DEARBORN — Arab American political activist Abbas Alawieh announced his candidacy for the Michigan State Senate, running as a Democrat in District 2, which includes Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and parts of Allen Park and Detroit. The seat is currently held by Democratic State Senator Sylvia Santana.

Michigan’s State Senate elections are held every four years, with 38 senators representing districts across the state. Together with the 110-member House of Representatives, the Senate is responsible for legislating, approving the state budget, overseeing executive agencies and shaping statewide policies in education, the economy, infrastructure, healthcare and more.

In a personally framed announcement released from Dearborn, the city where he was born, raised and graduated from public schools before earning two degrees from the University of Michigan, Alawieh said his decision to run stems from a deep sense of “responsibility to family and community.” He explained that he returned from Washington, D.C., to Michigan immediately after learning that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer, leaving behind years of work in the nation’s capital “because my values demand that I stand by anyone who needs help, whether a parent, relative or neighbor.”

“Like so many of us here in Michigan, family and community mean everything to me,” Alawieh said. “After years working behind the scenes in Congress, helping secure vital investments in housing, clean water and education, I came home without hesitation when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. That’s what we do here. It’s who we are: we show up for one another when it matters.

Abbas Alawieh announces his candidacy for the state senate – Photo courtesy of Abbas Alawieh for State Senate campaign

“I’m running for the Michigan Senate to fight for every person in our district as if they were a member of my own family,” Alawieh added.

According to his campaign website, which outlines a vision focused on directing investments toward policies that directly improve people’s lives, Alawieh has dedicated his public career to building bridges between local communities and decision-making institutions in Washington. He previously worked for several Democratic members of Congress, including U.S. Representatives Andy Levin and Rashida Tlaib, and served as chief of staff to former Missouri U.S. Rep. Cori Bush.

While working in Congress, Alawieh advocated a wide range of policy initiatives aimed at improving daily life for working families. His accomplishments include helping prevent the eviction of thousands of renters during the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing for stronger protections for working-class families, promoting governmental transparency and accountability, combating unjust deportations and supporting efforts to remove lead-contaminated water pipes.

Alawieh rose to national prominence last year through his leadership role in the historic “Uncommitted” presidential primary movement, launched in protest of President Biden’s support for the Israeli war on Gaza. The campaign mobilized more than 1 million Democratic voters nationwide demanding a ceasefire and a shift in U.S. policy. Because of its success, Alawieh served as a Michigan delegate at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

“I know what it takes to stand firm when powerful institutions ask us to stay silent,” he said. “When Washington prioritized funding genocide abroad over investing in working families here at home, I stepped up and helped lead a historic, anti-war, pro-peace movement.”

Alawieh, whose sister Fadwa Alawieh Hammoud served as Michigan’s former solicitor general and later as deputy attorney general, also said that our communities deserve honest representation in Lansing and leaders who always put the public interest ahead of special interests.

“That’s why we are launching a campaign that is not about me, but about uniting Michigan around a government guided by wisdom, compassion and care.”

He said his campaign priorities center on direct investment in everyday needs: early childhood programs, strengthening education, expanding services for seniors and workers and improving quality-of-life conditions. He emphasized that residents of District 2 “deserve leaders who are not beholden to political insiders or big donors, and who can make independent decisions that put people first.”

Alawieh urged voters in District 2 to support him in the August 2026 Democratic primary, stressing that his campaign “is not about one person, but about a collective movement of Michiganders committed to restoring justice, accountability and transparency in our politics.”

“We are building something bigger than ourselves,” he said. “This seat belongs to the people, and I will fight for every resident of this district as if they were part of my own family.”