Q&A with candidates for Michigan’s 6th Congressional District

In preparation for the 2024 election on Nov. 5, The Michigan Daily sat down with candidates from local races to learn more about them, their platforms and their plans for Michigan. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who has represented Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2015, and Republican Heather Smiley will face off to represent Michigan’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House. Dingell did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Heather Smiley (R)

The Michigan Daily: Why did you decide to run for Congress in Michigan’s 6th District?

Heather Smiley: I’m not a politician — I’m a business person. With some of the things that I’m seeing that have been going on in the country for the last few years, I’m concerned about the direction the country is headed in. In my mind, it’s not really about Republican or Democrat or red versus blue. It’s more about my desire to help save our country and turn it around for the better.

TMD: How have your previous experiences qualified you for the position?

HS: Unlike my opponent, I have a global business and management background. At Ford Motor Company, where I just recently retired, I was kind of like the fixer. As Ford Motor Company was transforming itself, I would help the company work smarter and increase the viability of the company and its success. I also have worked in data and analytics, so I have a really good understanding of data and how to use it. I also have an understanding of how data is often misused, so it gives me a really unique experience because I can wade through a lot of data efficiently and make fact-based decisions. I also worked in business planning and strategy. So not only would I be looking at short-term objectives, but I’d be looking at transforming the economy and some of the critical things that we need in our country, looking at how we can get not only short-term wins, but how we can play the long game and make our country stronger over time.

TMD: Can you tell the readers of The Daily specifically about your election campaign platform and the most important points?

HS: I have three pillars. The first pillar is civil rights, the second one is economic strength and the third is national sovereignty. In terms of civil rights, we are deviating farther and farther from our constitutional foundation. Specifically, my concerns are around our freedom of speech and religion. Underneath that, really focusing on the rule of law, both upholding existing laws but also making sure that everybody is treated equally under the law. With the election coming up, obviously there are some concerns about voting integrity. 

For economic strength, it’s really looking at energy policy. Three and a half years ago we were energy independent, and now we’re buying our energy from Venezuela and other countries that aren’t our friends. 

Looking at fiscal responsibility, we’re spending a lot of money. That debt that the U.S. is incurring is ultimately going to be piled on everybody’s back, and because students are going to be going into the marketplace, that generation would effectively be paying for it. The other thing is reciprocal trade. Right now, there’s different geographic areas where we don’t have equal trade. Also, unleash the free market. Right now, we have a lot of regulations and rules that are really impeding the free market. From a national sovereignty perspective, we have some concerns right now going on with our borders, and remediating the outcome from that. From a national strength perspective, we’re losing jobs to other countries. Because I worked in the business sector, I’ve seen the outsourcing of jobs to other countries, and I’ve actually worked with other countries in that regard. So what I’d like to do is protect our domestic manufacturing, protect our cybersecurity and look at restricting foreign ownership of land and really bringing jobs back to the U.S. 

TMD: Is there anything you want to say to college students at the University of Michigan?

HS: There’s a lot of media sources out there, and each side says there’s misinformation going on. What I would encourage students to do is really focus on the news itself, rather than listening to pundits that tell you what their take is on it. The other is to do your homework on voting records. Oftentimes people get caught up in political personalities and different things and don’t look at people’s voting records. I think if people do their homework, rather than listening to pundits, it would drive them to vote more intelligently. 

TMD: Why should Michigan residents vote for you?

HS: I’m an experienced problem solver. Unlike my opponent, who doesn’t have a lot of extensive business experience, I worked my way up, waiting on tables, working in retail and working in factories. I know what it’s like to struggle. I know what it’s like to sacrifice to get what you want. So, because I can relate to people, and I am an experienced problem solver, I can really transform the government to not only work for everybody in the country and the state of Michigan, but also improve everybody’s overall quality of life. The main thing is have the government work smarter, and do more with less. Our budget is out of control, so if I can reduce the budget but still maintain really good governmental service, then it’s a win-win for everybody.

Daily Staff Reporter Arnav Gupta can be reached at arnavgup@umich.edu.

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