Langworthy duels Levin for his seat in Congress
Voters in Macomb and Oakland counties will see two major party candidates on their ballot under the race for Michigan’s 9th Congressional District.
U. S. Rep. Andy Levin ( D-Bloomfield Township), is seeking his reelection for a second term against Republican Charles Langworthy. Levin did not have a primary opponent, but Langworthy defeated his primary opponents, Gabi Grossbard and Douglas Allen Troszak, with 57% of the vote.
Before being elected to Congress in 2018, Levin served as director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, now the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, from 20072011 under Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
During the Great Recession, Levin created and directed the state’s “No Worker Left Behind” program, which provided training to 162,000 unemployed and underemployed Michiganders.
After leaving state government in 2011, Levin founded his own clean energy company, Levin Energy Partners, LLC, which aims to reduce carbon emissions while improving public health and water quality. During the 1990’s, Levin spent time as a staff attorney for former President Bill Clinton’s labor law reform commission.
Levin currently sits on two House committees including the Committee on Education and Labor, where he serves as vice chair, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Langworthy, a U. S. Navy veteran and Roseville resident, was born and raised in the 9th district. He describes himself as “a man of conviction with a good moral compass.”
Michigan’s 9th Congressional District includes portions of Oakland and Macomb counties. The district includes the communities of Ferndale, Madison Heights, Beverly Hills, Franklin, Royal Oak, Hazel Park, St. Clair Shores, Warren, Bloomfield Township, and Clinton
Township, and Sterling Heights.
MediaNews Group reached out to each candidatewith questions pertaining to their candidacy. Responses to those questions are below.
MNG: What are the main reasons as to why you want to be re- elected to a two- year term as U. S. Representative? What is your platform?
Levin: First, as the Vice Chair of the House Committee on Education & Labor, I work every day to raise the standard of living for working families: to make sure my constituents can find a good-paying job with decent benefits and the freedom to form a union, send their kids to a great public school, have affordable health care, and retire with dignity. Second, I want to do my part to clean up the air, water and land and save our one precious Earth from the existential threat of climate change. Third, I am called by my faith to protect human rights and fight for justice. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I have the opportunity to play a part in protecting human rights around the globe and championing diplomacy to bring an end to military conflicts that cost American lives.
Langworthy: I feel the very freedoms that so many people fought and died for over the past 244 years, are in jeopardy. The vast majority of our elected officials over the past 100 years have
been bought and paid for by special interests. We are no longer a government of, by, and for the people. We are a government of, by, and for the biggest donors and lobbyists. We the people, have been thrown to the wayside and forgotten about. Our elected officials have disregarded the constitution, and our individual liberties have been shredded. We have a nanny state that sacrifices liberty for the illusion of security. Those that sacrifice liberty for security receive neither. I am running to uphold the constitution, liberty, and freedom.
MNG: What are your greatest strengths? How will they help you if re- elected?
Levin: In this extremely divisive time in our country, I have used my years of experience working with people around the state and across the ideological spectrum to forge effective relationships with members of both political parties. While I believe in progressive principles to ensure equity and opportunity for all, I have prioritized bipartisan solutions in Washington and at home to feed families during COVID-19, help our veterans, remove PFAS from our waterways, protect our immigrants facing deportation, and more. Unfortunately, the opportunities for bipartisan cooperation are fewer than the American people deserve, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s where my ability to be a messenger of
hope as a community organizer has come into play. It’s my duty to keep my constituents motivated and inspired on this long journey towards justice.
Langworthy: My greatest strength is that I am the forgotten about American that is having my future andmy children’s future placed into the hands of a bunch of out of touch, privileged, self serving politicians that have never had to walk in the shoes of a middle class American. This is exactly why I should represent the hard working folks of the 9th. I am not bought and paid for by big donors, nor will I ever be. I will always place the people above myself. How can someone who has been handed everything in life and doesn’t have make the hard decisions of the working class, make the right choice for the working class? We have too many ruling class elitists in office and they will just keep benefiting the ruling and donor class.
MNG: What do you see as the biggest challenges facing The United States right now and how would you help to remedy and combat those issues?
Levin: The biggest challenge is definitely COVID-19 and the massive recession caused by the pandemic and the administration’s failure to control it. COVID-19 is laying bare the most fundamental injustices in our country: that working people have not gotten a fair shake for generations and that people of color are disproportionately impacted by crises because of systemic inequities. House Democrats have now passed two relief packages that have been ignored by the Republican Senate. These bills would help us quash the virus, protect essential workers, inject stabilization funds into struggling local governments, help keep our small businesses afloat, facilitate safe reopening of schools, and more.
Langworthy: The biggest challenge facing the United States is Marxism. Our fundamental liberties are under attack. Giant multinational corporations have bought and paid politicians to serve them and bring the people into serfdom. These corporations only care about profits and the best way to increase profits is to consolidate power into the hands of their puppet politicians. Marxism is not about equality for all it is about equality for the ruling class, if you work for a living you are not in the ruling class. The ruling class has pushed a huge wedge into the people and pitted us against each other. Divide and conquer it is the oldest trick in the book.