Democrat Hill Harper is running for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat. Though he and his opponent Elissa Slotkin are in the same party, Harper says there’s a “massive” difference between the two.
WKAR’s Melorie Begay spoke with Harper to learn more about who he is and what he aims to accomplish if elected.
Full Transcript:
Melorie Begay: You’re fairly new to Michigan’s political scene. What do you want voters to know about you.
Hill Harper: Well, first, I want them to know that I'm deeply committed to creating solutions for people. And I'm not interested in representing corporate PACs, big donors, lobbyists and those types of things, because that's actually who's being represented the most now. And then moreover, I want them to know my lived experience my background, so they understand my qualifications.
I'm not a career politician. And in this moment, that's actually a good thing. But I am a cancer survivor. I'm a 32-year union member who was elected to the national board of my union. I graduated from Brown University with a degree in Economics and Sociology. And I was valedictorian in my department. I then went to Harvard Law School, where I was classmates with Barack Obama. And I also got my Master's in Government from the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Eventually, Barack Obama appointed me to the president's cancer panel, where I worked with then Vice President Biden's office, and their moonshot to cancer and the National Institute of Health. And I was the national spokesperson for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which does voter protection work, I was the national spokesperson for the Innocence Project, which is why I'm firmly against the death penalty. It's also the national spokesperson for One Fair Wage, and the fact that we haven't raised our federal minimum wage since 2009 is outrageous.
And so, if people know my lived experience, and they know who I am, I think they will understand why I would make a great representative and a great US Senator, for them. And most importantly, I must say, I'm also the single dad of a young eight-year-old who just graduated second grade, my main man Pierce.
Begay: You grew up in Iowa, attended school on the East Coast and spent time in California to pursue acting. How did you come to call Michigan home? And why choose to start your political career here?
Harper: Sure, so when I was at Harvard Law School, both of my roommates were from Michigan. And so obviously, I met a great number of people, love the people. And remember, Michigan used to have a media tax credit, which we need to bring back here. And I did a number of projects here and it just reminded me that the best people in the world are here. And so, I said to myself, when I have kids, I'm going to raise them here, I want him to turn out like folks here.
There's an amazing combination of grit, creativity, and an old like, grandmama come on here, baby have a lemonade kindness that I love. And, and I want my son to experience that.
Begay: The U.S. Senate seat in Michigan is extremely competitive. Why choose to start at this level, rather than building your profile somewhere more localized? Specifically,
Harper: The simple fact is, is that when we think about where we are as a country, what the needs of Michiganders are, it runs through this Senate seat and my lived experience and where I am in my life, if you look at my resume, it exactly fits this seat.
And I use Elizabeth Warren as a great example. She was a professor at my law school. She was never elected to any elected office. She was never a legislator, and she's our best U.S. Senator out of the 100. I seek to follow in her footsteps.
The fact of having private sector experience having education, I've 10 honorary doctoral degrees I have, obviously, my multiple graduate degrees as well as specifically experience in working and serving in government, as a presidential appointee, has prepared me perfectly for this role. And also, let's just be honest: no special interest, no PACs, no super PACs have their hooks in me. I've refused AIPAC money.
Begay: How do you differentiate yourself from Elissa Slotkin, the other Democrat in this race?
Harper: There’s a massive chasm even though we're both Democrats in what I do. 74% of Michigan Democrats are in favor of ceasefire. I came out for ceasefire in November. There's a reason why she didn't.
And so, I believe that my values are much, much, much more in line with Michigan Democratic voters than hers and our momentum is proving that out. We have a massive amount of momentum right now because people are learning about her voting record and they're learning about what my priorities are.
I'm the only candidate in the race that's calling for the shutdown of Line 5, as an example. We have to protect our Great Lakes. I'm the only Democrat in this race, I'm the only person in this race on either side, that will fight against the expansion of Camp Grayling, one of number one PFAS polluters in our state. Folks like that.
I'm having folks that have ‘R’s by their name, saying I'm voting for you, because we want to be able to eat the fish that come out of our waterways. And we know you're going to fight environmentally. So, we're going win this thing because our values are in line with the voters in Michigan.
Begay: Hill Harper is running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan. Thank you, Hill, for joining me today.
Harper: Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.
This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Note: WKAR reached out to other candidates running for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, however, candidates either did not respond or could not schedule an interview in time for air time.
