Michigan's 77th House District remains a solidly Democratic district, with the party holding an advantage of more than 20 points based on the results of the previous collection. The district represents portions of Ingham, Clinton and Eaton Counties.
Emily Dievendorf – Democrat – Incumbent
State Rep. Emily Dievendorf is seeking their second term in office. The Democrat has represented Michigan’s 77th District since 2022.
During Dievendorf’s time in office, they have supported progressive policies like the expansion of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include protections for LGBTQ+ people. If elected, they plan to propose a “Renter’s Bill of Rights” in hopes of “rebalancing power between landlords and tenants."
“That would be to bar discrimination based on criminal backgrounds, as well as to ensure that all of our tenants have access to the right to legal counsel,” Dievendorf said.
During their time in office, Dievendorf has sponsored legislation to reform the fees and costs associated with youth involvement in the juvenile justice system.
Dievendorf also sits on the state House's Agriculture, Criminal Justice and Judiciary Committees.
Dievendorf once served as the executive director for Equality Michigan, president of the Lansing Association of Human Rights and was appointed in 2015 to the Michigan Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. They also worked as staff in the Michigan House of Representatives for various legislators including as chief of staff for former state Rep. Andy Coulouris.
As of July 21, Dievendorf has received $11,993 in contributions with nearly $10,000 on hand according to filings from the State Bureau of Elections.
Angie Matthews – Democrat - Challenger
Democratic challenger Angie Matthews is a first-time candidate and the chair of the Lansing Community College Board of Trustees. She’s running under the slogan: a voice of strength for necessary change.
“It is just a passion to serve, as well as to make sure there's legislation that is proposed and passed, that impacts people's daily lives for the better,” Matthews said.
She said legislation focused on education, economic and workforce development, environmental sustainability and inclusion should be top priorities.
“There are also rural communities within the district that must be shown care and consideration,” Matthews said. “Farmers work extremely hard to grow the best crop and produce and there’s not enough respect in this specialized work.”
Matthews, a middle school teacher in the Lansing School District, plans to bring her experiences as an educator to the legislature by proposing initiatives aimed at developing the future workforce for agriculture.
She is the president of the African American Trustees Caucus of the Association of Community College Trustees and serves on the leadership council of the senior pastor of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church.
Latest filings for Matthews weren't immediately available on the State Bureau of Elections database.
Julie DeRose – Republican
Republican candidate Julie DeRose has lived in Dewitt for over 25 years and says if elected, she will focus on improving community safety and expanding education.
“We want to be safe. We want to have good schools. We don’t want the government spending our money frivolously or behind our backs,” said DeRose. “We want to take care of our farmers. We want to take care of our small businesses.”
If elected, DeRose plans to prioritize integrating real-world skills into public school curricula.
“Skills to show up on time, be respectful and work with other people performing good customer service,” she added.
DeRose has experience in housing education with the Lansing Housing Coalition and has also worked with the Michigan Department of Corrections to develop a trades training program for incarcerated individuals. She’s also a licensed insurance agent, realtor, landlord and family business owner.
DeRose received $5,539 in campaign contributions according to the latest state elections filings.
Cady Ness-Smith – Republican
GOP candidate Cady Ness-Smith of Eagle Township is a registered nurse who says she’s running because she wants to see local government oversee wind and solar projects.
She would focus on prioritizing legislation that would keep wind turbines and solar panels away from farmland.
“I also advocate for revitalizing those brown sites and Michigan, those old, abandoned factory sites that are polluted. They need to be cleaned up,” Ness-Smith said.
If elected, Ness-Smith says she wants to expand healthcare access to ensure that people do not forgo necessary care due to cost.
“I also want to restore an income tax credit so that people can have something to tide them over until this economy rights itself,” Ness-Smith added.
Ness-Smith’s background is in critical care and hospice as well as being a healthcare manager and clinical educator.
According to the latest filings with the State Bureau of Elections, Ness-Smith received $3,300 in contributions.
