One of the deepest convictions guiding my public service is the call to defend the vulnerable, protect the innocent, and stand with those who too often feel forgotten. On the wall of my Capitol office, I keep the words of Jesus from Matthew 25: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” To me, that is not simply a Scripture verse. It is a charge to serve with humility, compassion, and courage. That conviction has shaped my work in the Michigan Senate. I believe strongly in limited government, personal responsibility, and local control. But I also believe government has a proper role in preserving a level playing field, protecting the innocent from exploitation, and offering a responsible hand up to people who are facing hardship through no fault of their own. That is why I have supported efforts to help pregnant mothers, newborn babies, and young families during the earliest and most critical stages of life. Programs that help mothers afford basic necessities, connect babies with health care, and support families in the first year of a child’s life can make an enormous difference — not only for the child, but for the future strength of the family. It is also why I helped lead a bipartisan effort to crack down on human trafficking in Michigan. In 2026, the Senate unanimously approved legislation I sponsored to strengthen penalties against traffickers, with especially severe consequences for those who traffic children. Human trafficking is one of the darkest evils in our society. It robs people of dignity, freedom, innocence, and hope — and we have a solemn obligation to fight it at every level. I am also deeply involved in efforts to better protect children online, including work to combat the growing threat of sextortion that has devastated families across the country. Parents should not have to face these dangers alone, and children deserve laws that recognize the seriousness of the digital threats they face. My commitment to vulnerable citizens also includes work to make basic utilities more affordable. I have joined a bipartisan effort to help Michigan families who struggle to pay their water bills, because in the Great Lakes State, no family should be forced to live without access to safe, affordable water. I have also worked to stand with those who serve in some of the most difficult jobs in state government, including our corrections officers and their families. In Northern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula, the corrections staffing crisis has created dangerous working conditions, excessive mandatory overtime, and significant strain on officers, spouses, and children. Supporting these officers is not only a workforce issue — it is a public safety issue and a family issue. In addition, I have worked to expand access to mental health care, strengthen resources for Child Advocacy Centers, and support children and adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These are areas where government must listen closely to families, caregivers, advocates, and local providers, and then act with both compassion and common sense. I have also co-sponsored and supported legislation to rein in predatory payday lending practices that trap people in cycles of debt, and I have fought to protect catastrophically injured auto accident survivors whose care was threatened by changes to Michigan’s no-fault system. When people are severely injured, exploited, abused, overwhelmed by debt, or facing a crisis they did not create, they should not be abandoned. Limited government does not mean indifferent government. It means government should be careful, efficient, accountable, and focused on the responsibilities it is truly meant to fulfill. One of those responsibilities is to protect those who cannot always protect themselves. My goal is to serve with that balance: defending freedom, respecting taxpayers, strengthening families, and ensuring that when people in our communities are truly in need, they are not left to face their burdens alone.

Small businesses are the backbone of Northern Michigan’s economy. They create jobs, support families, strengthen communities, and give our towns and villages the character that makes this region such a special place to live. As a small business owner and operator for more than two decades, I understand firsthand the challenges that come with building something of your own. I have written the paychecks, negotiated health insurance plans, filed the taxes, managed the books, carried the equipment, sold the projects, and done the work. That experience has given me a deep respect for the men and women who take risks, create opportunities, and keep our local economies moving. Supporting small business has been one of my fundamental priorities in public service. I have fought against unnecessary burdens on employers, supported relief for businesses that were told they could not work, and worked to make Michigan a place where entrepreneurs, family businesses, farms, manufacturers, and Main Street employers can grow and succeed. As state senator for the 37th District, I will continue working to address the issues that matter most to our local economy — from expanding affordable workforce housing and strengthening career and technical education, to helping employers attract and retain talent, lowering the cost of doing business, and protecting the way of life that makes Northern Michigan worth investing in. When small businesses are strong, families are stronger, communities are healthier, and our children have a better chance to build their futures close to home.

For families to thrive in Northern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula, we must have an economy that is strong, resilient, and built for the realities of our region. We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful places in America, but we are also far removed from many of the conveniences and economic advantages of larger metropolitan areas. That makes it even more important that we grow good jobs, strengthen wages, and build a year-round economy that gives our children the opportunity to stay, work, raise families, and build their futures close to home. That means supporting an economy that works 12 months a year. It means investing in career and technical education, expanding access to the skilled trades, and giving students the tools, training, and confidence they need to pursue rewarding careers in manufacturing, construction, tourism, agriculture, health care, and other essential industries. In the Michigan Senate, I serve as chair of the Hospitality and Tourism Caucus, where I have worked to strengthen one of Northern Michigan’s most important industries. At the same time, I have been a tireless advocate for manufacturing and the skilled trades — sectors that provide stable, high-quality jobs and help anchor families in our communities. I am honored that the Michigan Manufacturers Association has named me Legislator of the Year for four consecutive years in recognition of that work. I am also committed to making sure Northern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula are not forgotten in Lansing. Over the past several years, I have helped secure nearly $100 million in direct investment for our region — supporting local priorities, strengthening infrastructure, expanding opportunity, and helping our communities prepare for the future. A stronger year-round economy is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet. It is about preserving our way of life, strengthening our families, and making sure the next generation can find opportunity right here at home.

Energy policy in Northern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula must begin with a simple reality: our needs are different from the needs of larger metropolitan areas downstate. We live in a colder, more rural region, where families, farms, small businesses, schools, hospitals, ferry services, road crews, and local governments all depend on energy that is affordable, reliable, and available when it is needed most. My job is to stand up for the people of our region — not for political slogans or one-size-fits-all mandates. I support energy innovation, cleaner technologies, and practical conservation, but I will not support policies that drive up utility bills, weaken reliability, or punish families who depend on propane, natural gas, gasoline, diesel, and other traditional fuels to heat their homes, run their businesses, and power daily life. That is why I believe Michigan needs a balanced, all-of-the-above energy strategy. We should continue to support the oil and gas industries that provide dependable energy, good-paying jobs, and critical fuel supplies for rural communities. We should protect and modernize essential infrastructure, including the Line 5 tunnel project, which would move the Straits segment of the pipeline from the lakebed into a safer tunnel deep below the lakes. And we should continue advancing the next generation of clean and reliable energy, including nuclear power, small modular reactors, hydroelectric power, grid modernization, battery storage, and renewable technologies that make sense for our region. I have opposed radical energy policies that would make it harder and more expensive for Michigan families to power their lives. At the same time, I have supported innovative solutions that can strengthen our energy future without abandoning the proven resources that have served our communities for generations. Real leadership means reducing emissions where we can, improving reliability where we must, and keeping affordability at the center of every decision. The 2025 ice storm made clear just how important energy reliability is to Northern Michigan. The storm devastated our local electric cooperatives, caused more than $305 million in damage, and left many families and businesses facing prolonged outages and serious financial strain. Because co-op costs are ultimately borne by their members, I worked with state and federal officials to fight for relief and help secure eligibility for federal assistance to offset recovery costs and reduce pressure on future ratepayers. I have also worked to help families better afford basic utilities, including water, and I will continue fighting for policies that lower costs, harden our grid, strengthen emergency preparedness, and protect access to dependable energy in every season. Our region cannot afford energy policy driven by ideology. We need energy policy grounded in common sense — one that protects ratepayers, supports working families, respects the realities of rural Michigan, defends the Great Lakes, and ensures that Northern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula have the power they need to thrive.

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Rebuilding a spirit of grace and civility is one of the great challenges of our time — and it has been a central passion of my life for decades. When my father and I started our film production company in 2000, we did so with a clear purpose: to tell the great stories of American character, sacrifice, patriotism, and exceptionalism in a way that could bring people together. We believed then, as I believe now, that America is at her best when we remember who we are, honor those who came before us, and speak to one another as fellow citizens entrusted with a common future. Our nation has always had vigorous debate. Strong disagreements are not new, and they are not unhealthy. In fact, honest debate is essential to self-government. But leaders have a responsibility to model something better than anger, contempt, and political theater. We should show our children that conviction and kindness can exist together, that strength does not require cruelty, and that public service should be grounded in honor. I have always admired leaders like Ronald Reagan, who fought for his principles with clarity and courage, but also with dignity, optimism, humor, and self-control. He understood that persuasion is stronger than personal destruction, and that lasting victories are built not only by winning arguments, but by winning trust. I have strong convictions. I believe deeply in the founding principles of this country, in limited government, individual liberty, faith, family, free enterprise, and the dignity of every person. But too much of our modern political culture has become a spectacle — a contest of outrage in which too many people treat politics like a sport and forget the real mission of public service. That mission is to solve problems, defend freedom, protect the vulnerable, strengthen families, and leave our communities better than we found them. This belief goes to the heart of the Golden Rule I was taught as a child: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That standard is not weakness. It requires strength. Anyone can give in to short-term anger. Anyone can score a cheap point. But it takes discipline, humility, and real self-control to lead with integrity, listen carefully, disagree honestly, and still treat others with respect. That is the kind of leadership I have tried to bring to the Michigan Senate. I have worked across the aisle on issues where people of good faith can find common ground — including human trafficking, water affordability, domestic violence, manufacturing, workforce development, and support for families in need. These efforts have not required me to compromise my principles. They have required me to build relationships, listen seriously, and keep the people of Michigan at the center of the work. That approach has been recognized by organizations and leaders across our state. The University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy featured my bipartisan work in a public conversation on “working across the aisle.” MichAuto named me its 2026 Legislator of the Year, noting the importance of seeking bipartisan consensus to strengthen Michigan’s signature automotive industry. The Michigan Manufacturers Association has recognized my consistent leadership on behalf of Michigan manufacturers for four consecutive years. Those recognitions matter not because they are awards, but because they reflect a larger truth: principled leadership and civil leadership are not opposites. They belong together. I am committed to helping restore that kind of leadership in our state. Until we can once again share ideas with respect, honor, and a willingness to listen, we will struggle to meet the great challenges before us. But if we choose grace over grievance, seriousness over spectacle, and service over self-interest, I believe Michigan can lead the way.