Michigan House primary: Newly-elected Xiong faces challengers in redrawn 13th District

Three Democrats and four Republicans are hoping to advance past the Aug. 6 primary for southern Macomb County’s redrawn 13th House District — a seat that for the last three months has been held by Democratic Rep. Mai Xiong, Michigan’s first Hmong American lawmaker.

The district’s boundaries look drastically different than they did last spring, when Xiong won a special election to join the House. Instead of centering on Warren and a slice of Detroit, the district now runs east from Warren, into Roseville and St. Clair Shores. Xiong’s Warren residence remained inside the revamped district.

”There is an education component to our campaign because people are confused about the redistricting process,” said Xiong, a former Macomb County commissioner.

Xiong beat Republican Ronald Singer in the April 16 special election that was needed after Lori Stone of Warren vacated her House seat to become mayor of Warren. Xiong’s victory helped Democrats regain a narrow 56-54 majority in the House.

Now, the 39-year-old mother of four has drawn a few serious challengers as she seeks a first full two-year term in office.

In the Democratic primary, Richard Steenland, 62, is a former state representative who has served several other roles in both Macomb County and Roseville city government over the years. Patricia Johnson Singleton, 61, is a caregiver for mentally disabled people who is also a substitute teacher and previously served a stint on the Detroit Board of Education.

In the Republican primary, Singer, 73, is running again. He is an electrical and mechanical engineer who has long been involved in GOP politics. Mark Foster, 61, has long owned a real estate firm and been involved in local government in St. Clair Shores. Jerrie Bowl Bilello, 53, is a claims processor making a first run for office. John Sheets is the final GOP candidate who didn’t respond to requests for more information on his candidacy.

More: Michigan House primary: Two Dems challenge incumbent Edwards in redrawn 12th District

Democrats

Xiong arrived at the state Capitol just as the hectic budget process was underway, calling her early weeks “a learning process of how things happen in Lansing.” Nevertheless she said she was proud to work with colleagues to bring back several infrastructure investments for her area, including money to repair Roseville’s sewer and pump station, water system fixes, and money for additional fixes to Mound Road.

“I’m also really proud of the investments we made in education,” she said, citing the passage of legislation that allows students to attend community college tuition-free. Xiong said she also pushed bills around consumer protection and healthcare, including one that would ensure the state has a robust pipeline of respiratory therapists.

The new lawmaker said she’s consistently heard from constituents about the rising cost of living. “I want to find ways to lower costs for families, to address the cost of living, and put more resources into services like our food pantries, because families are relying on these,” she said.

Steenland previously served stints on Roseville’s City Council and as its city clerk, and in 2020 he was elected to the House, serving one term, before he lost his reelection in 2022. He also worked in Macomb County government over the years, primary in the the courts system. He said he has unfinished business in Lansing.

“I didn’t feel like I was ready to go when I left,” Steenland said. ”I work very well with the other side of the aisle. My job is not to worry about politics, but worry about the people.”

Steenland said his deep experience in government and the court system helped him navigate the Legislature, and he had multiple pieces of legislation signed into law. One that he was most proud of involved ensuring municipalities had a way to approve raising tax revenue for police and fire services. He was also focused on helping military veterans.

“Experience does matter, and that’s one of the things I’m going for right now,” he said.

Singleton, of Roseville, pledged she would be a strong voice for the mentally disabled community if elected, having served as a caregiver for a decade. She pledged to advocate for improved conditions inside Michigan’s adult foster care homes, and also argued that Michigan’s mental health code is outdated and needs a thorough review.

Education would be another area of focus, said the former school board member. Singleton said the state must look more closely at how to keep more talented teachers from leaving, including by a fully funded teacher pension fund, as well as the ability to hire more paraprofessionals in classrooms.

Republicans

Singer, an engineer for an automotive supplier who lives in Warren, has long volunteered for Republican campaigns and causes in Michigan, and now says he has the urge to step up himself.

He cited concerns about the Democratic-controlled Legislature’s “out-of-control spending that causes tax increases,” and in his view had made the state less competitive. He said he’s also worried about what he views as an underperforming Michigan public education system.

Singer also said his engineering background would be useful in Lansing, especially as lawmakers consider subsidizing clean energy sources such as wind or solar, or clean transportation options, such as hydrogen-powered cars. “From an engineering perspective, you need to figure out what works and what doesn’t,” he said.

Foster runs The Fosters Real Estate firm in St. Clair Shores, and unsuccessfully ran for a House seat once before. He spent almost 20 years serving in an appointed position on the St. Clair Shores zoning board of appeals.

He said he’s most passionate about the economy, election integrity issues, and the border, though he acknowledged, “I don’t know how much we’ve have to do with the border” in the Michigan Legislature.

Foster said he’d advocate for only allowing in-person voting on Election Day, eliminating early voting unless voters were approved for certain reasons to vote early. However, in 2022, 2.5 million Michigan voters voted to enshrine nine days of early, in-person voting in the state constitution, meaning the Legislature has little recourse to curtail early voting.

Bowl Bilello said she stepped up to run because the Michigan House needs more “good people,” who “won’t be bribed or blackmailed or threatened.” She said she started to become more politically engaged during the pandemic lockdowns, which she said were wrong, and decided to switch to the Republican Party in 2020.

She pledged to have an open-door policy with constituents, if elected, including by holding small meetings and town halls frequently in the district. Bowl Bilello said she would want to serve on the Education Committee, because the believes some Michigan schools are “indoctrinating our children” by having sexualized books in curriculums and libraries, noting she has protested at local school board meetings in the past.

“Our future of our country is in the children’s hands,” she said. “It’s very important that we stop this indoctrination that they’re trying to do to these children.” 

lramseth@detroitnews.com

@lramseth