Michigan — 11th District

During the Aug. 4 Democratic primary election, voters have four choices for 11th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives: an attorney, a state senator, a juvenile justice services analyst, and a former automotive engineer competing for a 2-year Congressional seat representing a large portion of the Oakland County.

Attorney Aisha Farooqi, State Sen. Jeremy Moss, court administrator John Paul Torres, and engineer Don Ufford are running as Democrats for the 11th District seat.

The district includes Auburn Hills, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Bloomfield Hills, Clawson, Farmington, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Madison Heights, Pontiac, Royal Oak and Troy, among others.

The winner will face Republican Ethan Baker in the November general election.

The house seat will be open for the first time in seven years. Congresswomen Haley Stevens, in her fourth term since 2019, is not running for reelection. Instead, she will be running for U.S. Senate to fill an opening created by retiring incumbent Sen. Gary Peters.

MLive partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information for readers. Each candidate was asked to outline their stances on a variety of public policy issues listed below.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should not be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

MLive / League of Women Voters guide

Compare candidates and proposal information for the Aug. 4 primary with our online voter guide, a partnership between MLive and the League of Women Voters. Vote411.org/Michigan.

HEALTH CARE: What specific steps will you take in Congress to address healthcare affordability, access, and quality for the people you represent?

Farooqi: I believe healthcare is a human right. I will fight for Medicare for All to guarantee comprehensive healthcare coverage for every American. I will work to lower prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies, protect and expand access to reproductive healthcare, strengthen community health centers, and invest in preventive care. I will also support measures to address healthcare workforce shortages so patients can receive timely, high-quality care. Everyone deserves access to affordable healthcare regardless of their income, employment, or ZIP code.

Moss: Too many Michiganders are one medical emergency away from financial ruin. The most urgent step is to restore Trump’s devastating cuts to healthcare. But we need to do more, like lowering prescription drug costs, expanding coverage, and reducing premiums so more Americans can be insured. I strongly support a robust public option as a pathway to universal coverage. This ensures no one goes uninsured while preserving the freedom for those who want to keep their plan negotiated with their employer or union, while driving down costs, expanding access, and holding insurers accountable.

Torres: I will support and advocate for Medicare for All. For those that say it’s unattainable due to cost, as an experienced administrator, I say show me your budget and I’ll show you your priorities. We made major gains under the Affordable Care Act with expansion of Medicaid for the working poor, creation of a healthcare exchange and subsidized premiums; millions of Americans were afforded health. As a father that started a family young, my wife and I know the pain of living without healthcare. In Congress, I will immediately sponsor Medicare for All. I will always refuse all corporate PAC and pharmaceutical money.

Ufford: Healthcare is personal to our family. When my wife Rebecca needed a heart transplant, we relied on the Affordable Care Act’s protections for pre-existing conditions. Those protections are at risk under Trump. I’ll fight for Medicare for All, and in parallel I’ll restore the Affordable Care Act tax credits, protect Medicaid and Medicare funding, and create a public option. I’ll also fight to let Medicare negotiate drug prices across the board. In my campaign and in office, I will refuse to take money from insurance companies raising costs on Michigan families.

Economy: What policy initiatives do you support for residents to earn a living wage and address the overall question of affordability across Michigan?

Farooqi: When I talk to people, they’re not asking for miracles. They want to be able to afford groceries, gas, rent, childcare, healthcare, and retire with dignity. I support Medicare for All, universal childcare, raising wages, strengthening unions, guaranteed paid leave, strengthening Social Security, and a fair tax system. I believe our taxpayer dollars should be invested in infrastructure, education, and healthcare, not used for illegal wars. I will fight for an economy where working people can build stable lives, with good paying union jobs, pathways to homeownership and where public support programs are treated as economic dignity.

Moss: We are facing an affordability crisis, from groceries and gas to healthcare and childcare. Wages are stagnant and the richest Americans are getting more breaks. We must make the basics more affordable. It’s an all and above approach that includes:

- Bringing down housing costs

- Investing in pre-K and headstart programs

- Making healthcare and prescription drugs affordable

- Stopping the chaotic tariff policy

- Ending the illegal war in Iran driving up gas prices

- Standing up to corporate greed and price gouging

- Strengthening organized labor, and protecting workers’ rights so everyone benefits from economic growth

Torres: I believe we have an affordability crisis in America. It takes longer (age) and costs more for people to buy a home, groceries bills, gas prices are up and cost of living are high; yet wages are not following rising. I have signed the One Fair Wage Pledge which would guarantee a $15-dollar minimum wage, and I will sponsor the Living Wage Act when I get to congress, raising the minimum wage to $25 by 2031. We need good union jobs, and a strong middle class. I will stand with my fellow union workers and support the Pro Act which would effectively make right to work states absolute and keep the middle class strong.