Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones has announced her campaign for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. Jones, a Democrat, will challenge Democrat incumbent Rashida Tlaib. She previously held the seat for 35 days in 2018, after winning the special election in the wake of John Conyers’ resignation.
Jones says what sets her apart from other candidates is her connection to the community she hopes to represent.
“I've been on the ground doing this for the last 15 years. I've been a councilperson for 15 years, and a council president for the last two terms. And so I've been connecting with the people on the ground.”
Jones says her campaign’s focus is on bringing resources back to the 13th District, which she describes as the poorest district in the U.S.
“If we look at infrastructure, and we look at training the people that are in the 13th Congressional District to do the jobs in their neighborhoods and fix the damn roads, as the governor says, and not just the damn roads! If we look at our water, and look at some of the things we need to repair, and we train people, we bring the money home. That’s bringing resources back to our district.”
During Jones' 35 days in Congress, she voted 77 times and introduced two bills: one that addressed affordable housing and another scrutinizing states that lowered the minimum wage.
“If I could do that in five weeks, what could I do in two years? I want to focus on the people in our district, people right here.”
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