Michigan Congresswoman Stevens endorses Bloomberg for president

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens announced her endorsement for Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg Saturday, touting his plans to create jobs and prioritize working families.

"Michigan needs an economic champion in the White House, a leader who stands up for working families and can get an infrastructure deal done to unlock prosperity for all," Stevens said in a statement. "I know Mike Bloomberg will help grow Michigan's manufacturing economy, because I worked with him in the past to create advanced manufacturing jobs."

Stevens said she's endorsing Bloomberg for president because "he has the experience to unite the country and defeat Donald Trump," this fall.

"I am eager to work with him to tackle our toughest problems and strengthen the middle class, lower health care costs, and fight climate change," she said.

Stevens represents Michigan's 11th Congressional District, a district she flipped Democrat in 2018. Before being elected to Congress, Stevens served as the chief of staff to President Barack Obama’s U.S. Auto Rescue Task Force, the federal initiative responsible for working with General Motors and Chrysler.

She also helped in setting up the Office of Recovery for Automotive Communities and Workers, and the White House Office of Manufacturing Policy. After serving in the Obama Administration, Stevens worked in a manufacturing research lab focused on the future of work in the digital age.

"Congresswoman Haley Stevens has been a leader on economic recovery and revitalization, and she sees through President Trump’s empty rhetoric," Bloomberg said in a statement. "She knows the minimum wage has been the same for 10 years and that job growth in Michigan has been anemic. I’m honored to have her support, and I’m ready to work with her to bring more good jobs with higher pay to all the Michiganders who have been shortchanged by the Trump administration."

Bloomberg’s PAC spent $2.6 million to independently back Stevens in 2018.

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_