Jason Woolford, a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps and now a reverend and president of Mission Cry, defeated Republican Rep. Bob Bezotte Jr. of Howell in the primary and easily won the 50th House District seat in the general election.
It was Woolford’s second attempt at running for the House. He was defeated by Rep. Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor) for the 48th House District seat in 2022.
Woolford told Gongwer News Service he is prepared to serve based on his diverse background, growing up poor, joining the military, being a leader in multiple businesses and now running a global nonprofit.
Q: What was the tipping point in your decision to run?
Woolford: “As a patriot, as a Marine, what was the tipping point for me was the admin state government actions during the pandemic.”
Q: What committee do you think you have the best experience for?
Woolford: “I think one of the most obvious ones is Veterans and Military Affairs. Livingston County sends more people to join the military than any county in the state.”
Q: What’s the first bill you plan to introduce?
Woolford: “I’m not sure on what the first bill I want to propose. One of the things that’s most near and dear to my heart is the attack on women and girls in the state.”
Q: What’s the one thing you hope the House passes during the upcoming term?
Woolford: “I would like to see something done on this economic crisis that we’re in. Seeing the budget going up $30 billion in two years is ludicrous.”
Q: What member of the House from your party are you most looking forward to work with and why?
Woolford: “I’m just in the process of meeting a lot of members, a lot of these individuals. It’s more getting to know all of these representatives.”
Q: Which member from the other party are you interested in working with and why?
Woolford: “Same. I haven’t had an opportunity to meet any of them or talk to them in detail. Definitely looking forward to listening and learning.”
Q: What have you learned about serving in the House that surprised you?
Woolford: “I don’t know if I was surprised by anything, but it’s fascinating to see the importance of this job.”
Q: What’s something unique about your district you would like the rest of the Legislature to know?
Woolford: “Our district is half urban, half farmland. It’s very diverse, as it relates to being half and half both urban and rural. It’s very patriotic. It speaks a lot of the people. It’s a very service-oriented community.”
– By Nick Smith
