Right

... to fight these billion-dollar corporations.

We need the state to step in and intervene, set a moratorium across the state so we can get a- questions answered.

We need to know what is their relationship with our utility companies? Are we gonna be on the hook for their improvements? So I, I have a couple things, and this is also going to apply to, uh, many billionaire corporations in our state, is that if they aren't hitting certain benchmarks, they get zero tax breaks.

You do not get tax breaks from us in the state of Michigan, especially if you're taking jobs.

Uh, and so I think people in the ci- in, in, uh, in, in our community are really worried that AI is taking their jobs.

We were just talking about this before we started recording.

Or are we done with the ignorance?

Can you talk a little bit about that and how what's happened over the last 10 years led to a dramatic transformation in your own life?

Yeah.

The election of Donald Trump, the first time, really kind of kicked things off for me.

I was pastoring in a very large megachurch at the time here in southeast Michigan.

And I remember every week hearing new things that I haven't heard of before, right? Like, I grew up in this white suburban world.

The first time I started hearing these white women in our church using the term woke in a like a negative way right within the congregation and i and i just remember i i would ask questions what are you talking about like what do you mean when you say that right it really was attacking the diversity of people in our world and And I remember each and every week standing in front of thousands of people, just as a pastor, feeling more and more upset and angry at the congregation for what I was hearing.

You know, we would raise our hands and worship Jesus and say, you love everyone, God, but then we would turn around and just be absolutely terrible to people on Monday.

in the same place in Michigan.

Yeah, that's awesome.

When I think about this, you know, I have this weird, this is my first time ever running for public office.

So I've gotten kind of, you know, education by drinking from a fire hose on all of this, right? And so, but as I talk to people on the doors, I think it's interesting when you begin to have conversations that invite people to evolve, right? my path into the political world is not standard.

Before I came out as a trans woman, I was an evangelical pastor, okay? So, like, you can imagine the world I came from.

I came from this really right-wing Christian nationalist world, and I actually evolved out of that to become the most progressive person in a Democratic primary, right? So, how do you go from here to here? And I think it's It's standing on your principles.

It's saying, here's what we believe, here's what we need, but also inviting people who aren't quite there.

Sometimes it's door to door.

Absolutely.

You know, what is happening to household bills and who you know, who are who who are people?

Yeah, there's multiple utility issues happening here in southeast Detroit, where our district is just south of it.

We are literally the journey song.

So if you sing the journey song, we are south Detroit here.

And we have a company called DTE that is our monopoly utility.

And they asked for nearly $1 billion of rate increases in the last year.

Oh, and by the way, they're going to ask for more right before the end of the year.

What are you hearing in that regard? Yeah.

You know, what is happening to household bills and who, you know, who are who?

Yeah, there's multiple utility issues happening here in southeast Detroit, where our district is just south of it.

We are literally the journey song.

So if you sing the journey song, we are south Detroit here.

And we have a company called DTE that is our monopoly utility.

And they asked for nearly $1 billion of rate increases in the last year.

Oh, and by the way, they're going to ask for more before the end of the year.

What are you hearing in that regard? Yeah.

What are people telling you at the doors and your events?

Yeah.

You know, I like to say that people, especially in this primary, they did not vote for history.

They didn't vote for identity.

They voted because I'm showing up to do the work and I'm showing up and speaking about their issues.

And who I am is not even a consideration for folks.

They want to know because right now we have this utility company here in the state of Michigan.

Are you getting some of the buyer's remorse?

Yeah.

Um, and then you bring in this existential threat of AI, and this hit my community head-on in the city of Allen Park.

Uh, one of these big billionaire corporations tried to bring an AI data center in here and just ram it through, but our community showed up, our campaign organized, and we raised up voices by the hundreds each and every meeting and eventually got them to withdraw and deny the proposal, and I think that's what it's gonna take.

It's gonna take people saying, "Enough.

You're screwing us.

We cannot continue to live like this while our executives are getting more and more and more of our hard-earned money and you pay us less." Um, and so that's-

so t- tell folks your vision.

Yeah.