In Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, Democrat Carl Marlinga is set to face off against Republican incumbent John James, who defeated Marlinga in the last election by only about 1,600 votes — or one-half of one percentage point.
Marlinga, a former Macomb County judge and prosecutor, says national donors did not put much effort into his campaign last time because former Congressman Andy Levin decided Democrats had a better chance in a different district.
“If he could not win this district, what chance would anybody else have? But they didn’t have the local knowledge about my years as a prosecutor, as a probate judge, as a circuit court judge – the knowledge of what I would bring to the table,” Marlinga said. “Now they do.”
Marlinga says there are clear issues separating him from the Republican Congressman now, including issues over reproductive rights, limiting inflation and finding ways to keep raw sewage from overflowing into Lake St. Clair.
“I’m the guy with the record protecting the lake,” Marlinga said. “John James is the guy who wants to drill for oil in the lake.”
Republican party officials counter that members like James — who was unopposed in his primary — will fight to stabilize the economy, lower prices and secure the nation’s borders.
The 10th Congressional District race was the third-closest in the nation in 2022. Now, with the Democratic party’s new presidential ticket, Marlinga says excitement about the Harris-Walz campaign could play well across the electorate.
“We have a ticket that is just designed perfectly for the voters of this county,” he said. “Macomb County is known as the home to Reagan Democrats from years ago. We tend to vote Democratic but we are suspicious of extremes at either end — right or left.”
Republicans, both nationally and in Michigan, contend that the Democratic presidential candidate will cater too much to progressive causes.
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The 2024 Michigan primary takes place on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
The state’s 10th Congressional District incumbent, Republican John James, runs unopposed on his party’s side. The Democrats will have four candidates on the ballot, including longtime Macomb County Prosecutor and judge Carl Marlinga, who lost to James in the November 2022 10th Congressional District race.
The 10th Congressional District includes the majority of Macomb County, Rochester and Rochester Hills.
A map of Michigan’s 10th Congressional District.
Editor’s note: WDET distributed surveys to local, county and congressional candidates in key races on the August primary ballot to gain a deeper understanding of what’s motivating them to run. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
Current Occupation: Retired judge, now acting as a mediator and arbitrator
Education: JD, University of Michigan Law School | BA, University of Detroit
Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.
I have served as the Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney (1985-2004), Macomb County Probate Court Judge (2013-2016) and a Macomb County Circuit Court Judge ( 2017-2022). Additionally, in private practice, I partnered with the University of Michigan Law School Innocence Clinic to identify and free people who were wrongfully convicted of crimes that they did not commit.
As the Macomb County Prosecuting Attorney, I, of course, was primarily involved in protecting the public and prosecuting crimes; but I also realized that my office offered me the opportunity to make strides in larger social issues as well. To that end, I was the first prosecutor in the county’s history to appoint African Americans as assistant prosecutors. I also increased the number of women appointed as assistant prosecutors so that the percentage of women serving in that capacity increased from 7% when I first took office to 51% when I left office. I also appointed an openly gay man to be the chief of my homicide unit.
As a judge, I created the Macomb County Mental Health Court as an alternative to incarceration for people whose mental illness was the primary factor in bringing them into the criminal justice system.
Why are you running for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District?
My essential motivation is to save democracy and preserve our constitutional form of government. The events of January 6, 2021, shook me to my core. I never thought that I would witness a president trying to hold on to office by illegal means. I want to be in Congress in January of 2025 to make sure that all electoral votes are counted and that any attempt to defeat the will of the people is stopped in its tracks.
What are the top 3 priority issues that the 10th congressional district faces and what actions would you, as its representative, take regarding each of them?
Protecting abortion rights
I support legislation and if necessary a constitutional amendment reinstating the rights guaranteed by Roe v Wade.
Reversing climate change
I will propose legislation mandating increased research, development and utilization of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and tidal power.
Fighting inflation
I support capping the price of insulin and other life saving drugs. Also, by turning away from fossil fuels and utilizing more renewable energy sources, we will be able to control inflation, since the largest single driver of inflation is the high cost of oil and gasoline.
What is your stance on gun reform in the U.S.?
We must make common sense laws about guns. There is no reason for military grade assault weapons to be available to the general public. I support red flag laws and universal background checks to keep firearms out of the hands of people whose criminal background or violent history show clearly that they should not be trusted with firearms.
What is your stance on abortion rights?
I am 100% pro-choice. My position is summed up by two signs that were carried by young women marching with me in pro-choice demonstrations in 2022. The first sign said “If you don’t like abortion, don’t have one.” The second sign said “The most difficult decision a woman might ever have to make is not yours.”
What is your solution to fight the current inflation crisis in the U.S.?
So much of inflation is driven by the high cost of oil and gasoline. Not only do we pay more at the pump, but also every head of cabbage and every box of Cheerios costs more because they are delivered by vehicles using fossil fuels. Long range, the use of renewable energy will not only save the planet, it will also bring down inflation.
What actions/decisions by your challenger have you disagreed with and how would you do things differently?
The Republican incumbent, John James, voted to allow gas exploration and oil drilling in the Great Lakes. That vote was a mistake. The minimal amount of oil which we could extract from the Great Lakes, would not make a difference in oil prices, but it would endanger our most important resource — the waters which surround Michigan. Additionally, John James refers to abortion as genocide and would seek to restrict abortion at the federal level. I support the right of women to make their own healthcare decisions free of government interference.
Emily Busch
Name: Emily Busch
Age: 52
Current Occupation: Congressional candidate, previously medical device sales
Education: MS, Michigan State | BA, Indiana
Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.
I’m a mom, gun violence prevention advocate and candidate for U.S. House from Southeast Michigan, where I’ve lived for nearly three decades. I’m running for office because my 17-year-old son was forced to run for his life from a school shooter nearly three years ago, and I believe our kids and our communities deserve better than we’re getting. We’re a strong union family, and without my husband’s service in the Marines and career as a firefighter, my family would not be able to afford for me to run for office full time.
When I’m elected, I promise to be a champion for gun violence prevention, reproductive rights, and supporting and strengthening our labor unions and the right to organize and the right to good-paying, stable jobs. For me, these issues aren’t just talking points, they’re deeply personal, and I promise I will be a tireless advocate for Southeast Michigan, and fight for families everywhere as hard as I fight for my own.
Why are you running for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District?
I’m running for Congress because on November 30, 2021, my son, Andrew, ran for his life from an active shooter at Oxford High School. We were lucky that he came home that day, but there were four families who weren’t as fortunate. I believe no parent should ever bring their child to school and wonder if they will make it home alive (or go to a parade, or a grocery store, or a church, or a bowling alley, or a splash pad; the list goes on).
For me, keeping our families safe and defending our fundamental rights is deeply personal. Beyond fighting for commonsense gun safety solutions, I will work to protect abortion rights, support and strengthen our unions, safeguard Social Security and Medicare, lower costs, and make our economy work better for Michigan families. The future of our democracy is on the ballot this November, and I’m running for Congress to make our communities safer and stronger, and to fight for families across the country as hard as I will fight for my own.
What are the top 3 priority issues that the 10th congressional district faces and what actions would you, as its representative, take regarding each of them?
Keeping our families safe and protecting our rights is critical. In Congress, I will fight for your kids just as hard as I do my own, from gun violence prevention, to protecting abortion rights, to safeguarding Social Security and Medicare.
To address gun violence, one of our most urgent and deadly threats, I will work to codify universal background checks, safe storage, red flag laws, and end gun manufacturers immunity at the federal level.
I’ve been pro-choice my entire life and will work to enshrine Roe v. Wade at the federal level. We must not allow extremists like my opponent John James to turn back the clock on women’s reproductive rights.
I also believe that Michigan families deserve access to adequate, affordable healthcare. We must protect social security and ensure that everyone has access to the services they need.
What is your stance on gun reform in the U.S.?
Guns are the number one killer of kids in the United States. Gun violence prevention is the single most important issue that compelled me to run for Congress, and it is critical we elect leaders who will work to put an end to the gun violence epidemic at the federal level. Michigan has created a sound legislative blueprint to protect our kids and families across the state to ensure that no more communities have to experience the devastating and lasting effects of gun violence.
A few pieces of legislation I plan to introduce and advocate for secure storage (Ethan’s law), requiring background checks on every firearm sale, closing the Charleston Loophole, banning assault weapons, and repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), to name a few. We’ve got a lot of work to do to protect our teachers, parents and children, and I’m ready to roll my sleeves up and get to work to move the needle on gun violence once and for all.
What is your stance on abortion rights?
The federal government has a critical role in codifying protections for reproductive healthcare, including access to IVF, birth control and abortions at the federal level. Since the fall of Roe vs. Wade, 21 states have passed restrictions or all out bans on abortion. Within one year of banning abortion in Texas, the state’s infant mortality rate increased by 13% statewide and 2% nationally. Unless we restore Roe vs. Wade at the federal level, these numbers will only continue to climb. Ensuring reproductive care remains part of our Medicaid programs, and eliminating discriminatory measures like the Hyde Amendment, are critical steps to making sure family planning and reproductive healthcare access isn’t weakened.
Additionally, blocking federal funds from supporting abortion care disproportionately impacts Black women and women of color, who are among the most marginalized members of our healthcare system as it stands. Sixty-three percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, and it’s time we make abortion constitutionally protected right again.
What is your solution to fight the current inflation crisis in the U.S.?
Michigan families and families across the country are already struggling to make ends meet. The middle class should never be subsidizing tax breaks for the wealthy. Working families are burdened with rising costs and wages that aren’t keeping up with inflation. We need to prioritize lowering prescription drug prices, investing in the supply chain, and cracking down on oil prices by making corporations pay their fair share. No working families should be forced to choose between putting food on the table and paying for life saving medication or other necessities.
Along with lowering the cost of prescriptions, we must prioritize investments that will create well-paying jobs and make our economy more resilient to future disruptions. When corporate profit margins and inflation are both at an all time high, we need to bring jobs back home from overseas and return to the time when our free market was truly controlled by supply and demand, not by corporate greed.
What actions/decisions by your challenger have you disagreed with and how would you do things differently?
John James has failed our community in more ways than one. John James is endorsed by the NRA and has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and outside spending from the gun lobby. As a gun violence advocate, I plan to legislate commonsense gun violence prevention measures that protect our communities, not put them in harm’s way. John James has offered nothing but thoughts and prayers to families like mine, and until we vote him out, Southeast Michigan will continue to suffer the lasting and continual impact of our nation’s gun violence epidemic.
Beyond his failure to work towards any meaningful gun violence prevention solutions, arguably another key failure of his is his 100% pro-life stance; he has even equated abortion to genocide. John James isn’t the only candidate running MI-10 with a troubling record on abortion. My primary opponent, Carl Marlinga, previously sought the Right to Life endorsement and attempted to block a 12-year-old rape victim from having an abortion as
Macomb County Prosecutor. While legislators in Michigan have successfully codified abortion access, one of the most important issues that the next U.S. Congress is going to decide is whether women today will grow up with fewer reproductive rights than I had as a young person. If we’re going to defeat John James and his terrible record on protecting our fundamental freedoms, we need to elect a truly pro-choice Democrat who will remain steadfast in their commitment to defending our rights and reproductive freedoms.
Current job: Financial Planner and small business owner – Arrowroot Family Office
Education: Stony Brook University BA
Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less.
My name is Diane Young, and I am a longtime resident of the district. I was raised in Macomb, and raised my family in the district. I come from a family of proud union carpenters, and I am currently in a UAW household. I am a fiduciary financial planner and small business owner with over 30 years of experience in the industry. I have been recognized as a Five Star Wealth Manager and community leader, serving on boards like the Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan, Paint Creek Center for the Arts, Warren Symphony Orchestra, and the Macomb Democratic Party. I have also been a part of the Financial Planning Association, which successfully lobbied to get financial planning into school curriculums.
Why are you running for Michigan’s 10th congressional district?
I am running for the same reasons I became a financial planner in the first place: to help working class families succeed and to help them create an environment where they can pursue their dreams. Trust, integrity, and service have always been my core values since I began my career. I started out with a folding table and phonebook and grew my business into one of the largest woman-owned financial planning firms in the state. I have seen firsthand how reckless policymaking in Washington has adversely impacted working-class families and small businesses. I am committed to tackling our toughest problems: protecting Social Security and Medicare, defending reproductive freedom, fighting climate change, streamlining our tax code to give middle class families a break while ensuring that corporations pay their fair share.
What are the top 3 priority issues that the 10th congressional district faces and what actions would you, as its representative, take regarding each of them?
My top goals for Congress are protecting Social Security and Medicare by fully funding both programs, fighting rising costs and inflation, defending reproductive freedom by enshrining Roe v. Wade into law, combating climate change by creating more investment opportunities in clean energy; and streamlining our tax code to give middle class families a break and make big corporations pay their fair share.
What is your stance on gun reform in the U.S.?
I am committed to supporting multiple gun violence prevention initiatives that will save lives and minimize tragic gun deaths in our state and country. I am proud to have received the 2024 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction. I support universal background checks on all guns purchased, longer waiting periods, closing gun show and boyfriend loopholes, banning assault weapons, strict gun storage requirements, repealing gun industry immunity, and many other evidence-based solutions.
What is your stance on abortion rights?
Women should have absolute autonomy when it comes to their bodies. I am committed to protecting reproductive freedom. I will do everything I can to enshrine Roe v. Wade into law and protect access to safe and legal medication that is FDA-approved, along with access to IVF.
We must also address the stark racial disparities in maternal mortality rates, ensuring that women of color receive the care and support they deserve. Additionally, we must champion comprehensive policies that guarantee maternity leave, recognizing the vital importance of nurturing both the physical and emotional well-being of mothers and their newborns.
What is your solution to fight the current inflation crisis in the U.S.?
Inflation is the biggest issue for this district. According to recent reports, auto insurance is one of the leading causes of inflation, exacerbated by the damaging effects of climate change.
Increased flooding and other weather-related incidents drive up costs, and our cars are becoming more sophisticated, making it difficult to replace parts that come from overseas. I want to ensure we focus on protecting our environment and creating manufacturing jobs here in the United States to meet domestic demands. In Congress, I will also work to increase the resilience of our supply chains, help pass the budget, and make sure we go after bad actors who are price gouging or using inflation as an excuse to raise prices for consumer goods.
What actions/decisions by your challenger have you disagreed with and how would you do things differently?
There are many decisions that John James has made that I strongly disagree with. Whether it’s on abortion rights, not working to pass the budget in Congress, or taking photo-op trips to the border with his colleagues, we would handle our jobs very differently. However, the biggest disagreement I have with James is his decision to use taxpayer dollars to publicly advertise himself around the district for a superficial bill. James has over $2 million in campaign funds sitting on the sidelines, but he has decided to use our money to promote a bill he introduced in Congress that had absolutely no impact during the budget fiasco. As a financial planner, I find that fiscally irresponsible, and I promise my constituents that my office will be as frugal as possible with their dollars.
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