The newly approved district boundaries have been the subject of countless controversies, and the current candidates and their campaigns are sure to continue this trajectory. While polling and historical data give Michigan residents a good idea of what many election results will look like this fall, it’s the individual candidates whom have really set the tone. Candidates in the 22nd district for state Senate haven’t been hesitant to tackle the controversial and sensitive topics, and Libertarian Jon Elgas of Brighton is ready to join the conversation.
Unlike the Democrat and Republican parties, the Libertarian Party of Michigan does not select candidates through statewide primary elections this coming Aug. 2. LPMI candidates are chosen at the state convention, and on July 9 the Libertarian Party of Michigan delegates resoundingly supported Jon Elgas for the 22nd District state Senate seat.
Libertarian Party of Livingston County chair Joe Hartman had this to say about Elgas’ candidacy: “Jon has an excellent platform focusing on revamping education by supporting policies to fund students instead of monopolistic government systems, abolish state income tax, institute constitutional carry, and end clock changing.”
This isn’t Elgas’ first experience running for office: In 2016, Elgas ran against Lana Theis for Michigan’s House of Representatives in District 42, and he ran for the Wayne State University Board of Governors in 2018 and 2020. Jon has shown that his bold messaging can turn out the vote. For his 2020 Wayne State University Board of Governors race, he received over 126,000 votes; hat’s impressive compared to the less than 77,000 votes that won Theis her the current seat on the State Senate.
Incumbent state Sen. Lana Theis won her 2018 primary with nearly 75% of the vote, and with 56% in the general election. The 2022 election could be much closer. Jordan Genso has the luxury of an unopposed Democratic primary. Theis is facing a strong challenge from Trump endorsed candidate Mike Detmer in the Republican primary. There has been a lot of media coverage on this race as the candidates have frequently attacked each other’s political positions, pushing one another farther and farther to the right. Elgas hopes what is considered a strongly red district may implode, leaving voters scrambling to find a candidate who matches their values.
The Libertarian party did not run a candidate for the senate seat in 2018, but the 2014 candidate Jeff Wood for District 22 (he received 3.1% of the votes) had this to say about the race,:“Theis and Detmer have disgraced themselves, their party, and Livingston County with their childish antics. I’ve known Jon Elgas for many years, and I’m proud to endorse him in his efforts to return civility to our local political sphere.”
You can follow Elgas’ campaign on his Facebook page. Contact him and his campaign team at elgasja@gmail.com.
Trevor Step, Secretary
Libertarian Party of Livingston County
