Democratic former state lawmaker Henry Yanez launched a run for an open, competitive U.S. House seat outside Detroit on Tuesday, saying he wants to advocate for working people in Congress.
Yanez, a Sterling Heights council member and an ex-firefighter, served six years in the Michigan House until term limits kept him from seeking reelection in 2018. He is the third Democrat to enter the race and has the most political experience.
“We need legislators that focus on the problems that people in the district and, frankly in this country, experience every single day,” he told The Associated Press, pointing to the effects of inflation and tangled supply chains on residents’ pocketbooks.
The 10th District, newly created through redistricting, includes a chunk of Macomb County and a small portion of Oakland County. Then-President Donald Trump narrowly won the area in 2020 over Joe Biden. The Republican candidate for the seat is businessman, combat veteran and two-time U.S. Senate nominee John James, a top GOP recruit.
Yanez, 64, said he initially was not interested in running because he loves his job on the Sterling Heights City Council, but friends and elected officials who reached out to him “were very concerned about how the race was shaping up on the Democratic side.” He emphasized his working-class roots and said he has a “proven track record” of working for his constituents.
“I’ve made Macomb my home. Not everyone can say that,” he added, alluding to how James lives in a part of Oakland County that is not in the new seat. House members do not have to be residents of the district they represent.
Other Democratic candidates include activist Huwaida Arraf and Warren council member Angela Rogensues.
Democrats must keep control of the House, Yanez said, saying he won and held a marginal legislative seat. He unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, a Republican, in 2010 before winning election to the Legislature in 2012.
The 10th District is among four of the state’s 13 House seats that are considered competitive and not solidly Republican nor Democratic.
