives are best positioned to develop and test these innovations.

Federal involvement should stay limited to interstate commerce issues, genuine trade enforcement, and any infrastructure that is clearly national in character. Broad subsidies, open-ended research grants, or mandates that override local conditions fall outside a proper federal role. Farmers, not distant agencies, should decide which technologies fit their operations. The priority is keeping family farms solvent and competitive through voluntary innovation and state-supported practical research.”

KEYWORDS: State research, Farmer control, Practical innovation

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“During the tenure of the current Michigan state administration, 500,000 acres of farmland are ‘gone’ due to solar fields and data centers. Recently passed legislation in the US House strengthens farm risk insurance, food security & safety, improves the cost of doing business, etc. Reciprocal global tariff policies will improve & expand/open export markets, but I incrementally support & advocate for an increase in Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience to first improve domestic; soil/environmental health, product yield/quality, and resilience/profitability for which research will play a pivotal role. Abundant research opportunities include reduced reliance on pesticides, use of organic vs chemical treatments, non-GMO expansion, vertical farming, hydro/aero/aquaponics, operation automation/robotics/optimization, applied AI/ML/IoT, etc.”

KEYWORDS: Resilience, Viability, Innovation

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan’s 8th District farmers are the backbone of our economy, but they are being crushed by skyrocketing input costs and inflation driven by disastrous economic policies. While I will fight to leverage agricultural science—like advanced drought-resistant crops and precision farming technology—to help our farmers stay productive, we must first get government off their backs. Kristen McDonald Rivet is completely out of touch with the struggles of our agricultural community. As a career politician and lobbyist, she supports the same radical, job-killing regulations championed by her extremist allies. Her economic agenda only increases the cost of fertilizer, fuel, and equipment, making it impossible for our farmers to compete globally. I will champion investments in agricultural innovation and fight for deregulation, while Rivet pushes the heavy-handed mandates suffocating Michigan agriculture.”

KEYWORDS: Precision agriculture,Deregulation, Competitiveness

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farmers don’t need Washington telling them how to farm. They need Washington helping them stay competitive.

Michigan’s farmers are some of the most innovative people in the country, but they’re facing real challenges—from unpredictable weather and rising input costs to labor shortages and volatile global markets. My job is to help remove barriers, not create new ones.

That means investing in agricultural research, expanding extension services, improving rural broadband, and advancing practical tools like precision agriculture, water management, and more resilient crops.

We also need to strengthen local food processing, protect family farms from consolidation, expand export opportunities, and reform agricultural labor programs so farms have the workforce they need.

As someone who designs solutions for complex problems, I believe the best ideas come from listening to the people doing the work.

Good policy should help Michigan farmers stay productive, profitable, and competitive for generations to come.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation, Family Farms, Competitiveness

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“I support targeted federal policies that expand crop insurance protections, lower the costs of essential inputs, and invest directly in regional agricultural infrastructure. Scientific research and innovation are critical tools that can help our agricultural sectors adapt to these evolving challenges.

I advocate for expanding public funding for land-grant university extension programs to develop drought-resistant crops, improve soil health metrics, and advance precise water conservation technologies. By providing farmers with localized, real-time data, we can help them mitigate environmental risks and lower operational overhead.

Furthermore, we must invest in local renewable energy systems and bio-manufacturing innovations to help family farms diversify their revenue streams.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation; Family Farm Protections; Rural Economic Resilience

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farmers could benefit from insurance policies that will cover them when drought, flooding and unforeseen weather related catastrophes occur. Farmer should have a Fair Farm Bill that guarantee fair prices for crop sales, dairy and meat. Scientific research could help farmers plan their planting season, determining which crops to plant and rotate, to understanding soil nutrients and composition. All this and more is possible with research.”

KEYWORDS: Fair Farm Bill

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Our farmers need to be profitable again and can’t continue to rely on public bailouts for their livelihoods, however they continue to vote against their best interests. Many don’t believe in science. Educating the farming communities in invocations/new ideas and voting in their best interests is an essential place to start.”

KEYWORDS: Farmers-Education

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“America needs a more diverse and more independent energy system. I support an all-of-the-above strategy that includes nuclear energy, wind, solar, hydroelectric power, storage, and continued research into emerging technologies.

Our priorities should be reliability, affordability, energy independence, and environmental protection. I support federal research and development, grid modernization, domestic manufacturing incentives, and policies that encourage cleaner energy without forcing working families to absorb unnecessary costs.

I also believe local communities deserve a meaningful voice in how large energy projects are developed. Clean energy policy should create advantages for innovation and adoption, not simply shift burdens onto rural communities.

Michigan should produce more of the energy it uses, strengthen its grid, and create skilled jobs in manufacturing, construction, engineering, and the trades.”

KEYWORDS: Independence, Reliability, Innovation

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but large-scale data centers can place major demands on local water systems, power grids, and public infrastructure while creating relatively few permanent jobs.

I do not support federal policies that simply subsidize data center expansion without requiring clear public benefits and strong protections for host communities. Projects should pay their fair share of infrastructure costs, demonstrate reliable water and energy plans, disclose resource demands, and avoid shifting utility costs onto local residents.

My background in AI and federal technology programs has taught me that innovation should be judged by what it contributes to society, not simply by how quickly it can expand. We should support responsible AI research and advanced computing while ensuring that growth does not undermine water security, grid reliability, environmental protection, or local control.”

KEYWORDS: Responsibility, Infrastructure, Local Control

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“Our grid is going to be really challenged by increased demand in the summer time due to climate change and the government will have to support new power plants. That are climate change neutral like solar and nuclear.”

KEYWORDS: Power grid new power plants

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“A I and data centers cannot negatively impact the public’s need for power to run air conditioners.”

KEYWORDS: Power grid brown outs

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“America needs an energy strategy based on science, economics, reliability, and reality—not partisan ideology. Electricity demand is growing, and we need abundant, reliable, affordable energy to power manufacturing, electrification, AI, and data infrastructure.

I support an all-of-the-above approach that includes nuclear, natural gas, wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, and emerging technologies. Nuclear deserves serious investment because it can provide reliable, low-carbon electricity around the clock. Wind and solar can provide inexpensive generation where conditions are favorable, but we also need storage, transmission, and other reliable generation to account for intermittency.

I would support research and development into advanced nuclear reactors, battery storage, grid modernization, geothermal energy, and other technologies that can make our energy system cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable.

Regulation should protect public health and the environment without becoming a political weapon against particular technologies. Projects should be evaluated on evidence, safety, cost, reliability, and environmental impact.

The goal isn’t to pick a favorite energy source. The goal is keeping the lights on, keeping energy affordable, creating American jobs, and maintaining our technological and manufacturing competitiveness. We should use the best available science and let results—not ideology—determine what scales.”

KEYWORDS: Reliability; Innovation; Affordability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I support technological growth, but we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past by letting technology advance faster than the rules protecting people and the infrastructure we all depend on. We need clear, enforceable, technology-neutral regulations and what I would call Asimov-style rules: AI should be designed to protect human life, respect human rights, and remain accountable to humans.

Data centers should pay their fair share of the infrastructure they consume. If a company requires massive amounts of electricity, water, or new transmission capacity, taxpayers shouldn’t automatically be stuck with the bill. Developers should demonstrate that projects can be supported without compromising reliability or local water resources.

I would support research into more energy-efficient AI, advanced cooling systems, water conservation, grid modernization, and cleaner power generation. I also support transparency around energy and water consumption so communities can make informed decisions.

Most importantly, regulation should be clean, understandable, and based on measurable risks—not political panic or corporate lobbying. We shouldn’t try to stop AI. We should make sure the technology serves people rather than the other way around.

Innovation and regulation aren’t enemies. Good rules create the foundation for sustainable innovation.”

KEYWORDS: AI Safety; Infrastructure; Sustainability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Although these centers already exist in our country on a fairly large scale, I need to learn more about this rapidly changing technological expansion. Location, energy and water usage are among many concerns that people have. I expect these to be addressed objectively and not blurred by big business, money, politics and non-disclosure agreements. Water and energy infrastructure created by the centers themselves seems like a reasonable requirement, but again I need objective, honest data and projections from experts and from actual residents who live, work and are impacted by these centers already.”

KEYWORDS: Controlled, objective, self-sustaining, location, infrastructure, plan, balance, environment, health, economics

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“America needs a reliable, affordable, and secure energy supply to support economic growth, manufacturing, and national security. I support an all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes natural gas, nuclear power, renewables, and emerging technologies. Energy policy should prioritize reliability, affordability, and domestic production while encouraging innovation and responsible stewardship. No single energy source can meet future demand alone, especially as manufacturing and data centers increase electricity consumption.”

KEYWORDS: Reliability, Affordability, Energy Security

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence and data centers are becoming increasingly important to economic growth, manufacturing, healthcare, and national security. Policies should encourage innovation while ensuring adequate energy infrastructure, grid reliability, and responsible resource management. The federal government should support infrastructure improvements that allow technological growth without compromising affordability or reliability for households and businesses. Regulatory approaches should provide clear rules while preserving America’s leadership in innovation and technological development.”

KEYWORDS: Privacy, Grid Reliability, Local Control

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“America will need more electricity, and no single source should carry the entire burden. I support an energy mix that includes wind, solar, battery storage, nuclear power, and a modernized electrical grid.

Wind and solar can provide affordable, locally produced electricity without requiring a continuously transported fuel source. Nuclear power can provide reliable generation with low direct carbon emissions, but new projects must meet strict safety, waste-management, cost, and transparency standards. I also support continued research into advanced reactors, long-duration energy storage, grid technology, and other emerging systems that could improve reliability and reduce costs.

Congress should invest in transmission and storage, support domestic manufacturing, and modernize permitting without weakening environmental review or meaningful community involvement. Large energy projects should not be forced onto communities, and residents should understand the costs, risks, and benefits before decisions are made.

Our goal should be an energy system that is reliable, affordable, increasingly clean, and less dependent on imported or transported fuels. Expanding supply matters, but it must be done carefully and with the long-term public interest in mind.”

KEYWORDS: Energy Independence, Innovation, Reliability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Technological growth should be welcomed, but it must be planned responsibly. New data centers, factories, and energy-intensive industries should not be allowed to overwhelm local electrical grids, water systems, roads, or emergency services.

I would support requiring large projects to disclose their expected energy, water, and infrastructure needs before approval. Companies should help pay for the upgrades their projects require rather than shifting those costs onto local residents through higher taxes or utility bills. Federal support should be tied to clear public benefits, strong environmental protections, and meaningful community involvement.

Congress should also invest in grid modernization, energy storage, water infrastructure, broadband, and research into more efficient technologies. Improving efficiency can allow innovation to continue while reducing waste and pressure on natural resources.

Environmental review should remain thorough, but the permitting process should also be clear and predictable. Good regulation should protect communities and ecosystems without creating unnecessary delays.

Technological progress and environmental responsibility are not opposing goals. With careful planning and accountability, we can build the infrastructure needed for growth while protecting reliability, affordability, and the places people call home.”

KEYWORDS: Responsible Growth, Infrastructure, Sustainability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I would now support skyscraper-high guardrails for Michigan AI data centers, given what we know now in relation to what we didn’t know 2 and 3 years ago. Data centers shouldn’t be tax-incentivized and must pay their own freight; data centers must pay their market share of water and electricity requirements; data centers must control their noise (see news on a noisy data center in Dowagiac); and the State of Michigan must prioritize local control in relation to the siting of data centers in a community.”

KEYWORDS: guardrails; noise; local control

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“We should be looking at every available power generation method and be looking at how to make them more efficient. There isn’t a magical single solution to our problem, different environments and applications will have specialized needs. Again the governments role is to create the foundational research that allows private industry a boost to create a commercially viable product. We shouldn’t be protecting legacy industry when there is a better alternative but on the other hand we shouldn’t blindly push a new technology just because it’s new. Fund the research and follow the science to the best solution for the problem.”

KEYWORDS: Diversification, Evidence Based

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data centers should be placed in industrial areas where the infrastructure is already in place to support them. They should be required to use recycled water for cooling or some other methods that doesn’t draw from ground water, build a green energy source that supplies their power, not pass on any infrastructure cost to the public via utility price hikes or cost to government services, limit noise and heat pollution from reaching neighbors, and provide the community it’s located in a reclamation bond to restore the site when the AI data bubble bursts and the site is abandoned.”

KEYWORDS: Green Energy, Resource Sparing, Pollution Limiting

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“We need a just transition to renewable energy now. The climate crisis is hurting communities everyday: extreme heat, drought, and frequent climate disasters put lives at risk and cause devastating economic damage. The only way to address the root of this problem is to decarbonize our energy sector, and the federal government plays a crucial role in achieving this goal. We need to restore IRA tax credits that helped families adopt clean energy at home, and we need federal energy regulators to hold large energy and utility companies accountable to their obligation to deliver reliable, affordable power to Americans.”

KEYWORDS:

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data center buildout needs to be more stringently regulated. There is currently no accountability or oversight over Big Tech companies that prop up massive data centers and consume unprecedented amounts of energy and water. This displaces the communities around them and increases costs and environmental health costs. Stronger regulation and slower buildout will ensure that technological growth does not come at the expense of the people it is meant to benefit.”

KEYWORDS:

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Michigan should welcome technological innovation and investment in data centers, but not at the expense of reliable utilities, affordable energy, or environmental protection. Economic development must deliver measurable benefits without shifting infrastructure costs onto residents and small businesses.

As a State Senator, I would support specific legislative actions:

Protect Ratepayers: Require data center developers to pay their fair share of electrical grid upgrades, new generation capacity, and infrastructure improvements rather than passing those costs to existing customers.

Ensure Grid Reliability: Require independent assessments of electricity demand, grid capacity, and potential impacts on residential and commercial customers before approving major projects.

Protect Water Resources: Establish water-use reporting requirements and encourage closed-loop cooling, water recycling, and other conservation technologies.

Promote Responsible Development: Tie state tax incentives to measurable commitments involving Michigan jobs, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency, and environmental performance.

Increase Transparency: Require public disclosure of projected energy consumption, water usage, infrastructure costs, and long-term community impacts.

I support innovation and economic growth, but development must be responsible.

My priority is clear: attract technology investment, protect Michigan’s natural resources, maintain reliable infrastructure, and ensure taxpayers and ratepayers are not subsidizing private development.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure Reliability, Environmental Sustainability, Ratepayer Protection

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I support private-sector technological growth that improves productivity, provided it does not expand a surveillance state or consume productive farmland.

Data centers should be sited on brownfields and already-developed industrial sites rather than verdant agricultural land. Projects must fully cover their own grid, water, and infrastructure costs, disclose resource demands in advance, and meet state and local environmental standards. Local communities should retain primary authority over siting and conditions.

Federal involvement should stay limited to genuine interstate grid reliability. High-risk AI uses involving mass surveillance or unrestricted data collection should face strict statutory limits.

The goal is reliable infrastructure, environmental protection, and civil liberties alongside responsible private innovation.”

KEYWORDS: Brownfields, Privacy, Local control

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“Michigan is nationally ranked 50th (worst) for energy reliability and has an energy monopoly held by 2 companies. I believe that there is a place for all sources of energy, and that a pragmatic approach needs to be taken that considers demand/capacity, cost/affordability, and the weather/environment. The U.S. should be energy independent and needs to expand research, development, and implementation of nuclear Small Modular Reactors, natural gas/CNG, hydro, and geothermal as sources of complimentary, reliable energy sources for which permitting and regulatory reform is needed. Further research is needed to increase the diversity, reliability, safety, scalability, and interconnectedness of sources, dispatchable power technologies/strategies, and transmission/grid design and safety from load/outage surges, and hacking/espionage.”

KEYWORDS: Pragmatic, Energy, Reliability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data centers are needed to support next-generation technologies, but not at the unbalanced expense/detriment of people, infrastructure, and environment. The free-market combined with existing zoning and regulatory requirements should be instrumental in determining data center volume/density, location(s), and size. Incremental research is needed to condense the size of data storage units/centers and associated energy/resource consumption, make more efficient use of natural resources in the technologies/solutions used, perform cause/effect modeling that accurately reflects now/near/far benefits and risks, establish regulatory guidelines/requirements, and also reference my interdependent “Energy” questionnaire response. Data center strategies/plans should ideally include self-contained/sustaining power generation, grid-independent water sources/treatment/reclamation facilities, EMF transmission mitigation, and sound wave/noise abatements.”

KEYWORDS: Balanced, Sustainable, Growth

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“America’s energy future demands an “all-of-the-above” strategy that ensures reliability and affordability, which includes expanding nuclear power alongside natural gas and targeted renewables. As electricity demand skyrockets, we cannot afford to gamble our grid on the unreliable, mandate-driven energy schemes pushed by Kristen McDonald Rivet. Rivet and her extreme political allies want to force a premature transition to wind and solar that our infrastructure simply cannot handle, threatening rolling blackouts and crippling energy bills for Michigan families. Her track record as a lobbyist and career politician proves she will gladly sacrifice our energy independence to appease environmental extremists. I support investing in next-generation nuclear technology and cutting red tape to unleash American energy dominance, while Rivet’s radical policies would leave us vulnerable and broke.”

KEYWORDS: All-of-the-above energy, Nuclear power, Grid reliability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“The expansion of artificial intelligence offers incredible opportunities, but it cannot come at the expense of our grid’s reliability or the American taxpayer. I support policies that encourage technological growth while requiring developers to ensure they aren’t placing unmanageable strains on our energy and water infrastructure. Kristen McDonald Rivet, however, has proven she will sell out Michigan taxpayers to benefit corporate special interests. While serving as a career politician, Rivet eagerly supported massive tax breaks for data centers, handing out corporate welfare while hardworking families in the 8th District struggle with rising utility costs and inflation. She prioritizes her lobbyist connections over the everyday realities of our citizens. I will ensure that the growth of AI and data centers is balanced, responsible, and never subsidized on the backs of Michigan taxpayers.”

KEYWORDS: Grid reliability, Taxpayer protection, Responsible innovation

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“Michigan has everything it needs to be an energy leader. We don’t have to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy—we can do both.

I’m a strong supporter of expanding wind energy, especially in places where local communities want it. Wind is one of Michigan’s greatest natural resources, creates good-paying union jobs, and produces affordable electricity without polluting our air or water.

Solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and energy storage should also be part of the mix. No single technology is the answer, but together they can make our grid cleaner, more reliable, and more resilient.

I also believe major new electricity users—especially AI data centers—should bring new generating capacity with them instead of shifting costs onto families and small businesses.

As an Industrial Designer, I look for practical solutions. The goal isn’t to win an ideological debate about energy. The goal is reliable, affordable power, good jobs, and protecting the Great Lakes for the next generation.”

KEYWORDS: Wind Energy, Energy Independence, Grid Resilience

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but Michigan’s natural resources are not for sale. If AI data centers want to locate here, they should meet Michigan’s standards—not ask Michigan to lower them.

I support federal policies that give local communities the legal and financial backing to negotiate with large corporations on equal footing. Local governments should have the authority to approve projects, require full transparency, and negotiate binding Community Benefit Agreements.

AI developers should add new clean generating capacity so existing residents and businesses don’t subsidize their electricity demand. They should also protect our water resources, pay the full cost of any infrastructure they require, and provide meaningful, ongoing tax revenue to the communities that host them.

Finally, I support mandatory decommissioning bonds and legally enforceable site restoration requirements so taxpayers are never left with abandoned facilities or cleanup costs. Michigan has seen too many outside interests profit from our land and resources while local communities assume the risks.

Innovation is welcome. Extractive business models are not. My priority is protecting the Great Lakes while ensuring any development leaves our communities stronger than it found them.”

KEYWORDS: Community Benefit Agreements, Resource Stewardship, Site Restoration

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“I support a diversified energy strategy that promotes renewable energy and battery storage to provide stable, carbon-free baseload power. I also support federal policies that invest directly in public research for next-generation small modular reactors and grid-scale storage systems.

We must also provide targeted grants to help family farms and local businesses deploy localized wind and solar arrays to lower their overhead. However, alternative energy deployment must be paired with sensible regulations that protect local control, preserve prime agricultural soil, and ensure rigorous safety protocols for waste management.

By funding independent scientific research and modernizing our distribution grid, we can build a resilient energy economy that creates good-paying, domestic union jobs.”

KEYWORDS: Grid Reliability; Alternative Energy Integration; Energy Research Investments.

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“The rapid expansion of AI and data centers must benefit working people, not just enrich big technology corporations. We cannot allow massive tech companies to consume enormous amounts of electricity and water while raising utility costs for families, farmers, and small businesses.

Data center operators should pay the full cost of the infrastructure they require and invest in clean energy generation rather than shifting those costs onto taxpayers and ratepayers. Strong environmental standards must also protect our water resources and agricultural land, and developers should prioritize the redevelopment of existing industrial sites whenever possible.

Federal investment in public research and energy-efficient AI technologies can help ensure innovation serves the public good if robustly regulated. Technological progress should strengthen our communities, create good-paying jobs, and protect our natural resources, not come at their expense.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure Resource Accountability; Closed-loop Sustainability; Grid Load Balance.

Q7 As electricity demand increases due to manufacturing, electrification, and data infrastructure, what role, if any, do you believe alternative energy sources, such as nuclear energy, wind, or solar, should play in America’s future energy mix? What policies, if any, would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?

“With the advent of new technologies, America’s energy demands are increasing. AI and Data Centers are popping up across the country. Although Data Centers will become necessary to handle the immensely, massive bits of information we rely on all day, everyday, we still have to strike the right balance if we are to co-exist. Nuclear, wind, solar and hydrogen powered generators required to help electricity power Data Centers, will lessen the negative effect that Data Centers produce. Generators powered by coal and fossil fuel will have worse environmental impact. I will support regulatory oversight and research to understand how to limit the negative impact these facilities will have on our fresh water supply, farmland, open spaces, forests and air. Research should be done to determine the impact of Data Centers, their costs, short term and long term jobs creation and where these center would be more acceptable.”

KEYWORDS: Balance Oversight Tegualory

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Although AI and Data centers are rapidly expanding, I would encourage residents to ask questions and research areas that are prime for construction of Data Centers. Primarily, large areas of cheaper land, reservoirs of water, existing transmission lines are some necessary elements for Data Center’s construction. As said earlier the trade-off, or balance between environmental concerns versus technological advancement and job creation will be different in the eyes of residents in each community.”

KEYWORDS: Community. Residents Environment

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Just say No to Data Centers. I advocated and approved a 12 month moratorium on new data center permitting in Delta County and I will advocate and approve the same at the State level.”

KEYWORDS: No Data Centers

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers need a stronger safety net and better tools to manage increasingly unpredictable conditions. I support improving crop insurance, strengthening agricultural research and extension services, expanding access to precision agriculture and broadband, and investing in research on drought resilience, soil health, crop disease, fertilizer efficiency, and water management.

Scientific innovation should help farmers lower input costs, increase yields, and respond to changing conditions without forcing one-size-fits-all mandates on them. Farmers should be partners in research and implementation, not an afterthought.

I also support strengthening trade enforcement, expanding markets for Michigan agricultural products, and ensuring that family farms have access to the financing and technology needed to remain competitive. The goal should be simple: keep farmers productive, profitable, and able to pass their farms to the next generation.”

KEYWORDS: Resilience, Innovation, Family Farms

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Michigan’s water is one of our greatest resources, and protecting it must be a federal priority. I support stronger federal action on PFAS, including enforceable standards, expanded testing, cleanup funding, protection for consumers, and holding polluters financially responsible rather than leaving families and local governments with the bill.

I also support major investment in aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, especially in rural and underserved communities that cannot afford large upgrades on their own. Federal support should help replace lead service lines, modernize treatment systems, and protect groundwater.

Great Lakes protection must remain a long-term national commitment. Clean water should never depend on a family’s income or zip code, and communities should not have to wait decades for action after contamination is discovered.”

KEYWORDS: Clean Water, PFAS, Accountability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but large-scale data centers can place major demands on local water systems, power grids, and public infrastructure while creating relatively few permanent jobs.

I do not support federal policies that simply subsidize data center expansion without requiring clear public benefits and strong protections for host communities. Projects should pay their fair share of infrastructure costs, demonstrate reliable water and energy plans, disclose resource demands, and avoid shifting utility costs onto local residents.

My background in AI and federal technology programs has taught me that innovation should be judged by what it contributes to society, not simply by how quickly it can expand. We should support responsible AI research and advanced computing while ensuring that growth does not undermine water security, grid reliability, environmental protection, or local control.”

KEYWORDS: Responsibility, Infrastructure, Local Control

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Ending wars for Israel, we’ll play a big role in keeping energy costs under control. Many of our leaders take money from PACs that support israel, and so we end up in a lot of wars that raise our energy costs.”

KEYWORDS: AIPAC energy costs

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Government subsidies of personal water filters in the home. The guarantee water safety. I use an r o filter”

KEYWORDS: RO filter subsidy

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“A I and data centers cannot negatively impact the public’s need for power to run air conditioners.”

KEYWORDS: Power grid brown outs

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers are the backbone of our food system and rural economy, and government should help create the conditions for them to succeed—not tell them how to run their farms.

I would support investments in agricultural research, water management, resilient infrastructure, crop development, precision agriculture, and technologies that help farmers reduce costs and increase productivity. We should also make sure trade and agricultural policies don’t put Michigan farmers at an unnecessary disadvantage in global markets.

Science and technology can be powerful tools here. Better weather modeling, drought-resistant crops, soil monitoring, automation, robotics, AI, and precision irrigation can help farmers make better decisions while using fewer resources. I would support research based on evidence and measurable results, not political ideology.

Most importantly, farmers should have a seat at the table. Researchers can provide the science, government can provide resources and oversight, and farmers can tell us what actually works in the real world.”

KEYWORDS: Agriculture; Innovation; Resilience

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Clean drinking water is not a partisan issue. It is a basic responsibility of government, and Michigan should be a national leader in protecting its water resources.

I would support significant investment in replacing aging water infrastructure, removing lead service lines, upgrading treatment facilities, and improving water systems in communities that lack the resources to do it themselves. PFAS and other contaminants should be addressed using the best available science, with polluters held accountable whenever they can be identified.

I would also support increased monitoring and transparent reporting so residents know what’s in their water and what is being done about it. We shouldn’t wait for people to get sick before acting.

The Great Lakes are one of Michigan’s greatest assets and an enormous economic and environmental resource. Protecting them requires long-term planning, modern infrastructure, strong environmental standards, and continued scientific research.

Taxpayer dollars should go toward measurable improvements—not political favors. We should use science and technology to identify problems early, fix infrastructure before it fails, and make sure every Michigan community has access to safe drinking water.”

KEYWORDS: Clean Water; Infrastructure; Accountability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I support technological growth, but we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past by letting technology advance faster than the rules protecting people and the infrastructure we all depend on. We need clear, enforceable, technology-neutral regulations and what I would call Asimov-style rules: AI should be designed to protect human life, respect human rights, and remain accountable to humans.

Data centers should pay their fair share of the infrastructure they consume. If a company requires massive amounts of electricity, water, or new transmission capacity, taxpayers shouldn’t automatically be stuck with the bill. Developers should demonstrate that projects can be supported without compromising reliability or local water resources.

I would support research into more energy-efficient AI, advanced cooling systems, water conservation, grid modernization, and cleaner power generation. I also support transparency around energy and water consumption so communities can make informed decisions.

Most importantly, regulation should be clean, understandable, and based on measurable risks—not political panic or corporate lobbying. We shouldn’t try to stop AI. We should make sure the technology serves people rather than the other way around.

Innovation and regulation aren’t enemies. Good rules create the foundation for sustainable innovation.”

KEYWORDS: AI Safety; Infrastructure; Sustainability

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farming plays a significant, vital role in our State’s economy, in the country and globally. I support farmers and innovation/technology that can safely and efficiently help them with productivity, profitability and good health of our farms and farmers. I will protect our farmers and listen to them to help address needs and barriers to their best possible success. “

KEYWORDS: Vital, innovation, productivity, profitability, support

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“I want to learn more from objective, smart, unbiased experts in order to determine the best solutions for these issues. We must protect our water supplies and our Great Lakes with reasonable, efficient, innovative solutions.”

KEYWORDS: Healthy, resources, safe, innovation, science, improvement, plan

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Although these centers already exist in our country on a fairly large scale, I need to learn more about this rapidly changing technological expansion. Location, energy and water usage are among many concerns that people have. I expect these to be addressed objectively and not blurred by big business, money, politics and non-disclosure agreements. Water and energy infrastructure created by the centers themselves seems like a reasonable requirement, but again I need objective, honest data and projections from experts and from actual residents who live, work and are impacted by these centers already.”

KEYWORDS: Controlled, objective, self-sustaining, location, infrastructure, plan, balance, environment, health, economics

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan’s farmers face increasing challenges from weather variability, global competition, labor shortages, and rising costs. Research and innovation can help improve productivity, crop resilience, resource efficiency, and profitability. I support partnerships among farmers, universities, and the private sector to develop practical solutions that help producers remain competitive. Investments should prioritize real-world applications that strengthen domestic food production, reduce costs, and support rural communities.”

KEYWORDS: Agriculture, Innovation, Competitiveness

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Every Michigan resident deserves access to safe drinking water and reliable infrastructure. I support investments in upgrading aging water systems, replacing failing infrastructure, and addressing contamination that threatens public health. Protecting the Great Lakes is both an environmental and economic priority. Federal resources should be used responsibly and in partnership with state and local governments to ensure clean water while minimizing unnecessary regulatory burdens that hinder growth and development.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure, Clean Water, Great Lakes

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence and data centers are becoming increasingly important to economic growth, manufacturing, healthcare, and national security. Policies should encourage innovation while ensuring adequate energy infrastructure, grid reliability, and responsible resource management. The federal government should support infrastructure improvements that allow technological growth without compromising affordability or reliability for households and businesses. Regulatory approaches should provide clear rules while preserving America’s leadership in innovation and technological development.”

KEYWORDS: Privacy, Grid Reliability, Local Control

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“I am not a farmer, and I would not pretend to understand every challenge farmers face better than the people doing the work. Good agricultural policy should begin by listening directly to farmers, agricultural researchers, extension specialists, and rural communities.

Different farms face different conditions, so policy should not be built around a single national model. Congress should help farmers manage risks they cannot control, including severe weather, crop disease, volatile markets, and rising input costs. That means strengthening crop insurance and disaster assistance, investing in rural infrastructure, and supporting research that improves drought tolerance, soil health, water efficiency, disease resistance, and productivity.

We should also address the pressure farmers face from concentrated corporate power in seed, fertilizer, equipment, processing, and distribution markets. Innovation should give farmers more options, not make them more dependent on a small number of large companies.

My role would not be to tell farmers how to farm. It would be to listen, remove unnecessary barriers, support practical research, and make sure farmers have the tools and fair markets they need to remain productive and profitable.”

KEYWORDS: Listening, Resilience, Fair Markets

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Clean drinking water should be treated as essential infrastructure. Congress should invest in replacing aging pipes, upgrading water-treatment systems, improving wastewater infrastructure, and helping small and rural communities access funding they may not have the staff or tax base to pursue on their own.

PFAS and other contamination also require stronger federal responsibility. Where pollution was caused by military, industrial, or other identifiable sources, those responsible should help pay for testing, cleanup, filtration, and long-term monitoring. Communities should not be left carrying the financial burden of contamination they did not create.

I would also support continued investment in Great Lakes research, watershed restoration, and prevention. Protecting drinking water means stopping pollution before it spreads, improving monitoring, and maintaining infrastructure before it fails.

These programs should be transparent and focused on measurable results: safer water, fewer service interruptions, reduced contamination, and lower long-term costs. It is usually less expensive to replace failing infrastructure and prevent pollution than to respond after a system breaks down or a water source becomes unsafe.”

KEYWORDS: Clean Water, Accountability, Prevention

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Technological growth should be welcomed, but it must be planned responsibly. New data centers, factories, and energy-intensive industries should not be allowed to overwhelm local electrical grids, water systems, roads, or emergency services.

I would support requiring large projects to disclose their expected energy, water, and infrastructure needs before approval. Companies should help pay for the upgrades their projects require rather than shifting those costs onto local residents through higher taxes or utility bills. Federal support should be tied to clear public benefits, strong environmental protections, and meaningful community involvement.

Congress should also invest in grid modernization, energy storage, water infrastructure, broadband, and research into more efficient technologies. Improving efficiency can allow innovation to continue while reducing waste and pressure on natural resources.

Environmental review should remain thorough, but the permitting process should also be clear and predictable. Good regulation should protect communities and ecosystems without creating unnecessary delays.

Technological progress and environmental responsibility are not opposing goals. With careful planning and accountability, we can build the infrastructure needed for growth while protecting reliability, affordability, and the places people call home.”

KEYWORDS: Responsible Growth, Infrastructure, Sustainability

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Although I haven’t previously served on the MI House Agricultural Committee, I am attuned to the plight of Michigan agricultural businesses and workers, especially given the effects of federal tariff policy and climate change on the agricultural economy.

I would continue to come to the rescue of certain agricultural sectors, as I did in my second session in the MI House in context of the Michigan tart cherry industry.

I would prioritize Michigan agriculture in the budget process; buttress MSU Extension programs (I served on an MSU Extension advisory board for the 8 years I served as a Calhoun County commissioner); and support Future Famers of America with state funding impetus.”

KEYWORDS: tariff; climate change; Extension

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Were I elected I would prioritize protection of the Great Lakes, from a better defense to invasive carp entering Lake Michigan to more successfully protecting wetlands (a backbone of the Great Lakes watershed).

I would invest in PFAS remediation and regulation.

I would support a much-needed infusion of state budget dollars to chore up water infrastructure, sorely needed given examples like the flooding in Sanford and Midland in 2020, and given the Flint water crisis from 2015 forward.”

KEYWORDS: invasive carp; wetlands; flooding

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I would now support skyscraper-high guardrails for Michigan AI data centers, given what we know now in relation to what we didn’t know 2 and 3 years ago. Data centers shouldn’t be tax-incentivized and must pay their own freight; data centers must pay their market share of water and electricity requirements; data centers must control their noise (see news on a noisy data center in Dowagiac); and the State of Michigan must prioritize local control in relation to the siting of data centers in a community.”

KEYWORDS: guardrails; noise; local control

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“From a scientific standpoint I fully support research and investment into reducing human impact on the climate, alternative fuel sources for farm equipment, more efficient farm equipment, better soil science to reduce the fertilizer input needed, more efficient and less energy intensive fertilizers, combining renewable energy sources with agriculture, crops that are lest reliant on pesticides/herbicides, and the development of healthier end products for the consumer.”

KEYWORDS: Research, Renewable Energy, Climate Change

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Without clean drinking water we die so water protection needs to be a number one priority. The first step is to increase enforcement against polluters because it’s easier to prevent pollution than it is to clean it up. Funding research into reducing the amount of water needed in any number of industrial or agriculture processes will protect the resources we have. Significant funding and research needs to go into developing water purification and reclamation systems that give us access to previously contaminated water sources. All of America’s infrastructure needs a significant overhaul to improve reliability and safety which will also provide good high paying jobs for communities.”

KEYWORDS: Prevention, Infrastructure Funding, Resource Protection

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data centers should be placed in industrial areas where the infrastructure is already in place to support them. They should be required to use recycled water for cooling or some other methods that doesn’t draw from ground water, build a green energy source that supplies their power, not pass on any infrastructure cost to the public via utility price hikes or cost to government services, limit noise and heat pollution from reaching neighbors, and provide the community it’s located in a reclamation bond to restore the site when the AI data bubble bursts and the site is abandoned.”

KEYWORDS: Green Energy, Resource Sparing, Pollution Limiting

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Federal funding programs to support farmers can play a powerful role in providing economic security, but it must be designed in partnership with its potential recipients. For example, programs under USDA created in the Inflation Reduction Act supported farmer efforts to adapt their practices to be more sustainable and climate resilient. Programs like these provide support for more innovative farming practices in a way that allows the changes to happen on their terms.”

KEYWORDS:

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“I am an ardent supporter of funding programs like the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds because they provide sustained, noncompetitive support for a fundamental human right: clean water. I support an increase in allotments through this program to address PFAS contamination and aging infrastructure. In addition to more funding, the federal government should provide technical assistance to public water utilities and municipalities to ensure that funding can be used in an effective way.”

KEYWORDS:

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data center buildout needs to be more stringently regulated. There is currently no accountability or oversight over Big Tech companies that prop up massive data centers and consume unprecedented amounts of energy and water. This displaces the communities around them and increases costs and environmental health costs. Stronger regulation and slower buildout will ensure that technological growth does not come at the expense of the people it is meant to benefit.”

KEYWORDS:

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers are essential to our economy, food security, and rural communities. Government should help farmers remain competitive by reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, encouraging innovation, and supporting infrastructure that improves productivity and profitability.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Expand Agricultural Research: Increase competitive research funding through Michigan State University and other institutions for crop resilience, soil health, pest management, and agricultural productivity.

Support Precision Agriculture: Establish targeted tax incentives and matching grants for technologies such as GPS-guided equipment, sensors, automation, and water-efficient irrigation.

Strengthen Rural Infrastructure: Prioritize investments in rural broadband, roads, bridges, and reliable electrical service essential for modern farming.

Reduce Regulatory Burdens: Review agricultural regulations to eliminate duplication, streamline permitting, and protect farmers from unnecessary compliance costs while maintaining environmental safeguards.

Expand Agricultural Markets: Support Michigan food processing, value-added agricultural businesses, and partnerships that connect farmers with new domestic and international markets.

My scientific and technology commercialization experience has demonstrated that innovation can increase productivity while reducing costs and environmental impacts.

My priority is straightforward: keep Michigan farms profitable, preserve family farming, encourage the next generation of farmers, and ensure taxpayer investments deliver measurable economic benefits.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation, Farm Profitability, Rural Infrastructure

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Access to safe, affordable drinking water is a fundamental responsibility of government. Michigan, surrounded by the Great Lakes, should be a national leader in drinking water quality and infrastructure reliability.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Accelerate Lead Pipe Replacement: Prioritize replacing aging lead service lines, particularly in communities with documented contamination risks.

Modernize Water Infrastructure: Expand access to low-interest loans and targeted grants for municipalities replacing deteriorating water mains, treatment facilities, and distribution systems.

Strengthen Water Quality Monitoring: Require transparent, publicly accessible reporting of drinking water testing, including lead, PFAS, and other potentially harmful contaminants.

Protect Ratepayers: Establish stronger financial oversight of water infrastructure projects, require competitive bidding, and prioritize state and federal funding to minimize increases in household water bills.

Improve Accountability: Require measurable performance standards, regular infrastructure assessments, and long-term maintenance planning.

I would leverage existing state and federal funding programs before proposing additional taxpayer expenditures.

My goal is straightforward: safe drinking water, reliable infrastructure, affordable rates, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Michigan residents deserve confidence that the water entering their homes is safe today and for future generations.”

KEYWORDS: Drinking Water Safety, Infrastructure Modernization, Affordability

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Michigan should welcome technological innovation and investment in data centers, but not at the expense of reliable utilities, affordable energy, or environmental protection. Economic development must deliver measurable benefits without shifting infrastructure costs onto residents and small businesses.

As a State Senator, I would support specific legislative actions:

Protect Ratepayers: Require data center developers to pay their fair share of electrical grid upgrades, new generation capacity, and infrastructure improvements rather than passing those costs to existing customers.

Ensure Grid Reliability: Require independent assessments of electricity demand, grid capacity, and potential impacts on residential and commercial customers before approving major projects.

Protect Water Resources: Establish water-use reporting requirements and encourage closed-loop cooling, water recycling, and other conservation technologies.

Promote Responsible Development: Tie state tax incentives to measurable commitments involving Michigan jobs, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency, and environmental performance.

Increase Transparency: Require public disclosure of projected energy consumption, water usage, infrastructure costs, and long-term community impacts.

I support innovation and economic growth, but development must be responsible.

My priority is clear: attract technology investment, protect Michigan’s natural resources, maintain reliable infrastructure, and ensure taxpayers and ratepayers are not subsidizing private development.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure Reliability, Environmental Sustainability, Ratepayer Protection

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan farmers remain productive when they control their own decisions and can adopt tools that lower costs or raise yields. I support state-level agricultural research and extension programs focused on practical needs such as soil health, water efficiency, pest resistance, and precision agriculture. Private companies, land-grant universities, and farmer cooperatives are best positioned to develop and test these innovations.

Federal involvement should stay limited to interstate commerce issues, genuine trade enforcement, and any infrastructure that is clearly national in character. Broad subsidies, open-ended research grants, or mandates that override local conditions fall outside a proper federal role. Farmers, not distant agencies, should decide which technologies fit their operations. The priority is keeping family farms solvent and competitive through voluntary innovation and state-supported practical research.”

KEYWORDS: State research, Farmer control, Practical innovation

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Drinking-water systems and local infrastructure are primarily state and municipal responsibilities. I support state and local investment to replace aging pipes, address lead service lines, and modernize treatment, with priority for communities that cannot fund upgrades alone. On PFAS and similar contaminants, the focus should be on accurate testing, transparent data, and requiring responsible parties to cover cleanup costs rather than shifting the burden to taxpayers or ratepayers.

Federal action should be limited to genuinely interstate or national problems, such as Great Lakes boundary waters or contamination that crosses state lines. Routine water-system maintenance and most remediation belong at the state and local level. Clean water is essential; the means of securing it should match constitutional limits and local accountability.

Clean drinking water should not depend on zip code.”

KEYWORDS: State responsibility, Polluter pays, Local infrastructure

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“I support private-sector technological growth that improves productivity, provided it does not expand a surveillance state or consume productive farmland.

Data centers should be sited on brownfields and already-developed industrial sites rather than verdant agricultural land. Projects must fully cover their own grid, water, and infrastructure costs, disclose resource demands in advance, and meet state and local environmental standards. Local communities should retain primary authority over siting and conditions.

Federal involvement should stay limited to genuine interstate grid reliability. High-risk AI uses involving mass surveillance or unrestricted data collection should face strict statutory limits.

The goal is reliable infrastructure, environmental protection, and civil liberties alongside responsible private innovation.”

KEYWORDS: Brownfields, Privacy, Local control

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“During the tenure of the current Michigan state administration, 500,000 acres of farmland are ‘gone’ due to solar fields and data centers. Recently passed legislation in the US House strengthens farm risk insurance, food security & safety, improves the cost of doing business, etc. Reciprocal global tariff policies will improve & expand/open export markets, but I incrementally support & advocate for an increase in Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience to first improve domestic; soil/environmental health, product yield/quality, and resilience/profitability for which research will play a pivotal role. Abundant research opportunities include reduced reliance on pesticides, use of organic vs chemical treatments, non-GMO expansion, vertical farming, hydro/aero/aquaponics, operation automation/robotics/optimization, applied AI/ML/IoT, etc.”

KEYWORDS: Resilience, Viability, Innovation

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Ensure existing/future municipal water providers are accountable for making continued/ongoing infrastructure improvements/investments, safety/testing, and leak reductions. I believe that policies should focus on areas of greatest risk first i.e. lead pipes, contamination and invasive species prevention/mitigation, etc. Competitive bidding and Public-Private Partnerships with performance-based funding are needed to implement. I advocate for expanded research in areas such as use of IoT/biosensors, advanced oxidation processes, nanofiltration, bioremediation, irradiation/ultrasonic/acoustic treatments, runoff interception/mitigation strategies, etc.”

KEYWORDS: Accountability, Environment, Innovation

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Data centers are needed to support next-generation technologies, but not at the unbalanced expense/detriment of people, infrastructure, and environment. The free-market combined with existing zoning and regulatory requirements should be instrumental in determining data center volume/density, location(s), and size. Incremental research is needed to condense the size of data storage units/centers and associated energy/resource consumption, make more efficient use of natural resources in the technologies/solutions used, perform cause/effect modeling that accurately reflects now/near/far benefits and risks, establish regulatory guidelines/requirements, and also reference my interdependent “Energy” questionnaire response. Data center strategies/plans should ideally include self-contained/sustaining power generation, grid-independent water sources/treatment/reclamation facilities, EMF transmission mitigation, and sound wave/noise abatements.”

KEYWORDS: Balanced, Sustainable, Growth

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Michigan’s 8th District farmers are the backbone of our economy, but they are being crushed by skyrocketing input costs and inflation driven by disastrous economic policies. While I will fight to leverage agricultural science—like advanced drought-resistant crops and precision farming technology—to help our farmers stay productive, we must first get government off their backs. Kristen McDonald Rivet is completely out of touch with the struggles of our agricultural community. As a career politician and lobbyist, she supports the same radical, job-killing regulations championed by her extremist allies. Her economic agenda only increases the cost of fertilizer, fuel, and equipment, making it impossible for our farmers to compete globally. I will champion investments in agricultural innovation and fight for deregulation, while Rivet pushes the heavy-handed mandates suffocating Michigan agriculture.”

KEYWORDS: Precision agriculture,Deregulation, Competitiveness

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Protecting the Great Lakes and ensuring safe drinking water are non-negotiable priorities for Michigan. I fully support targeted investments to update our aging water infrastructure and deploy advanced filtration technologies to eliminate PFAS contamination. We need practical, science-based solutions to protect our environment. While Kristen McDonald Rivet claims to care about our communities, her record as a career Lansing insider tells a different story—one of prioritizing corporate giveaways and data center tax breaks over securing clean water for our families. Her alignment with radical activists like Abdul El-Sayed shows she prefers weaponizing environmental policy to control our economy rather than actually fixing our pipes and protecting our lakes.”

KEYWORDS: PFAS remediation, Great Lakes protection, Infrastructure modernization

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“The expansion of artificial intelligence offers incredible opportunities, but it cannot come at the expense of our grid’s reliability or the American taxpayer. I support policies that encourage technological growth while requiring developers to ensure they aren’t placing unmanageable strains on our energy and water infrastructure. Kristen McDonald Rivet, however, has proven she will sell out Michigan taxpayers to benefit corporate special interests. While serving as a career politician, Rivet eagerly supported massive tax breaks for data centers, handing out corporate welfare while hardworking families in the 8th District struggle with rising utility costs and inflation. She prioritizes her lobbyist connections over the everyday realities of our citizens. I will ensure that the growth of AI and data centers is balanced, responsible, and never subsidized on the backs of Michigan taxpayers.”

KEYWORDS: Grid reliability, Taxpayer protection, Responsible innovation

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farmers don’t need Washington telling them how to farm. They need Washington helping them stay competitive.

Michigan’s farmers are some of the most innovative people in the country, but they’re facing real challenges—from unpredictable weather and rising input costs to labor shortages and volatile global markets. My job is to help remove barriers, not create new ones.

That means investing in agricultural research, expanding extension services, improving rural broadband, and advancing practical tools like precision agriculture, water management, and more resilient crops.

We also need to strengthen local food processing, protect family farms from consolidation, expand export opportunities, and reform agricultural labor programs so farms have the workforce they need.

As someone who designs solutions for complex problems, I believe the best ideas come from listening to the people doing the work.

Good policy should help Michigan farmers stay productive, profitable, and competitive for generations to come.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation, Family Farms, Competitiveness

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Clean water isn’t a partisan issue—it’s a basic responsibility. The Great Lakes hold nearly 20% of the world’s surface fresh water. Protecting them isn’t just good environmental policy; it’s essential to Michigan’s economy, public health, tourism, and way of life.

I support sustained federal investment to replace aging water infrastructure, remove lead service lines, accelerate PFAS cleanup, modernize wastewater systems, and help rural communities afford these upgrades. Too many small towns simply don’t have the tax base to tackle these projects alone.

We also need to hold polluters accountable, strengthen scientific monitoring of our waterways, and invest in technologies that detect contamination earlier and clean it up more effectively.

Protecting our water isn’t about choosing between the environment and the economy. In Michigan, they’re the same thing.”

KEYWORDS: Great Lakes, PFAS Remediation, Water Infrastructure

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but Michigan’s natural resources are not for sale. If AI data centers want to locate here, they should meet Michigan’s standards—not ask Michigan to lower them.

I support federal policies that give local communities the legal and financial backing to negotiate with large corporations on equal footing. Local governments should have the authority to approve projects, require full transparency, and negotiate binding Community Benefit Agreements.

AI developers should add new clean generating capacity so existing residents and businesses don’t subsidize their electricity demand. They should also protect our water resources, pay the full cost of any infrastructure they require, and provide meaningful, ongoing tax revenue to the communities that host them.

Finally, I support mandatory decommissioning bonds and legally enforceable site restoration requirements so taxpayers are never left with abandoned facilities or cleanup costs. Michigan has seen too many outside interests profit from our land and resources while local communities assume the risks.

Innovation is welcome. Extractive business models are not. My priority is protecting the Great Lakes while ensuring any development leaves our communities stronger than it found them.”

KEYWORDS: Community Benefit Agreements, Resource Stewardship, Site Restoration

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“I support targeted federal policies that expand crop insurance protections, lower the costs of essential inputs, and invest directly in regional agricultural infrastructure. Scientific research and innovation are critical tools that can help our agricultural sectors adapt to these evolving challenges.

I advocate for expanding public funding for land-grant university extension programs to develop drought-resistant crops, improve soil health metrics, and advance precise water conservation technologies. By providing farmers with localized, real-time data, we can help them mitigate environmental risks and lower operational overhead.

Furthermore, we must invest in local renewable energy systems and bio-manufacturing innovations to help family farms diversify their revenue streams.”

KEYWORDS: Agricultural Innovation; Family Farm Protections; Rural Economic Resilience

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“We must strengthen federal drinking water standards and mandate strict, enforceable limits on chemical contaminants to hold corporate polluters financially accountable for environmental cleanup. We also need to increase public funding for independent scientific research to map groundwater systems, track chemical plumes, and deploy advanced filtration technologies that keep drinking water safe.

The Great Lakes represent a foundational ecological resource, and I support robust funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to combat invasive species and agricultural runoff. By prioritizing infrastructure modernization and strict regulatory enforcement, we can ensure that clean, safe drinking water.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure Modernization; PFAS remediation; Water Safety Standards.

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“The rapid expansion of AI and data centers must benefit working people, not just enrich big technology corporations. We cannot allow massive tech companies to consume enormous amounts of electricity and water while raising utility costs for families, farmers, and small businesses.

Data center operators should pay the full cost of the infrastructure they require and invest in clean energy generation rather than shifting those costs onto taxpayers and ratepayers. Strong environmental standards must also protect our water resources and agricultural land, and developers should prioritize the redevelopment of existing industrial sites whenever possible.

Federal investment in public research and energy-efficient AI technologies can help ensure innovation serves the public good if robustly regulated. Technological progress should strengthen our communities, create good-paying jobs, and protect our natural resources, not come at their expense.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure Resource Accountability; Closed-loop Sustainability; Grid Load Balance.

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Farmers could benefit from insurance policies that will cover them when drought, flooding and unforeseen weather related catastrophes occur. Farmer should have a Fair Farm Bill that guarantee fair prices for crop sales, dairy and meat. Scientific research could help farmers plan their planting season, determining which crops to plant and rotate, to understanding soil nutrients and composition. All this and more is possible with research.”

KEYWORDS: Fair Farm Bill

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Protect our drinking water at all costs. Without safe drinking water we’re all doomed. I will support investments and legislation to improve the quality standards that we currently enjoy. Industrial waste contaminating our Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers and streams would be subjected to regulatory agencies highest scrutiny. Companies and corporations that pollute our environment would be held accountable. I am opposed to Line 5’s operation. I would rather error on the side of caution than to potentially expose millions of people to contamination, disrupting the ecosystem and environment.”

KEYWORDS: Protect ecosystems environment

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Although AI and Data centers are rapidly expanding, I would encourage residents to ask questions and research areas that are prime for construction of Data Centers. Primarily, large areas of cheaper land, reservoirs of water, existing transmission lines are some necessary elements for Data Center’s construction. As said earlier the trade-off, or balance between environmental concerns versus technological advancement and job creation will be different in the eyes of residents in each community.”

KEYWORDS: Community. Residents Environment

Q3 Michigan farmers face challenges including shifting weather patterns, localized droughts, fluctuating input costs, and global market pressures. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to help farmers remain productive and economically competitive, and what role could scientific research and innovation play in those efforts?

“Our farmers need to be profitable again and can’t continue to rely on public bailouts for their livelihoods, however they continue to vote against their best interests. Many don’t believe in science. Educating the farming communities in invocations/new ideas and voting in their best interests is an essential place to start.”

KEYWORDS: Farmers-Education

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“PFAS- I would continue government grants through EGLE. I will also advocate for the continuation of grants for lead service line replacement throughout our state.”

KEYWORDS: Grant Program Continuation

Q9 Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?

“Just say No to Data Centers. I advocated and approved a 12 month moratorium on new data center permitting in Delta County and I will advocate and approve the same at the State level.”

KEYWORDS: No Data Centers

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has an important role in supporting research that the private market may underfund because the benefits are long-term, widely shared, or too risky for short-term investors. I support strong federal investment in medical research, agricultural science, advanced manufacturing, energy technology, artificial intelligence, and research conducted through universities and national laboratories.

I would evaluate these investments by asking whether they improve quality of life, strengthen national competitiveness, create useful public knowledge, reduce costs, and translate into real benefits for communities. Public funding should also support basic research, because many transformative technologies begin with discoveries whose practical value was not immediately obvious.

Michigan should benefit from these investments through stronger universities, research partnerships, advanced manufacturing, and new opportunities for students and workers.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Competitiveness, Discovery

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“It plays a big role in both medical and environmental concerns. Solutions to health and environmental problems are going to take a lot of testing and experimentation to resolve. I support the continued exercise of this.”

KEYWORDS: Experimentation, testing implementation.

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government has a legitimate role in funding scientific research, especially in areas where long-term investment and public benefit make private investment unlikely. Basic research, healthcare, energy, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies can create enormous economic and societal benefits.

As a techno-populist, I would judge research funding by outcomes—not political connections or which corporation has the best lobbyist. I would prioritize measurable public benefits: new treatments and cures, better infrastructure, American technological leadership, good-paying jobs, energy innovation, stronger manufacturing, and research that creates knowledge we can build upon.

I would also demand transparency and accountability. Taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going, what researchers are trying to accomplish, what the evidence shows, and why a project deserves continued funding. Not every experiment will succeed, and that’s okay. Science inherently involves failure. We shouldn’t punish legitimate research simply because every hypothesis doesn’t work.

The goal should be a government that invests in America’s future while making sure those investments ultimately serve the public—not special interests.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation; Accountability; Public Benefit

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Honest, scientific evidence where outcomes are not influenced by money or politics. I would not support research that is skewed due to funding, political priorities, etc. “

KEYWORDS: Transparent, honest, innovative

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Scientific research has helped improve healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and national security. Federal investment should focus on areas that strengthen America’s competitiveness, improve quality of life, and address clear national priorities. Taxpayer-funded research should be subject to rigorous oversight, measurable outcomes, and public accountability. I support investments that advance innovation, develop new technologies, support critical industries, and produce tangible benefits for American families and businesses.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Accountability, Competitiveness

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government has an important role in supporting scientific research and innovation, especially when the benefits are broad, long-term, or too uncertain for private companies to pursue alone. Public investment has helped drive advances in medicine, energy, communications, manufacturing, and many other parts of modern life.

I would prioritize research that improves quality of life, strengthens the economy, lowers costs, and helps the United States remain competitive. That includes work that makes healthcare more effective, energy more affordable, infrastructure more resilient, and new technologies safer and more useful.

At the same time, public funding should come with accountability. Investments should be evaluated based on whether they produce meaningful knowledge, practical benefits, good-paying jobs, and results that serve the public rather than only a small group of private interests.

Innovation should help move us into the future by making life healthier, more efficient, more affordable, and more enjoyable. I genuinely look forward to what tomorrow can bring, and I believe government should help create the conditions for discovery while making sure the benefits are widely shared.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Quality of Life, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The Michigan legislature must invest more robustly in Michigan higher education funding to advance medical and technological outcomes beneficial to Michiganders. If I were on a MI House Budget Committee, I would prioritize such funding in relation in making Michigan appropriations, using the budget tool as a way to improve Michigan life.”

KEYWORDS: higher education; budget; invest

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The government serves to fund the research that might be world changing but lacks a clear path to profitability. I view university and government funded research as the foundation builders of our scientific advancement. No single block in your foundation is remarkable but it might be the bearing point for the entire structure above it. The basis of success is that someone somewhere uses a piece of government funded research to make the world a better place.”

KEYWORDS: Foundational

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government support for these institutions can provide more reliability and independence in research and development, and ensure that the work being done is used to serve the public good. Delivering this support requires sustained agency level funding for institutions like NIH and NSF, and responsible oversight of these sources of funding. “

KEYWORDS:

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government should strategically support scientific research and innovation where there is clear public benefit, particularly when early-stage discoveries are too risky for private investment. However, taxpayer investments must produce measurable results.

Throughout my career in scientific research, pharmaceutical development, and technology commercialization, I have witnessed how innovation creates jobs and drives economic growth. I also actively participated in lobbying efforts that helped establish Michigan’s R&D tax credit, demonstrating my commitment to policies that encourage private-sector research and investment.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Establish a Michigan Research Commercialization Fund providing competitive, milestone-based grants to move university discoveries into Michigan businesses.

Expand and strengthen Michigan’s R&D tax credit, particularly for startups and small businesses creating high-paying jobs.

Increase university-industry partnerships through incentives supporting shared research facilities, technology licensing, and commercialization.

Require measurable accountability for publicly funded research, including annual reporting on jobs created, private investment attracted, technologies commercialized, and economic returns.

Government should encourage innovation, not pick winners and losers.

My priority is transforming Michigan’s scientific discoveries into Michigan businesses, high-paying jobs, improved healthcare, and long-term economic growth while protecting taxpayers.”

KEYWORDS: Research Commercialization, Economic Growth, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The Constitution does not grant the federal government a general power to fund scientific research. The Patent and Copyright Clause authorizes Congress to promote science by securing exclusive rights for inventors and authors, not by appropriating taxpayer dollars for grants. The spending power is limited to the common defence and general welfare within the framework of enumerated powers.

I therefore support a sharply limited federal role. Private industry, philanthropy, universities, and the states are better positioned to fund most research and innovation. Federal outlays should be restricted to clear national needs: defense-related science, responses to public-health emergencies, and infrastructure that is genuinely interstate or national in character.

Any such funding must produce measurable results that strengthen national security, protect public health in genuine emergencies, or maintain essential infrastructure. Open-ended basic-research grants, university earmarks, and programs whose benefits are local or speculative fall outside a proper federal role. Michigan’s research capacity will be stronger when driven by voluntary investment and state priorities rather than federal subsidies.”

KEYWORDS: Limited government, Private funding, Enumerated powers

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government funded research often occurs where private markets/entities underinvest, but there is also a place for Public-Private Partnerships to augment/accelerate progress where innovation urgency and/or critical gaps exist that adversely impact the country now/near/far. The free market can reward innovators with lucrative deals, patents, tax incentives/credits, etc., but it is also recognized that recruiting/retaining talented researchers can be difficult due to funding grants variability and outcome/deliverable timing/expectations. I am in favor of open competition grants rather than ‘picking winners’ and believe there needs to be a balanced approach to investment where some research has more immediate/obvious applied ROI, and other ‘building block’ research that may be hypothetical now but leads to extraordinary insights/solutions later.”

KEYWORDS: Pragmatic, Collaborative, Investment

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has a vital role in funding scientific research that drives American innovation, creates jobs, and keeps us globally competitive. When evaluating these investments, my priority is ensuring a clear return on investment for Michigan taxpayers. We must fund medical breakthroughs and technological advancements, not wasteful pet projects. Contrast this with Kristen McDonald Rivet, a career lobbyist who has consistently supported reckless spending that benefits her political allies and family rather than our state’s future. Her record shows a willingness to shortchange crucial priorities—even voting against troop pay—while rubber-stamping the radical left’s agenda. I will demand strict accountability and transparency in science funding, ensuring our tax dollars support real innovation at our universities, not the pet causes of the political insiders that Rivet caters to.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Taxpayer accountability, Medical breakthroughs

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government should invest where the private sector won’t—or can’t—because that’s often where the biggest breakthroughs begin. Many of the technologies we rely on today—from the internet and GPS to life-saving medical treatments—grew out of public research before becoming private-sector success stories.

As an Industrial Designer, I’ve spent my career turning ideas into products. Innovation happens when researchers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and workers all have a seat at the table. Government’s job isn’t to pick winners—it’s to create the conditions where innovation can thrive.

I’d prioritize investments that improve people’s lives and strengthen America’s competitiveness: medical research, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, agriculture, Great Lakes protection, rural healthcare, and technologies that create good-paying jobs here in Michigan instead of overseas.

Taxpayers deserve accountability, too. Research should have clear goals, transparent oversight, and measurable public benefit. Success isn’t just scientific publications—it’s healthier families, stronger communities, new businesses, better jobs, and an economy that’s built to last.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Economic Competitiveness, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has an essential role to play in robustly funding scientific research and innovation. As a professor, I have seen firsthand how public investment transforms our universities, medical centers, and local laboratories into engines of discovery and economic opportunity. Public funding ensures that vital research can target long-term public good rather than short-term corporate profit. When evaluating these investments, I prioritize outcomes that directly improve the quality of life for working families, support our regional economies, and create more effective social programs.”

KEYWORDS: Public Research Investments; Economic Development; Health Infrastructure

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The government’s role in scientific research is of paramount importance. Scientific research is the basis for our high standard of living, health and innovation. My priorities would certainly include research in cures for cancer and diabetes. Research to stabilize global warming and climate change will get investments as well.”

KEYWORDS: research cancer diabetes

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Research and innovation leads a country forward. It is an investment in our future for the government to fund these efforts. These investments should be approved as essential, not optional.”

KEYWORDS: Essential

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has an important role in supporting research that the private market may underfund because the benefits are long-term, widely shared, or too risky for short-term investors. I support strong federal investment in medical research, agricultural science, advanced manufacturing, energy technology, artificial intelligence, and research conducted through universities and national laboratories.

I would evaluate these investments by asking whether they improve quality of life, strengthen national competitiveness, create useful public knowledge, reduce costs, and translate into real benefits for communities. Public funding should also support basic research, because many transformative technologies begin with discoveries whose practical value was not immediately obvious.

Michigan should benefit from these investments through stronger universities, research partnerships, advanced manufacturing, and new opportunities for students and workers.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Competitiveness, Discovery

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“It plays a big role in both medical and environmental concerns. Solutions to health and environmental problems are going to take a lot of testing and experimentation to resolve. I support the continued exercise of this.”

KEYWORDS: Experimentation, testing implementation.

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government has a legitimate role in funding scientific research, especially in areas where long-term investment and public benefit make private investment unlikely. Basic research, healthcare, energy, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies can create enormous economic and societal benefits.

As a techno-populist, I would judge research funding by outcomes—not political connections or which corporation has the best lobbyist. I would prioritize measurable public benefits: new treatments and cures, better infrastructure, American technological leadership, good-paying jobs, energy innovation, stronger manufacturing, and research that creates knowledge we can build upon.

I would also demand transparency and accountability. Taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going, what researchers are trying to accomplish, what the evidence shows, and why a project deserves continued funding. Not every experiment will succeed, and that’s okay. Science inherently involves failure. We shouldn’t punish legitimate research simply because every hypothesis doesn’t work.

The goal should be a government that invests in America’s future while making sure those investments ultimately serve the public—not special interests.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation; Accountability; Public Benefit

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Honest, scientific evidence where outcomes are not influenced by money or politics. I would not support research that is skewed due to funding, political priorities, etc. “

KEYWORDS: Transparent, honest, innovative

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Scientific research has helped improve healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and national security. Federal investment should focus on areas that strengthen America’s competitiveness, improve quality of life, and address clear national priorities. Taxpayer-funded research should be subject to rigorous oversight, measurable outcomes, and public accountability. I support investments that advance innovation, develop new technologies, support critical industries, and produce tangible benefits for American families and businesses.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Accountability, Competitiveness

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government has an important role in supporting scientific research and innovation, especially when the benefits are broad, long-term, or too uncertain for private companies to pursue alone. Public investment has helped drive advances in medicine, energy, communications, manufacturing, and many other parts of modern life.

I would prioritize research that improves quality of life, strengthens the economy, lowers costs, and helps the United States remain competitive. That includes work that makes healthcare more effective, energy more affordable, infrastructure more resilient, and new technologies safer and more useful.

At the same time, public funding should come with accountability. Investments should be evaluated based on whether they produce meaningful knowledge, practical benefits, good-paying jobs, and results that serve the public rather than only a small group of private interests.

Innovation should help move us into the future by making life healthier, more efficient, more affordable, and more enjoyable. I genuinely look forward to what tomorrow can bring, and I believe government should help create the conditions for discovery while making sure the benefits are widely shared.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Quality of Life, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The Michigan legislature must invest more robustly in Michigan higher education funding to advance medical and technological outcomes beneficial to Michiganders. If I were on a MI House Budget Committee, I would prioritize such funding in relation in making Michigan appropriations, using the budget tool as a way to improve Michigan life.”

KEYWORDS: higher education; budget; invest

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The government serves to fund the research that might be world changing but lacks a clear path to profitability. I view university and government funded research as the foundation builders of our scientific advancement. No single block in your foundation is remarkable but it might be the bearing point for the entire structure above it. The basis of success is that someone somewhere uses a piece of government funded research to make the world a better place.”

KEYWORDS: Foundational

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government support for these institutions can provide more reliability and independence in research and development, and ensure that the work being done is used to serve the public good. Delivering this support requires sustained agency level funding for institutions like NIH and NSF, and responsible oversight of these sources of funding. “

KEYWORDS:

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government should strategically support scientific research and innovation where there is clear public benefit, particularly when early-stage discoveries are too risky for private investment. However, taxpayer investments must produce measurable results.

Throughout my career in scientific research, pharmaceutical development, and technology commercialization, I have witnessed how innovation creates jobs and drives economic growth. I also actively participated in lobbying efforts that helped establish Michigan’s R&D tax credit, demonstrating my commitment to policies that encourage private-sector research and investment.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Establish a Michigan Research Commercialization Fund providing competitive, milestone-based grants to move university discoveries into Michigan businesses.

Expand and strengthen Michigan’s R&D tax credit, particularly for startups and small businesses creating high-paying jobs.

Increase university-industry partnerships through incentives supporting shared research facilities, technology licensing, and commercialization.

Require measurable accountability for publicly funded research, including annual reporting on jobs created, private investment attracted, technologies commercialized, and economic returns.

Government should encourage innovation, not pick winners and losers.

My priority is transforming Michigan’s scientific discoveries into Michigan businesses, high-paying jobs, improved healthcare, and long-term economic growth while protecting taxpayers.”

KEYWORDS: Research Commercialization, Economic Growth, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The Constitution does not grant the federal government a general power to fund scientific research. The Patent and Copyright Clause authorizes Congress to promote science by securing exclusive rights for inventors and authors, not by appropriating taxpayer dollars for grants. The spending power is limited to the common defence and general welfare within the framework of enumerated powers.

I therefore support a sharply limited federal role. Private industry, philanthropy, universities, and the states are better positioned to fund most research and innovation. Federal outlays should be restricted to clear national needs: defense-related science, responses to public-health emergencies, and infrastructure that is genuinely interstate or national in character.

Any such funding must produce measurable results that strengthen national security, protect public health in genuine emergencies, or maintain essential infrastructure. Open-ended basic-research grants, university earmarks, and programs whose benefits are local or speculative fall outside a proper federal role. Michigan’s research capacity will be stronger when driven by voluntary investment and state priorities rather than federal subsidies.”

KEYWORDS: Limited government, Private funding, Enumerated powers

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government funded research often occurs where private markets/entities underinvest, but there is also a place for Public-Private Partnerships to augment/accelerate progress where innovation urgency and/or critical gaps exist that adversely impact the country now/near/far. The free market can reward innovators with lucrative deals, patents, tax incentives/credits, etc., but it is also recognized that recruiting/retaining talented researchers can be difficult due to funding grants variability and outcome/deliverable timing/expectations. I am in favor of open competition grants rather than ‘picking winners’ and believe there needs to be a balanced approach to investment where some research has more immediate/obvious applied ROI, and other ‘building block’ research that may be hypothetical now but leads to extraordinary insights/solutions later.”

KEYWORDS: Pragmatic, Collaborative, Investment

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has a vital role in funding scientific research that drives American innovation, creates jobs, and keeps us globally competitive. When evaluating these investments, my priority is ensuring a clear return on investment for Michigan taxpayers. We must fund medical breakthroughs and technological advancements, not wasteful pet projects. Contrast this with Kristen McDonald Rivet, a career lobbyist who has consistently supported reckless spending that benefits her political allies and family rather than our state’s future. Her record shows a willingness to shortchange crucial priorities—even voting against troop pay—while rubber-stamping the radical left’s agenda. I will demand strict accountability and transparency in science funding, ensuring our tax dollars support real innovation at our universities, not the pet causes of the political insiders that Rivet caters to.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Taxpayer accountability, Medical breakthroughs

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government should invest where the private sector won’t—or can’t—because that’s often where the biggest breakthroughs begin. Many of the technologies we rely on today—from the internet and GPS to life-saving medical treatments—grew out of public research before becoming private-sector success stories.

As an Industrial Designer, I’ve spent my career turning ideas into products. Innovation happens when researchers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and workers all have a seat at the table. Government’s job isn’t to pick winners—it’s to create the conditions where innovation can thrive.

I’d prioritize investments that improve people’s lives and strengthen America’s competitiveness: medical research, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, agriculture, Great Lakes protection, rural healthcare, and technologies that create good-paying jobs here in Michigan instead of overseas.

Taxpayers deserve accountability, too. Research should have clear goals, transparent oversight, and measurable public benefit. Success isn’t just scientific publications—it’s healthier families, stronger communities, new businesses, better jobs, and an economy that’s built to last.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Economic Competitiveness, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has an essential role to play in robustly funding scientific research and innovation. As a professor, I have seen firsthand how public investment transforms our universities, medical centers, and local laboratories into engines of discovery and economic opportunity. Public funding ensures that vital research can target long-term public good rather than short-term corporate profit. When evaluating these investments, I prioritize outcomes that directly improve the quality of life for working families, support our regional economies, and create more effective social programs.”

KEYWORDS: Public Research Investments; Economic Development; Health Infrastructure

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The government’s role in scientific research is of paramount importance. Scientific research is the basis for our high standard of living, health and innovation. My priorities would certainly include research in cures for cancer and diabetes. Research to stabilize global warming and climate change will get investments as well.”

KEYWORDS: research cancer diabetes

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Research and innovation leads a country forward. It is an investment in our future for the government to fund these efforts. These investments should be approved as essential, not optional.”

KEYWORDS: Essential

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expert input should play a central role in policymaking, but experts should inform decisions, not replace democratic accountability. My background in anthropology, federal healthcare, and technology taught me to evaluate peer-reviewed research, understand the limits of data, and ask who is affected by a policy in practice.

When evidence is incomplete or evolving, government should be honest about uncertainty rather than pretending every answer is settled. Policymakers should explain what is known, what is not known, what risks are involved, and why a decision is being made. As new evidence emerges, policy should be reviewed and adjusted accordingly. Good government requires humility, transparency, and a willingness to change course when the facts change.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence, Transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence plays a big role in the interpretation that our planet is heating up due to the burning of fossil fuels. It will play a big role when efforts are taken to ameliorate this effect. I believe that zero engineering, it is going to be the only solution to our planet. Heating up. We will have to use instruments to determine how effectively our efforts are to keep our planet under control. And livable.”

KEYWORDS: Climate chznge CO2 livable

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence should be the foundation of good policymaking, not something politicians cherry-pick when it supports their talking points. As a scientist, I would approach policy using the scientific method: examine the evidence, question assumptions, consider competing explanations, and be transparent about what we know and what we don’t.

I would seek input from qualified scientists, engineers, doctors, economists, technologists, and people directly affected by the policy. Experts provide the information; they don’t get to dictate the outcome. Neither should politicians.

My job would be to present voters with the best available evidence, including legitimate disagreements, limitations, risks, costs, and uncertainties. If the evidence evolves, I would say so and explain why our understanding changed. Changing your position when better evidence becomes available isn’t weakness—it’s how science works.

Ultimately, the voters decide. My responsibility is to make sure they aren’t being asked to make decisions based on propaganda, fear, misinformation, or political spin. Give people the facts, explain the uncertainty, listen to them, and let them decide what kind of future they want.”

KEYWORDS: Scientific Method; Evidence-Based; Voter Choice

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Evidence, expert input and common sense will play a significant role in my policy making process as well as the best way to communicate uncertainty to the public. “

KEYWORDS: evidence, reliable, objective, people

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific and technical experts provide valuable information that should inform policy decisions, especially in healthcare, infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, and energy. However, experts should advise elected officials, not replace them. Policymakers must balance scientific evidence with economic impacts, public input, constitutional principles, and local needs. When evidence evolves, government officials should communicate honestly about what is known, what remains uncertain, and why decisions are being made. Transparency builds trust and leads to better outcomes.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based, Transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expert input should play a central role in policymaking. Elected officials are not expected to be experts in every field, but they are responsible for listening to people who have spent years studying the issues and for making decisions based on the best available evidence.

At the same time, expertise must be communicated clearly. The public deserves to understand not only what experts recommend, but why they recommend it, what evidence supports it, and where uncertainty still exists. I would avoid pretending that science always provides immediate or absolute answers. When evidence is incomplete or evolving, I would explain what is known, what remains uncertain, and what new information could change the decision.

Good policy should be willing to adapt as evidence improves. Changing course in response to better information is not weakness; it is responsible government. My role would be to bring together scientific expertise, public concerns, and practical realities, then communicate those decisions honestly and in language people can understand.”

KEYWORDS: Expertise, Transparency, Communication

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expert input is imperative to legislators making informed decisions about many bills which come before the Michigan House and Michigan Senate. I would continue to rely on expert input in my legislative role, as I did for 6 years when serving in the MI House previously, and as I have and continue to do in my 42 years of Michigan law practice.

In relation to scientific uncertainty and evolving evidence, I would explain to constituents that a first hypothesis failed, and that a new one must be considered, as I have done in relation to my public communication about the build-out of data centers.”

KEYWORDS: Scientific; expert; hypothesis

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“We’ve all seen the harm that emotional based legislation can cause. I’m a firm believer in evidence based research and listening to subject matter experts. As a healthcare provider I can’t possibly know the answer to every question but I am trained to find the person who knows the answer and verify their answer. That is the same method I plan to legislate with. I communicate this everyday with my patients. It involves a little bit of story telling and a lot of metaphors. The average person doesn’t speak scientist so we need people that can translate to living room language.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based, Subject Matter Expert, Communication

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Evidence-based policy making is critical to good governance. When policy is informed by science and technical expertise, it delivers more effective and lasting solutions to the problems it is designed to address. This administration has unrelentingly attacked science and truth in an effort to serve private interest over people. In Congress, I will work to defend the federal scientific workforce against attempts to undermine their dedicated work and will always fight to defend the integrity of our institutions.”

KEYWORDS:

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expert input should be fundamental to responsible policymaking. My career in scientific research, pharmaceutical development, and technology commercialization has reinforced the importance of credible data, objective analysis, and measurable outcomes.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Require evidence-based assessments of major legislation affecting healthcare, public health, energy, and the environment, including costs, benefits, and potential unintended consequences.

Strengthen legislative hearings by ensuring independent scientists, university researchers, healthcare professionals, and industry experts provide balanced testimony.

Establish mandatory performance reviews of major state programs, using measurable outcomes to determine whether programs should continue, be modified, or eliminated.

Increase transparency by requiring state agencies to publicly disclose the scientific evidence, assumptions, and limitations supporting significant regulatory decisions.

Science evolves, and public policy must be capable of adapting to credible new evidence. I would communicate clearly what is known, what remains uncertain, and why recommendations or policies may change.

Acknowledging uncertainty is not weakness; it demonstrates honesty and responsible leadership. My commitment is to ensure Michigan’s policies reflect sound science, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and the best interests of our citizens.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based Policymaking, Transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and technical expertise should inform policy on a wide range of topics, but not replace accountability or practical judgment. I would consult peer-reviewed research, independent experts, state agencies, and affected stakeholders, while examining methods, funding sources, biases, and limitations.

When evidence is incomplete or evolving, I would state clearly what is known, what is uncertain, the range of risks, and the basis for the decision. Policy should be reviewed and adjusted as new data arrive rather than locked in by initial claims. Transparency about trade-offs builds public trust more effectively than assertions of certainty.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence, Transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“My career background in global engineering/manufacturing/logistics and data analytics regularly leveraged peer-reviewed research/science, empirical evidence, proactive outreach to industry experts, and self/team performed research and development leading to global, industry-leading innovation/insights. Scientific evidence combined with technical expert testimony is pivotal to making informed decisions, but I also recognize that data can be skewed to fit a biased narrative. I have a history of asking logic-based questions that reveal now/near/far benefits and risks, translating technical concepts into terms everyday people can understand, and recognize that tradeoffs often exist.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Driven, Pragmatist, Innovator

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“As your representative, my policymaking process will be grounded in hard data, scientific evidence, and the realities facing Michigan families—not the whims of DC lobbyists. Career politicians like Kristen McDonald Rivet have spent their lives navigating political favors rather than dealing with the factual realities of complex issues like healthcare and emerging technologies. When new scientific evidence emerges, I believe in transparently communicating those findings to the public, especially when there is uncertainty. Unfortunately, we’ve seen politicians like Rivet twist facts to align with the extreme agendas of allies like Abdul El-Sayed, prioritizing political science over actual science. I will rely on technical experts, not special interests, to guide my decisions, ensuring that the 8th District’s policies are built on a foundation of undeniable truth and economic reality.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-based policy, Public transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence should be the starting point—not the finish line. Good policy comes from combining the best available research with real-world experience, local knowledge, economics, and the values of the people we represent.

As an Industrial Designer, this is how I’ve solved problems my entire career. You gather the facts, test assumptions, listen to experts, build a solution, and improve it as new information becomes available. Science isn’t about always being right—it’s about getting closer to the truth.

That also means being honest when the evidence changes. If new research points in a better direction, changing course isn’t weakness; it’s good leadership. I’d rather explain why we’re updating a plan than pretend we knew everything from the beginning.

People don’t expect certainty from Congress. They expect honesty, transparency, and decisions based on evidence instead of politics or special interests. That’s how trust is built—and how better policy gets made.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based Policy, Transparency, Problem Solving

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Good policymaking means listening to the people most affected while also relying on the best available data and the experts who dedicate their careers to understanding these issues. Evidence-based policy is not about removing values from government; it is about ensuring that our values are translated into solutions that are effective, accountable, and capable of improving people’s lives.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-based Governance; Public Transparency; Scientific Integrity

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expertise should play a fundamental role in policy making. I would ask for clarification and evidence to support their conclusion. I would notify my constituents and demand investigations and scientific proof.”

KEYWORDS: Scientific evidence investigations

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence should play the top role in all decisions regarding healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. Everyone is entitled their the beliefs, but science is based on fact and proof.”

KEYWORDS: Information based on fact and science paired with expert analysis and thorough thought processes.

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Michigan’s water is one of our greatest resources, and protecting it must be a federal priority. I support stronger federal action on PFAS, including enforceable standards, expanded testing, cleanup funding, protection for consumers, and holding polluters financially responsible rather than leaving families and local governments with the bill.

I also support major investment in aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, especially in rural and underserved communities that cannot afford large upgrades on their own. Federal support should help replace lead service lines, modernize treatment systems, and protect groundwater.

Great Lakes protection must remain a long-term national commitment. Clean water should never depend on a family’s income or zip code, and communities should not have to wait decades for action after contamination is discovered.”

KEYWORDS: Clean Water, PFAS, Accountability

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Rural Michigan faces serious shortages in physicians, nurses, specialists, mental health professionals, and emergency services. I support loan repayment and incentive programs for providers who serve rural communities, stronger funding for rural hospitals and clinics, expanded telehealth, and investment in broadband so telemedicine actually works where it is needed most.

My work in the Department of Veterans Affairs showed me how technology can expand access when it is implemented responsibly. Telehealth, remote monitoring, artificial intelligence, and better data systems can help clinicians identify risk earlier and extend specialty care into underserved areas.

Technology should support healthcare professionals, not replace them. The goal must be to reduce administrative burden, improve access, and give clinicians better tools while preserving human judgment and the patient-provider relationship.”

KEYWORDS: Access, Telehealth, Rural Health

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Government subsidies of personal water filters in the home. The guarantee water safety. I use an r o filter”

KEYWORDS: RO filter subsidy

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“What is limiting people right now? Is health insurers that deny treatments. I will support outlawing the denial of treatments. The FDA will have to support new technologies that work, and I will support the government funding. Some testing of new technologies”

KEYWORDS: Funding new technologies

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Clean drinking water is not a partisan issue. It is a basic responsibility of government, and Michigan should be a national leader in protecting its water resources.

I would support significant investment in replacing aging water infrastructure, removing lead service lines, upgrading treatment facilities, and improving water systems in communities that lack the resources to do it themselves. PFAS and other contaminants should be addressed using the best available science, with polluters held accountable whenever they can be identified.

I would also support increased monitoring and transparent reporting so residents know what’s in their water and what is being done about it. We shouldn’t wait for people to get sick before acting.

The Great Lakes are one of Michigan’s greatest assets and an enormous economic and environmental resource. Protecting them requires long-term planning, modern infrastructure, strong environmental standards, and continued scientific research.

Taxpayer dollars should go toward measurable improvements—not political favors. We should use science and technology to identify problems early, fix infrastructure before it fails, and make sure every Michigan community has access to safe drinking water.”

KEYWORDS: Clean Water; Infrastructure; Accountability

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code or whether you live in a major city. I would support policies that expand the healthcare workforce, particularly in rural and underserved communities, including incentives for doctors, nurses, specialists, and other providers to practice where they’re needed most.

I would also support expanding telehealth and removing unnecessary barriers that prevent patients from accessing specialists. Technology can make a huge difference here. A patient shouldn’t always have to drive hours for a consultation when a secure telehealth appointment can connect them with a specialist.

Emerging technologies, including AI, can also help with diagnostics, medical imaging, administrative work, and identifying patients who need additional care. But technology should assist healthcare professionals, not replace them, and it needs appropriate testing, oversight, privacy protections, and transparency.

I would focus on measurable outcomes: shorter wait times, more providers, better access to specialists, lower costs, and better health outcomes. Government should help create the conditions for innovation while making sure patients—not corporations or political interests—remain the priority.”

KEYWORDS: Access; Telehealth; Innovation

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“I want to learn more from objective, smart, unbiased experts in order to determine the best solutions for these issues. We must protect our water supplies and our Great Lakes with reasonable, efficient, innovative solutions.”

KEYWORDS: Healthy, resources, safe, innovation, science, improvement, plan

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“I envision emerging technologies playing an increasingly larger role in all of our lives. With healthcare, the human connection and prevention is so important and the shortage of healthcare providers in Michigan is real. Policies that create opportunities, incentives and benefits for healthcare providers to stay in Michigan are vital. Too many are leaving our State.”

KEYWORDS: Incentives, community, access, specialty, family practice, specialists

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Every Michigan resident deserves access to safe drinking water and reliable infrastructure. I support investments in upgrading aging water systems, replacing failing infrastructure, and addressing contamination that threatens public health. Protecting the Great Lakes is both an environmental and economic priority. Federal resources should be used responsibly and in partnership with state and local governments to ensure clean water while minimizing unnecessary regulatory burdens that hinder growth and development.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure, Clean Water, Great Lakes

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Many communities face shortages of healthcare providers, especially in rural and underserved areas. Expanding access to telehealth, supporting workforce development, and reducing barriers to care can help address these challenges. Emerging technologies can improve healthcare delivery, enhance diagnostics, and increase efficiency, but they should complement, not replace, the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals. The goal should be accessible, affordable, high-quality care for all communities.”

KEYWORDS: Access, Telehealth, Workforce

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Clean drinking water should be treated as essential infrastructure. Congress should invest in replacing aging pipes, upgrading water-treatment systems, improving wastewater infrastructure, and helping small and rural communities access funding they may not have the staff or tax base to pursue on their own.

PFAS and other contamination also require stronger federal responsibility. Where pollution was caused by military, industrial, or other identifiable sources, those responsible should help pay for testing, cleanup, filtration, and long-term monitoring. Communities should not be left carrying the financial burden of contamination they did not create.

I would also support continued investment in Great Lakes research, watershed restoration, and prevention. Protecting drinking water means stopping pollution before it spreads, improving monitoring, and maintaining infrastructure before it fails.

These programs should be transparent and focused on measurable results: safer water, fewer service interruptions, reduced contamination, and lower long-term costs. It is usually less expensive to replace failing infrastructure and prevent pollution than to respond after a system breaks down or a water source becomes unsafe.”

KEYWORDS: Clean Water, Accountability, Prevention

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Northern Michigan needs more healthcare professionals, but recruiting them is only part of the solution. Congress should expand incentives such as scholarships, loan repayment, and residency programs for doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, and other providers who commit to serving rural communities. We should also support rural hospitals, community health centers, and mobile clinics so essential services remain available close to home.

Emerging technology can help expand access to specialty care. Telehealth allows patients to consult specialists without traveling several hours, while remote monitoring and improved diagnostic tools can help providers manage chronic conditions and identify problems earlier. These tools require reliable broadband and should support—not replace—local healthcare professionals and in-person care.

We must also address the cost of healthcare. Access means little if patients cannot afford appointments, medications, or treatment. My long-term goal is universal healthcare that guarantees care regardless of income or location.

Technology should reduce distance, cost, and delays, while public policy builds a strong local workforce and keeps rural healthcare facilities open.”

KEYWORDS: Access, Rural Workforce, Telehealth

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Were I elected I would prioritize protection of the Great Lakes, from a better defense to invasive carp entering Lake Michigan to more successfully protecting wetlands (a backbone of the Great Lakes watershed).

I would invest in PFAS remediation and regulation.

I would support a much-needed infusion of state budget dollars to chore up water infrastructure, sorely needed given examples like the flooding in Sanford and Midland in 2020, and given the Flint water crisis from 2015 forward.”

KEYWORDS: invasive carp; wetlands; flooding

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“The Michigan legislature needs to do more to keep local and rural hospitals open; tackle the healthcare workforce shortage so that more doctors and nurses are incentivized to practice in Michigan, especially in our most needy rural communities like Sturgis; and fight back against the pending miasma of tens of thousands of Michiganders becoming medically uninsured given the upcoming Medicaid coverage cessations associated with the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s effectuation after this year’s Election Day.

I do envision emerging technologies playing a role in some of Michigan’s health care challenges responses, but mostly I expect proper budget appropriations to such responses as the vital part of health care challenges responses.”

KEYWORDS: rural hospitals; Medicaid coverage; budget appropriations

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Without clean drinking water we die so water protection needs to be a number one priority. The first step is to increase enforcement against polluters because it’s easier to prevent pollution than it is to clean it up. Funding research into reducing the amount of water needed in any number of industrial or agriculture processes will protect the resources we have. Significant funding and research needs to go into developing water purification and reclamation systems that give us access to previously contaminated water sources. All of America’s infrastructure needs a significant overhaul to improve reliability and safety which will also provide good high paying jobs for communities.”

KEYWORDS: Prevention, Infrastructure Funding, Resource Protection

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Single payer healthcare is the biggest improvement we could make. Reducing the multiple layers of bureaucracy and profit taking in the system would free money up for providers and reducing the administrative burden will increase the likelihood that providers stay in the field. Providing more innovation in the telehealth field will allow more access to specialist care but it will have to come with an overhaul of the payment system to allow providers to be reimbursed for their time when utilizing telehealth.”

KEYWORDS: Single Payer Healthcare, Telehealth, Reimbursement

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“I am an ardent supporter of funding programs like the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds because they provide sustained, noncompetitive support for a fundamental human right: clean water. I support an increase in allotments through this program to address PFAS contamination and aging infrastructure. In addition to more funding, the federal government should provide technical assistance to public water utilities and municipalities to ensure that funding can be used in an effective way.”

KEYWORDS:

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“I support federal funding for community health centers that provide culturally informed, place based health services to local residents. I also support the use of telehealth as a way to increase accessibility to health services for rural communities.”

KEYWORDS:

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Access to safe, affordable drinking water is a fundamental responsibility of government. Michigan, surrounded by the Great Lakes, should be a national leader in drinking water quality and infrastructure reliability.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Accelerate Lead Pipe Replacement: Prioritize replacing aging lead service lines, particularly in communities with documented contamination risks.

Modernize Water Infrastructure: Expand access to low-interest loans and targeted grants for municipalities replacing deteriorating water mains, treatment facilities, and distribution systems.

Strengthen Water Quality Monitoring: Require transparent, publicly accessible reporting of drinking water testing, including lead, PFAS, and other potentially harmful contaminants.

Protect Ratepayers: Establish stronger financial oversight of water infrastructure projects, require competitive bidding, and prioritize state and federal funding to minimize increases in household water bills.

Improve Accountability: Require measurable performance standards, regular infrastructure assessments, and long-term maintenance planning.

I would leverage existing state and federal funding programs before proposing additional taxpayer expenditures.

My goal is straightforward: safe drinking water, reliable infrastructure, affordable rates, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Michigan residents deserve confidence that the water entering their homes is safe today and for future generations.”

KEYWORDS: Drinking Water Safety, Infrastructure Modernization, Affordability

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Access to timely, affordable healthcare should not depend on a person’s ZIP code. Michigan must address shortages of primary care providers, specialists, and mental health professionals while embracing technologies that improve access and reduce costs

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Expand Healthcare Workforce Incentives: Strengthen loan repayment, scholarships, and residency programs for physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who commit to serving underserved Michigan communities.

Increase Telehealth Access: Support appropriate reimbursement for telehealth services, expand rural broadband, and reduce unnecessary regulatory barriers to remote specialty consultations.

Improve Specialty Care Access: Encourage partnerships between community hospitals, major medical centers, and universities to expand specialty clinics and coordinated patient referrals.

Promote Healthcare Innovation: Support responsible adoption of artificial intelligence, remote patient monitoring, and advanced diagnostic technologies to improve early detection, patient outcomes, and efficiency.

Demand Accountability: Measure results through reduced appointment wait times, improved provider availability, patient outcomes, and healthcare affordability.

My background in hospital governance, pharmaceutical development and scientific innovation reinforces my belief that technology can improve healthcare delivery.

My priority is straightforward: better access, shorter wait times, improved health outcomes, and affordable healthcare for every Michigan resident.”

KEYWORDS: Healthcare Access, Workforce Expansion, Medical Innovation

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Drinking-water systems and local infrastructure are primarily state and municipal responsibilities. I support state and local investment to replace aging pipes, address lead service lines, and modernize treatment, with priority for communities that cannot fund upgrades alone. On PFAS and similar contaminants, the focus should be on accurate testing, transparent data, and requiring responsible parties to cover cleanup costs rather than shifting the burden to taxpayers or ratepayers.

Federal action should be limited to genuinely interstate or national problems, such as Great Lakes boundary waters or contamination that crosses state lines. Routine water-system maintenance and most remediation belong at the state and local level. Clean water is essential; the means of securing it should match constitutional limits and local accountability.

Clean drinking water should not depend on zip code.”

KEYWORDS: State responsibility, Polluter pays, Local infrastructure

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Rural and underserved areas face real shortages of physicians, nurses, and specialists. I support expanding telehealth and broadband so existing providers can reach more patients, along with loan-repayment incentives targeted at shortage areas and reduced administrative burdens that drive clinicians out of practice.

I also support making proven alternative and complementary approaches more accessible and eligible for coverage when evidence and patient choice support them, while preserving conventional acute and emergency care where it has clear strengths (trauma, surgery, acute infections, etc.). Emerging technologies should assist clinicians and expand options, not replace human judgment or create new centralized controls. Decisions should rest with patients and practitioners rather than distant mandates.”

KEYWORDS: Access, Telehealth, Patient choice

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Ensure existing/future municipal water providers are accountable for making continued/ongoing infrastructure improvements/investments, safety/testing, and leak reductions. I believe that policies should focus on areas of greatest risk first i.e. lead pipes, contamination and invasive species prevention/mitigation, etc. Competitive bidding and Public-Private Partnerships with performance-based funding are needed to implement. I advocate for expanded research in areas such as use of IoT/biosensors, advanced oxidation processes, nanofiltration, bioremediation, irradiation/ultrasonic/acoustic treatments, runoff interception/mitigation strategies, etc.”

KEYWORDS: Accountability, Environment, Innovation

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Ongoing research, clinical trials, and implementation of biotech and life science research continues to deliver breakthrough advances in the delivery, treatment, care, and related biopharmaceuticals. I advocate for increased research in nutraceuticals, psychedelics, nano/targeted-drug delivery, microbiology analysis, remote care delivery, robotics, etc. for disease and ailment therapies/treatments and overall health optimization. Improving costs and patient outcomes through rigorous evidence-based medicine and technologies combined with predictive outcome analysis benefits the patients, healthcare staff/companies, and lowers overall costs for all. I also advocate for research into the expanded use of biomaterials to reduce medical waste.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based, Health, Innovation

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Protecting the Great Lakes and ensuring safe drinking water are non-negotiable priorities for Michigan. I fully support targeted investments to update our aging water infrastructure and deploy advanced filtration technologies to eliminate PFAS contamination. We need practical, science-based solutions to protect our environment. While Kristen McDonald Rivet claims to care about our communities, her record as a career Lansing insider tells a different story—one of prioritizing corporate giveaways and data center tax breaks over securing clean water for our families. Her alignment with radical activists like Abdul El-Sayed shows she prefers weaponizing environmental policy to control our economy rather than actually fixing our pipes and protecting our lakes.”

KEYWORDS: PFAS remediation, Great Lakes protection, Infrastructure modernization

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Michigan is facing a severe shortage of healthcare providers, and the solution lies in innovation, expanding telehealth, and removing bureaucratic barriers that prevent doctors from treating patients. We can leverage emerging technologies to streamline care and reach rural communities. What we absolutely cannot do is adopt the disastrous, government-controlled healthcare schemes supported by Kristen McDonald Rivet and her radical ally, Abdul El-Sayed. Rivet’s approach to healthcare is driven by lobbyist interests and a desire to put bureaucrats between you and your doctor. Her agenda would drive more providers out of the industry and exacerbate the shortages we already face. I will fight for free-market solutions and technological innovation that empower patients and attract top-tier medical talent to the 8th District.”

KEYWORDS: Telehealth expansion, Healthcare deregulation, Provider recruitment

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Clean water isn’t a partisan issue—it’s a basic responsibility. The Great Lakes hold nearly 20% of the world’s surface fresh water. Protecting them isn’t just good environmental policy; it’s essential to Michigan’s economy, public health, tourism, and way of life.

I support sustained federal investment to replace aging water infrastructure, remove lead service lines, accelerate PFAS cleanup, modernize wastewater systems, and help rural communities afford these upgrades. Too many small towns simply don’t have the tax base to tackle these projects alone.

We also need to hold polluters accountable, strengthen scientific monitoring of our waterways, and invest in technologies that detect contamination earlier and clean it up more effectively.

Protecting our water isn’t about choosing between the environment and the economy. In Michigan, they’re the same thing.”

KEYWORDS: Great Lakes, PFAS Remediation, Water Infrastructure

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Healthcare shouldn’t depend on your ZIP code. In Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, too many families drive hours to see a specialist—or can’t find one at all. That’s not just inconvenient; it’s a barrier to staying healthy.

I support expanding medical residency programs, loan forgiveness for providers who practice in underserved communities, and building more rural clinics. My long-term Public Option+ plan also includes federal clinics and hospitals in areas where the private market has left communities behind.

Technology can help close the gap. Telehealth, remote patient monitoring, AI-assisted diagnostics, and better broadband can bring high-quality care closer to home. But technology should support healthcare professionals, not replace them.

The goal is simple: shorter wait times, better access, and healthier communities—regardless of where you live.”

KEYWORDS: Rural Healthcare, Telehealth, Public Option+

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“We must strengthen federal drinking water standards and mandate strict, enforceable limits on chemical contaminants to hold corporate polluters financially accountable for environmental cleanup. We also need to increase public funding for independent scientific research to map groundwater systems, track chemical plumes, and deploy advanced filtration technologies that keep drinking water safe.

The Great Lakes represent a foundational ecological resource, and I support robust funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to combat invasive species and agricultural runoff. By prioritizing infrastructure modernization and strict regulatory enforcement, we can ensure that clean, safe drinking water.”

KEYWORDS: Infrastructure Modernization; PFAS remediation; Water Safety Standards.

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“I support federal legislation to significantly increase Medicare-supported Graduate Medical Education residency slots, with targeted expansions explicitly reserved for rural health centers and safety-net hospitals. I will push to expand federal student loan forgiveness and interest-free deferment programs for medical professionals who commit to practicing in underserved geographical areas.

Emerging technologies, particularly advanced telehealth and secure digital health networks, have an important role to play in bridging these access gaps. Permanently lifting geographic restrictions on telehealth services allows local clinics to connect patients with remote specialists for real-time diagnostic consultations.

Technology is a tool to complement, not replace, the essential physician-led care model that safeguards patient safety. To this end, we need to pair digital innovation with robust federal investments in local community clinics to rebuild our healthcare workforce from the ground up.”

KEYWORDS: Healthcare Workforce Expansion; Telehealth Accessibility; Rural Medical Infrastructure.

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“Protect our drinking water at all costs. Without safe drinking water we’re all doomed. I will support investments and legislation to improve the quality standards that we currently enjoy. Industrial waste contaminating our Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers and streams would be subjected to regulatory agencies highest scrutiny. Companies and corporations that pollute our environment would be held accountable. I am opposed to Line 5’s operation. I would rather error on the side of caution than to potentially expose millions of people to contamination, disrupting the ecosystem and environment.”

KEYWORDS: Protect ecosystems environment

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“Everyone deserves health care. I believe healthcare is a right not a privilege. I would expand healthcare coverage to more people through Medicare and Medicaid. I’d like to see a single payer healthcare system where the government is the sole negotiator with big pharma over drug prices. In order to save money, the government would be very conservative and it is my belief that prices would fall precipitously. We should invest in more rural hospitals and health centers. We need to tax the ultra wealthy. They should pay their fair share of taxes and be forced to relinquish the billions they’re going to receive from the OBBBA (One Big BustedB Bill Act).”

KEYWORDS: Healthcare for All

Q4 Michigan communities continue to face challenges related to aging water infrastructure, contamination concerns such as PFAS, and long-term protection of the Great Lakes. What policies or investments, if any, would you support to improve drinking water safety and water infrastructure in Michigan?

“PFAS- I would continue government grants through EGLE. I will also advocate for the continuation of grants for lead service line replacement throughout our state.”

KEYWORDS: Grant Program Continuation

Q5 Many communities face shortages in healthcare providers and limited access to specialty care. What policies, if any, do you support to address this daily challenge and do you envision emerging technologies playing a role?

“We need to take the for-profit healthcare systems and insurance companies out of the equation. Period. I will advocate for financial support directly to expand community owned and operated healthcare facilities, paired with MiCare for Michigan and Medicare For All nationally.”

KEYWORDS: Public Healthcare Facilities, MiCare for Michigan

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has an important role in supporting research that the private market may underfund because the benefits are long-term, widely shared, or too risky for short-term investors. I support strong federal investment in medical research, agricultural science, advanced manufacturing, energy technology, artificial intelligence, and research conducted through universities and national laboratories.

I would evaluate these investments by asking whether they improve quality of life, strengthen national competitiveness, create useful public knowledge, reduce costs, and translate into real benefits for communities. Public funding should also support basic research, because many transformative technologies begin with discoveries whose practical value was not immediately obvious.

Michigan should benefit from these investments through stronger universities, research partnerships, advanced manufacturing, and new opportunities for students and workers.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Competitiveness, Discovery

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“It plays a big role in both medical and environmental concerns. Solutions to health and environmental problems are going to take a lot of testing and experimentation to resolve. I support the continued exercise of this.”

KEYWORDS: Experimentation, testing implementation.

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government has a legitimate role in funding scientific research, especially in areas where long-term investment and public benefit make private investment unlikely. Basic research, healthcare, energy, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies can create enormous economic and societal benefits.

As a techno-populist, I would judge research funding by outcomes—not political connections or which corporation has the best lobbyist. I would prioritize measurable public benefits: new treatments and cures, better infrastructure, American technological leadership, good-paying jobs, energy innovation, stronger manufacturing, and research that creates knowledge we can build upon.

I would also demand transparency and accountability. Taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going, what researchers are trying to accomplish, what the evidence shows, and why a project deserves continued funding. Not every experiment will succeed, and that’s okay. Science inherently involves failure. We shouldn’t punish legitimate research simply because every hypothesis doesn’t work.

The goal should be a government that invests in America’s future while making sure those investments ultimately serve the public—not special interests.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation; Accountability; Public Benefit

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Honest, scientific evidence where outcomes are not influenced by money or politics. I would not support research that is skewed due to funding, political priorities, etc. “

KEYWORDS: Transparent, honest, innovative

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Scientific research has helped improve healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and national security. Federal investment should focus on areas that strengthen America’s competitiveness, improve quality of life, and address clear national priorities. Taxpayer-funded research should be subject to rigorous oversight, measurable outcomes, and public accountability. I support investments that advance innovation, develop new technologies, support critical industries, and produce tangible benefits for American families and businesses.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Accountability, Competitiveness

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government has an important role in supporting scientific research and innovation, especially when the benefits are broad, long-term, or too uncertain for private companies to pursue alone. Public investment has helped drive advances in medicine, energy, communications, manufacturing, and many other parts of modern life.

I would prioritize research that improves quality of life, strengthens the economy, lowers costs, and helps the United States remain competitive. That includes work that makes healthcare more effective, energy more affordable, infrastructure more resilient, and new technologies safer and more useful.

At the same time, public funding should come with accountability. Investments should be evaluated based on whether they produce meaningful knowledge, practical benefits, good-paying jobs, and results that serve the public rather than only a small group of private interests.

Innovation should help move us into the future by making life healthier, more efficient, more affordable, and more enjoyable. I genuinely look forward to what tomorrow can bring, and I believe government should help create the conditions for discovery while making sure the benefits are widely shared.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Quality of Life, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The Michigan legislature must invest more robustly in Michigan higher education funding to advance medical and technological outcomes beneficial to Michiganders. If I were on a MI House Budget Committee, I would prioritize such funding in relation in making Michigan appropriations, using the budget tool as a way to improve Michigan life.”

KEYWORDS: higher education; budget; invest

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The government serves to fund the research that might be world changing but lacks a clear path to profitability. I view university and government funded research as the foundation builders of our scientific advancement. No single block in your foundation is remarkable but it might be the bearing point for the entire structure above it. The basis of success is that someone somewhere uses a piece of government funded research to make the world a better place.”

KEYWORDS: Foundational

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government support for these institutions can provide more reliability and independence in research and development, and ensure that the work being done is used to serve the public good. Delivering this support requires sustained agency level funding for institutions like NIH and NSF, and responsible oversight of these sources of funding. “

KEYWORDS:

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government should strategically support scientific research and innovation where there is clear public benefit, particularly when early-stage discoveries are too risky for private investment. However, taxpayer investments must produce measurable results.

Throughout my career in scientific research, pharmaceutical development, and technology commercialization, I have witnessed how innovation creates jobs and drives economic growth. I also actively participated in lobbying efforts that helped establish Michigan’s R&D tax credit, demonstrating my commitment to policies that encourage private-sector research and investment.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Establish a Michigan Research Commercialization Fund providing competitive, milestone-based grants to move university discoveries into Michigan businesses.

Expand and strengthen Michigan’s R&D tax credit, particularly for startups and small businesses creating high-paying jobs.

Increase university-industry partnerships through incentives supporting shared research facilities, technology licensing, and commercialization.

Require measurable accountability for publicly funded research, including annual reporting on jobs created, private investment attracted, technologies commercialized, and economic returns.

Government should encourage innovation, not pick winners and losers.

My priority is transforming Michigan’s scientific discoveries into Michigan businesses, high-paying jobs, improved healthcare, and long-term economic growth while protecting taxpayers.”

KEYWORDS: Research Commercialization, Economic Growth, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The Constitution does not grant the federal government a general power to fund scientific research. The Patent and Copyright Clause authorizes Congress to promote science by securing exclusive rights for inventors and authors, not by appropriating taxpayer dollars for grants. The spending power is limited to the common defence and general welfare within the framework of enumerated powers.

I therefore support a sharply limited federal role. Private industry, philanthropy, universities, and the states are better positioned to fund most research and innovation. Federal outlays should be restricted to clear national needs: defense-related science, responses to public-health emergencies, and infrastructure that is genuinely interstate or national in character.

Any such funding must produce measurable results that strengthen national security, protect public health in genuine emergencies, or maintain essential infrastructure. Open-ended basic-research grants, university earmarks, and programs whose benefits are local or speculative fall outside a proper federal role. Michigan’s research capacity will be stronger when driven by voluntary investment and state priorities rather than federal subsidies.”

KEYWORDS: Limited government, Private funding, Enumerated powers

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government funded research often occurs where private markets/entities underinvest, but there is also a place for Public-Private Partnerships to augment/accelerate progress where innovation urgency and/or critical gaps exist that adversely impact the country now/near/far. The free market can reward innovators with lucrative deals, patents, tax incentives/credits, etc., but it is also recognized that recruiting/retaining talented researchers can be difficult due to funding grants variability and outcome/deliverable timing/expectations. I am in favor of open competition grants rather than ‘picking winners’ and believe there needs to be a balanced approach to investment where some research has more immediate/obvious applied ROI, and other ‘building block’ research that may be hypothetical now but leads to extraordinary insights/solutions later.”

KEYWORDS: Pragmatic, Collaborative, Investment

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has a vital role in funding scientific research that drives American innovation, creates jobs, and keeps us globally competitive. When evaluating these investments, my priority is ensuring a clear return on investment for Michigan taxpayers. We must fund medical breakthroughs and technological advancements, not wasteful pet projects. Contrast this with Kristen McDonald Rivet, a career lobbyist who has consistently supported reckless spending that benefits her political allies and family rather than our state’s future. Her record shows a willingness to shortchange crucial priorities—even voting against troop pay—while rubber-stamping the radical left’s agenda. I will demand strict accountability and transparency in science funding, ensuring our tax dollars support real innovation at our universities, not the pet causes of the political insiders that Rivet caters to.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Taxpayer accountability, Medical breakthroughs

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Government should invest where the private sector won’t—or can’t—because that’s often where the biggest breakthroughs begin. Many of the technologies we rely on today—from the internet and GPS to life-saving medical treatments—grew out of public research before becoming private-sector success stories.

As an Industrial Designer, I’ve spent my career turning ideas into products. Innovation happens when researchers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and workers all have a seat at the table. Government’s job isn’t to pick winners—it’s to create the conditions where innovation can thrive.

I’d prioritize investments that improve people’s lives and strengthen America’s competitiveness: medical research, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, agriculture, Great Lakes protection, rural healthcare, and technologies that create good-paying jobs here in Michigan instead of overseas.

Taxpayers deserve accountability, too. Research should have clear goals, transparent oversight, and measurable public benefit. Success isn’t just scientific publications—it’s healthier families, stronger communities, new businesses, better jobs, and an economy that’s built to last.”

KEYWORDS: Innovation, Economic Competitiveness, Accountability

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The federal government has an essential role to play in robustly funding scientific research and innovation. As a professor, I have seen firsthand how public investment transforms our universities, medical centers, and local laboratories into engines of discovery and economic opportunity. Public funding ensures that vital research can target long-term public good rather than short-term corporate profit. When evaluating these investments, I prioritize outcomes that directly improve the quality of life for working families, support our regional economies, and create more effective social programs.”

KEYWORDS: Public Research Investments; Economic Development; Health Infrastructure

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“The government’s role in scientific research is of paramount importance. Scientific research is the basis for our high standard of living, health and innovation. My priorities would certainly include research in cures for cancer and diabetes. Research to stabilize global warming and climate change will get investments as well.”

KEYWORDS: research cancer diabetes

Q2 Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Michigan and the nation. What role, if any, should the federal government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?

“Research and innovation leads a country forward. It is an investment in our future for the government to fund these efforts. These investments should be approved as essential, not optional.”

KEYWORDS: Essential

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expert input should play a central role in policymaking, but experts should inform decisions, not replace democratic accountability. My background in anthropology, federal healthcare, and technology taught me to evaluate peer-reviewed research, understand the limits of data, and ask who is affected by a policy in practice.

When evidence is incomplete or evolving, government should be honest about uncertainty rather than pretending every answer is settled. Policymakers should explain what is known, what is not known, what risks are involved, and why a decision is being made. As new evidence emerges, policy should be reviewed and adjusted accordingly. Good government requires humility, transparency, and a willingness to change course when the facts change.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence, Transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence plays a big role in the interpretation that our planet is heating up due to the burning of fossil fuels. It will play a big role when efforts are taken to ameliorate this effect. I believe that zero engineering, it is going to be the only solution to our planet. Heating up. We will have to use instruments to determine how effectively our efforts are to keep our planet under control. And livable.”

KEYWORDS: Climate chznge CO2 livable

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence should be the foundation of good policymaking, not something politicians cherry-pick when it supports their talking points. As a scientist, I would approach policy using the scientific method: examine the evidence, question assumptions, consider competing explanations, and be transparent about what we know and what we don’t.

I would seek input from qualified scientists, engineers, doctors, economists, technologists, and people directly affected by the policy. Experts provide the information; they don’t get to dictate the outcome. Neither should politicians.

My job would be to present voters with the best available evidence, including legitimate disagreements, limitations, risks, costs, and uncertainties. If the evidence evolves, I would say so and explain why our understanding changed. Changing your position when better evidence becomes available isn’t weakness—it’s how science works.

Ultimately, the voters decide. My responsibility is to make sure they aren’t being asked to make decisions based on propaganda, fear, misinformation, or political spin. Give people the facts, explain the uncertainty, listen to them, and let them decide what kind of future they want.”

KEYWORDS: Scientific Method; Evidence-Based; Voter Choice

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Evidence, expert input and common sense will play a significant role in my policy making process as well as the best way to communicate uncertainty to the public. “

KEYWORDS: evidence, reliable, objective, people

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific and technical experts provide valuable information that should inform policy decisions, especially in healthcare, infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, and energy. However, experts should advise elected officials, not replace them. Policymakers must balance scientific evidence with economic impacts, public input, constitutional principles, and local needs. When evidence evolves, government officials should communicate honestly about what is known, what remains uncertain, and why decisions are being made. Transparency builds trust and leads to better outcomes.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based, Transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expert input should play a central role in policymaking. Elected officials are not expected to be experts in every field, but they are responsible for listening to people who have spent years studying the issues and for making decisions based on the best available evidence.

At the same time, expertise must be communicated clearly. The public deserves to understand not only what experts recommend, but why they recommend it, what evidence supports it, and where uncertainty still exists. I would avoid pretending that science always provides immediate or absolute answers. When evidence is incomplete or evolving, I would explain what is known, what remains uncertain, and what new information could change the decision.

Good policy should be willing to adapt as evidence improves. Changing course in response to better information is not weakness; it is responsible government. My role would be to bring together scientific expertise, public concerns, and practical realities, then communicate those decisions honestly and in language people can understand.”

KEYWORDS: Expertise, Transparency, Communication

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expert input is imperative to legislators making informed decisions about many bills which come before the Michigan House and Michigan Senate. I would continue to rely on expert input in my legislative role, as I did for 6 years when serving in the MI House previously, and as I have and continue to do in my 42 years of Michigan law practice.

In relation to scientific uncertainty and evolving evidence, I would explain to constituents that a first hypothesis failed, and that a new one must be considered, as I have done in relation to my public communication about the build-out of data centers.”

KEYWORDS: Scientific; expert; hypothesis

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“We’ve all seen the harm that emotional based legislation can cause. I’m a firm believer in evidence based research and listening to subject matter experts. As a healthcare provider I can’t possibly know the answer to every question but I am trained to find the person who knows the answer and verify their answer. That is the same method I plan to legislate with. I communicate this everyday with my patients. It involves a little bit of story telling and a lot of metaphors. The average person doesn’t speak scientist so we need people that can translate to living room language.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based, Subject Matter Expert, Communication

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Evidence-based policy making is critical to good governance. When policy is informed by science and technical expertise, it delivers more effective and lasting solutions to the problems it is designed to address. This administration has unrelentingly attacked science and truth in an effort to serve private interest over people. In Congress, I will work to defend the federal scientific workforce against attempts to undermine their dedicated work and will always fight to defend the integrity of our institutions.”

KEYWORDS:

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expert input should be fundamental to responsible policymaking. My career in scientific research, pharmaceutical development, and technology commercialization has reinforced the importance of credible data, objective analysis, and measurable outcomes.

As a State Senator, I would pursue specific legislative actions:

Require evidence-based assessments of major legislation affecting healthcare, public health, energy, and the environment, including costs, benefits, and potential unintended consequences.

Strengthen legislative hearings by ensuring independent scientists, university researchers, healthcare professionals, and industry experts provide balanced testimony.

Establish mandatory performance reviews of major state programs, using measurable outcomes to determine whether programs should continue, be modified, or eliminated.

Increase transparency by requiring state agencies to publicly disclose the scientific evidence, assumptions, and limitations supporting significant regulatory decisions.

Science evolves, and public policy must be capable of adapting to credible new evidence. I would communicate clearly what is known, what remains uncertain, and why recommendations or policies may change.

Acknowledging uncertainty is not weakness; it demonstrates honesty and responsible leadership. My commitment is to ensure Michigan’s policies reflect sound science, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and the best interests of our citizens.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based Policymaking, Transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and technical expertise should inform policy on a wide range of topics, but not replace accountability or practical judgment. I would consult peer-reviewed research, independent experts, state agencies, and affected stakeholders, while examining methods, funding sources, biases, and limitations.

When evidence is incomplete or evolving, I would state clearly what is known, what is uncertain, the range of risks, and the basis for the decision. Policy should be reviewed and adjusted as new data arrive rather than locked in by initial claims. Transparency about trade-offs builds public trust more effectively than assertions of certainty.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence, Transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“My career background in global engineering/manufacturing/logistics and data analytics regularly leveraged peer-reviewed research/science, empirical evidence, proactive outreach to industry experts, and self/team performed research and development leading to global, industry-leading innovation/insights. Scientific evidence combined with technical expert testimony is pivotal to making informed decisions, but I also recognize that data can be skewed to fit a biased narrative. I have a history of asking logic-based questions that reveal now/near/far benefits and risks, translating technical concepts into terms everyday people can understand, and recognize that tradeoffs often exist.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Driven, Pragmatist, Innovator

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“As your representative, my policymaking process will be grounded in hard data, scientific evidence, and the realities facing Michigan families—not the whims of DC lobbyists. Career politicians like Kristen McDonald Rivet have spent their lives navigating political favors rather than dealing with the factual realities of complex issues like healthcare and emerging technologies. When new scientific evidence emerges, I believe in transparently communicating those findings to the public, especially when there is uncertainty. Unfortunately, we’ve seen politicians like Rivet twist facts to align with the extreme agendas of allies like Abdul El-Sayed, prioritizing political science over actual science. I will rely on technical experts, not special interests, to guide my decisions, ensuring that the 8th District’s policies are built on a foundation of undeniable truth and economic reality.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-based policy, Public transparency, Accountability

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence should be the starting point—not the finish line. Good policy comes from combining the best available research with real-world experience, local knowledge, economics, and the values of the people we represent.

As an Industrial Designer, this is how I’ve solved problems my entire career. You gather the facts, test assumptions, listen to experts, build a solution, and improve it as new information becomes available. Science isn’t about always being right—it’s about getting closer to the truth.

That also means being honest when the evidence changes. If new research points in a better direction, changing course isn’t weakness; it’s good leadership. I’d rather explain why we’re updating a plan than pretend we knew everything from the beginning.

People don’t expect certainty from Congress. They expect honesty, transparency, and decisions based on evidence instead of politics or special interests. That’s how trust is built—and how better policy gets made.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-Based Policy, Transparency, Problem Solving

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Good policymaking means listening to the people most affected while also relying on the best available data and the experts who dedicate their careers to understanding these issues. Evidence-based policy is not about removing values from government; it is about ensuring that our values are translated into solutions that are effective, accountable, and capable of improving people’s lives.”

KEYWORDS: Evidence-based Governance; Public Transparency; Scientific Integrity

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence and expertise should play a fundamental role in policy making. I would ask for clarification and evidence to support their conclusion. I would notify my constituents and demand investigations and scientific proof.”

KEYWORDS: Scientific evidence investigations

Q1 Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?

“Scientific evidence should play the top role in all decisions regarding healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. Everyone is entitled their the beliefs, but science is based on fact and proof.”

KEYWORDS: Information based on fact and science paired with expert analysis and thorough thought processes.