Outgoing Michigan Congresswoman Lawrence endorses Stevens in 11th District primary

Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence endorses Haley Stevens

Outgoing Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence endorsed Haley Stevens, who is running against Andy Levin in the new 11th district.

FERNDALE, Mich. - Outgoing Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence has endorsed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in her race for Michigan's newly drawn 11th District, passing over Rep. Andy Levin who recently announced his plan to also run for the seat.

In a statement, Lawrence said Stevens has "the compassion, the understanding, and the track record to best serve the people" in the new district.

The endorsement could carry influence in the Democratic primary race between Stevens and Levin, two incumbents now running for the same seat after Michigan's redistricting commission scrambled up districts in Metro Detroit.

While Stevens has more current constituents in the newly-drawn 11th district than Levin, the 61-year-old Bloomfield Township Democrat previously told FOX 2 he felt the need to "honor the process."

"We all chose to pass a constitutional amendment and left the drawing to the districts up to this new citizen commission," he told FOX 2 in January.

The 11th District includes parts of southern Oakland County, like Ferndale, Oak Park, Royal Oak, Madison Heights, and Troy. It also includes communities like Farmington, Walled Lake, Wixom, and Bloomfield Hills. Some of those constituents currently live in Lawrence's district.

Lawrence currently represents the state's 14th District, which Michigan will lose due to a lack of population growth. She announced in early 2022 she planned to retire from Congress instead of run in 2022.

Haley Stevens running for re-election campaign in Michigan's new 11th District

Haley Stevens has announced plans to run in Michigan's new 11th Congressional District, which has more overlap with her current district compared to the other congressional Democrat running for the seat, Andy Levin. It's one of the first potential political fights brewing as a result of redistricting in Michigan.

Levin, long a popular figure among unions has been endorsed by multiple labor groups.

But it was Stevens' work during former President Barack Obama's efforts to rescue the auto industry that Lawrence saw as a reason to endorse her. "Haley has been working to keep good manufacturing jobs in Michigan, get the cost of health care down, advocate for STEM education, and protect a woman's right to choose," she said in a statement.

Political scientists expect the race to be a close one. At least one poll found the two candidates running even.