Summary
Current Position: US Representative of MI 9th District since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Other Positions:
Vice Chair, Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation
Quote:
Look at this amazing piece created by young artists in support of my BUILD GREEN Act with @SenWarren
and @AOC! The next generation of organizers and activists has already picked up that the arts are vitally important to the struggle for justice. Very impressive!
Featured Video:
Congressman Andy Levin on $15 minimum wage and COVID relief
OnAir Post: Andy Levin – MI9
News
I just hosted a Zoom call with suburban Detroit educators. It was heart-wrenching.
They spoke of teachers asking about life insurance and legal services to ensure their wills are in order. They talked about administrators doing their best to prepare for fall, but unable — because of inaction from the Senate on additional federal relief—to budget or plan. And because the Trump administration has so politicized Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) guidance to schools, folks don’t know how reliable it is.
Amidst a pandemic, 90% of what we’re fighting is not disease, but denial of reality and science.
We’re also fighting against time. There is so much we needed to do differently at the start of the pandemic — chief among them, ramping up a national contact tracing and testing program. Countries like Germany and South Korea offer a view of what could be, contained infection rates and children back in the classroom.
Despite the months lost, though, we can still get ahead of COVID-19.
About
Source: Government page
A union organizer, human rights activist, workforce policy expert and green energy entrepreneur, Congressman Andy Levin has spent his career fighting for an equitable and inclusive future for all people. He’s bringing that fight to Congress as the proud representative for Michigan’s 9th District.
Andy has been advocating for working families since the 1980s, when he organized hundreds of health care workers for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). After working with Haitian immigrant workers, Andy co-founded an organization to assist immigrants with challenges posed by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
Continuing his work to strengthen organized labor, Andy worked in Washington, D.C. as a staff attorney to the presidential Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations and also in the secretary’s office of the U.S. Department of Labor. Andy worked with unions and employers on legislation critical for workers’ rights including the National Labor Relations Act, the proposed TEAM Act, the Federal Transit’s Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
From 1995-2006, Andy served as Assistant Director of Organizing at the national AFL-CIO, where he created and ran Union Summer, helped many unions with collaborative organizing campaigns around the country, and created and led the Voice@Work Campaign, which organized the national movement to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
Andy took his advocacy work to the Michigan state government, where he created and ran the state’s No Work Left Behind initiative that helped more than 160,000 unemployed and underemployed Michiganders go back to school during the Great Recession. On a mission to unite sustainability and workforce development, Andy also helped create Michigan’s Green Jobs Initiative in 2008 and the Green Jobs Report in 2009. Andy went on to create the Michigan Academy for Green Mobility Alliance (MAGMA), which trained hundreds of unemployed and incumbent engineers to electrify cars.
In 2011, Andy founded Levin Energy Partners LLC as an entrepreneurial force to help shape Michigan’s and America’s energy future. Andy created and ran a statewide market to finance clean energy building improvements called Lean & Green Michigan, which has become one of the most innovative Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs in the US. In 2018, Andy’s program helped a wide variety of building owners initiate $17,900,000 in clean energy projects.
Andy has worked on human rights for decades, including doing legal work for asylum seekers in the US and investigating and reporting on human rights abuses in Haiti, China and Tibet.
Born in Detroit and raised in Berkley, MI, Andy is an honors graduate of Williams College and Harvard Law School and holds a Masters Degree from the University of Michigan in Asian Languages and Cultures, where he was a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities.
Andy has long been active in the spiritual and social justice life of the Jewish community. Until his election to Congress, he served as president of a Reconstructionist Jewish synagogue, Congregation T’chiyah, and as chair of the steering committee of Detroit Jews for Justice, an organization he helped create to fight for racial and economic justice in Detroit.
Andy married his high school sweetheart Mary Freeman in 1991. They have four children — Koby, Saul, Ben, and Molly — and live in Bloomfield Township.
Andy learned and worked in Haitian Creole and Tibetan and also studied French, Sanskrit, and Hindi. He remains an avid ice hockey player and enjoys yoga, mountain biking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and other wilderness adventures.
Voting Record
Caucuses
Congressional Progressive Caucus (Deputy Whip)
Medicare for All
Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
Pro-Choice
LGBT Equality
Armenian
Ukranian
PFAS Task Force
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Alzheimer’s Task Force
Cancer Survivors Caucus
Crohns and Colitis Caucus
Manufacturing Caucus
Anti-Semitism Task Force
Blue Collar Task Force
Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity
Freshman Working Group on Addiction
India Caucus
Autism Caucus
International Labor Rights Caucus
Congressional Animal Protection Caucus
Task Force on Aging and Families
Latino Jewish Caucus
Black Jewish Caucus
Public Works & Infrastructure Caucus
Great Lakes Task Force
Future of Transportation Caucus
French Caucus
Offices
Experience
Work Experience
- Chairman, Co-founder
Detroit Jews for Justice
Education
- Bachelor’s degree
Williams College - Master’s degree
University of Michigan - Juris Doctor
Harvard Law School
Personal
Born in Detroit and raised in Berkley, MI, Andy is an honors graduate of Williams College and Harvard Law School and holds a Masters Degree from the University of Michigan in Asian Languages and Cultures, where he was a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities.
Andy has long been active in the spiritual and social justice life of the Jewish community. Until his election to Congress, he served as president of a Reconstructionist Jewish synagogue, Congregation T’chiyah, and as chair of the steering committee of Detroit Jews for Justice, an organization he helped create to fight for racial and economic justice in Detroit.
Andy married his high school sweetheart Mary Freeman in 1991. They have four children — Koby, Saul, Ben, and Molly — and live in Bloomfield Township.
Andy learned and worked in Haitian Creole and Tibetan and also studied French, Sanskrit, and Hindi. He remains an avid ice hockey player and enjoys yoga, mountain biking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and other wilderness adventures.
Contact
Email:
Offices
Washington, D.C.
228 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: Phone: (202) 225-4961
Warren
30500 Van Dyke Avenue
Suite 306
Warren, MI 48093
Phone: Phone: (586) 498-7122
Web
Government Page, Campaign Site, Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia
Politics
Source: none
Campaign Finance
Open Secrets – We Follow the Money
Voting Record
VoteSmart – Key Votes & Ratings
Search
Wikipedia Entry
Andrew Saul Levin (born August 10, 1960) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Michigan’s 9th congressional district from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Levin was elected to the House in 2018, succeeding his retiring father, Sander Levin. He is the nephew of Carl Levin, formerly Michigan’s U.S. senator.[1]
Early life and education
Levin was born on August 10, 1960,[2] to parents Sander Levin and Vicki Schlafer. Sander was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1982. Andy grew up in Huntington Woods, MI with two sisters, Jennifer and Madeleine, and a brother, Matthew.[3]
Levin graduated from Williams College with a bachelor’s degree. He earned a master’s degree in Asian languages and culture from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.[4]
Early career
Levin was a staff attorney for the U.S. Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations in 1994 and worked as a trade union organizer and director. He ran as a Democrat for the 13th district seat in the Michigan State Senate in 2006.[5] He lost to Republican John Pappageorge by 0.6% of the vote.[6] After the election, he directed Voice@Work, a program seeking to expand trade union membership.[1]
In 2007, Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed Levin deputy director in the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth (DELEG).[7] He oversaw the “No Worker Left Behind” program, which provided job training to unemployed workers.[8] In 2009, Granholm named him chief workforce officer.[9] In 2010, Granholm named him acting director of DELEG, a role he served in until the end of her administration in 2011.[10][11] He founded the clean energy firm Levin Energy Partners LLC and serves as president of Lean & Green Michigan.[4]
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2018
Levin ran to succeed his father in the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan’s 9th congressional district.[12] He defeated former State Representative Ellen Lipton and attorney Martin Brook in the primary election with 52.5% of the vote.[13] Levin defeated Republican businesswoman Candius Stearns in the general election.[14]
2020
Levin ran for a second term in 2020. He defeated Republican Charles Langworthy and several minor candidates, with 57.8% of the vote.[15]
2022
In the 2022 Democratic primary, Levin lost to fellow incumbent Democrat Haley Stevens. As a result of redistricting, Michigan lost a seat in the House of Representatives, resulting in Stevens’ and Levin’s districts being combined, though the resulting district contained more of Stevens’ original voters.[16]
Known for his critical views of hard-line Israeli policies, Levin was opposed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which provided $4 million for a negative publicity campaign against his candidacy. Levin has said, “AIPAC can’t stand the idea that I am the clearest, strongest Jewish voice in Congress standing for a simple proposition: that there is no way to have a secure, democratic homeland for the Jewish people unless we achieve the political and human rights of the Palestinian people.”[17][18]
Tenure
In November 2020, The New York Times reported rumors that Levin was considered a possible candidate for Secretary of Labor in the Biden administration; Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh was ultimately named to the post in 2021.[19] He supports workplace measures and potential unionization of congressional staff.[20]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Progressive Caucus (Deputy Whip)[21]
- Medicare for All Caucus
- House Pro-Choice Caucus[22]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andy Levin | 49,612 | 52.4 | |
| Democratic | Ellen Lipton | 40,174 | 42.5 | |
| Democratic | Martin Brook | 4,865 | 5.1 | |
| Total votes | 94,651 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andy Levin | 181,734 | 59.7 | |
| Republican | Candius Stearns | 112,123 | 36.8 | |
| Working Class | Andrea Kirby | 6,797 | 2.2 | |
| Green | John McDermott | 3,909 | 1.3 | |
| Total votes | 304,563 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Andy Levin | 230,318 | 57.7 | |
| Republican | Charles Langworthy | 153,296 | 38.4 | |
| Working Class | Andrea Kirby | 8,970 | 2.2 | |
| Libertarian | Mike Saliba | 6,532 | 1.6 | |
| Total votes | 399,116 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Haley Stevens | 70,508 | 59.91 | |
| Democratic | Andy Levin | 47,117 | 40.04 | |
| Total votes | 117,681 | 100.0 | ||
Personal life
Levin and his wife Mary (née Freeman) have four children, and live in Bloomfield Township.[4] Levin is Jewish.
See also
- 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan
- List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
References
- ^ a b Amann, Paula (January 18, 2007). “In Focus: Andy Levin”. Washington Jewish Week. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ “Michigan new members 2019”. The Hill. November 15, 2018. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ “Rep. Sander Levin’s wife Victoria Levin dies at 74”. Crains Detroit Business. Associated Press. September 4, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c “Andy Levin announces bid for father’s seat in Congress”. Crainsdetroit.com. December 6, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Levin says Pappageorge resorting to dirty tricks | News”. theoaklandpress.com. October 28, 2006. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Pappageorge defeats Levin”. The Oakland Press. November 8, 2006. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Gov. Granholm, Director Swanson announce appointment of Andy Levin as Department of Labor & Economic Growth Deputy Director”. US Fed News Service. January 11, 2007. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
- ^ “Michigan’s No Worker Left Behind program reaches capacity as funding dries up”. MLive.com. June 29, 2010. Archived from the original on July 3, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Granholm names Andy Levin as Michigan’s chief workforce officer; will oversee state’s workforce services”. MLive.com. November 4, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Andy Levin rules out run for Michigan governor”. Detroitnews.com. November 21, 2017. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Andy Levin to lead state department for energy, economy”. MLive.com. Associated Press. July 19, 2010. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Andy Levin looks to take dad Sander Levin’s seat in Congress”. Freep.com. July 13, 2018. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Andy Levin wins decisive victory in 9th Congressional District”. Freep.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ “Democrat Andy Levin wins father’s U.S. House seat”. Detroitnews.com. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ Burke, Melissa Nann. “Levin wins second term in Congress”. The Detroit News. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Allen, Jonathan (August 2, 2022). “Rep. Haley Stevens ends Levin political dynasty in brutal Democratic primary,’“. NBC News.
- ^ Austin Ahlman,‘AIPAC Defeats Andy Levin, the Most Progressive Jewish Representative,’ The Intercept 3 August 2022
- ^ Chris McGreal, ‘Pro-Israel groups denounced after pouring funds into primary race,’ The Guardian 4 August 2022
- ^ “Who Are Contenders for Biden’s Cabinet?”. The New York Times. November 11, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Ben Terris. (12 May 2023). “The Drug-Fueled Protest in Dianne Feinstein’s Office You Haven’t Heard About”. Politico website Retrieved 12 May 2023.
- ^ “Caucus Members”. Congressional Progressive Caucus. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ House Pro-Choice Caucus
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
Recent Elections
2018 of 9th
| Andy Levin (D) | 181,734 | 59.7% |
| Candius Stearns (R) | 112,123 | 36.8% |
| Andrea Kirby () | 6,797 | 2.2% |
| John McDermott (G) | 3,903 | 1.3% |
| TOTAL | 304,557 |
Source: Ballotpedia
Finances
LEVIN, ANDY has run in 3 races for public office, winning 1 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $3,044,719.
Source: Open Secrets
Committees
Committees
Committee on Education and Labor (vice chair)
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittees
Higher Education and Workforce Investment
Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions
Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation
Voting Record
See: Government Page
Issues
Source: Government page
Committees
Committee on Education and Labor
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions. Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation (Vice Chair), Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, Migration and International Economic Policy
Legislation
Learn more about legislation sponsored and co-sponsored by Representative Levin.
Issues
Democracy
As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and long-time human rights advocate, I am committed to fighting for civil and human rights for all people at home and abroad.
The U.S. must partner with our neighbors across the globe to maintain national security and peace, fight infectious disease, and tackle injustice. We have to keep our commitments and continue to invest in foreign assistance, without which we cannot hope to achieve a more peaceful and prosperous world. And we must always choose diplomacy and engagement over saber-rattling and war.
We must also fight immigration policies that violate the rights of those seeking safety in our country. Policies like separating families and detaining children are an abomination, and we must reunify families while affording people—especially those who have spent years living, working and paying taxes here—a fair, legal path to citizenship.
Immigrants in our communities also deserve not to be treated as a monolith, but to have their cases heard individually in immigration courts. That is why I introduced the bipartisan Deferred Removal for Iraqi Nationals Including Minorities Act to protect Iraqi nationals—including Chaldean Christians—who will face persecution for their religion, ethnicity or ties to America if they are forced back to Iraq against their will.
Economy
Every policy decision I make as a Member of Congress and as the vice chair of the Education and Labor Committee is about raising the standard of living for working people and guaranteeing economic justice for all. Our country, our economy and our education system must work for every American—not just a wealthy few.
As we work to restore economic mobility and rebuild the middle class in America, we must make sure that that a full-time job guarantees the ability to live with dignity. This means restoring the freedom to form unions and organize collectively, raising the minimum wage, establishing a national paid leave insurance program so everyone can afford to take necessary time off to care for themselves and their loved ones, and ensuring strong workplace protections so that no one has to face discrimination, harassment or unsafe conditions on the job. In fact, the first bill I introduced as a Member of Congress, H.J. Res. 44, would reverse a Trump administration rule that eliminated certain protections for workers in cases of workplace injuries.
We must also ensure all children and Americans, regardless of their zip code, have access to a safe place to live and a high-quality education that provides them with the resources and support necessary to reach their full potential. Investing in universal public education from pre-school to college and enhancing our trade school programs and workplace training will build a strong future for Michigan’s kids and workers.
Affordable housing, an equitable education system, effective worker training programs and strong worker protections lift all working families and will help build a stronger economy for Michigan and our nation.
Environment
Over the past three decades, Michigan has seen unprecedented rises in temperature, heavier rainfalls, and more extreme weather events due to climate change.
Climate change is damaging our Great Lakes, forests, and farm lands, all of which are vital to our Michigan way of life. As a nature lover and committed environmentalist, I cannot overstate how important it is for our nation to protect our environment and address climate change with urgency and creativity. This means investing in green renewable energy resources that will create reliable, good-paying jobs, keeping the commitments our country made in the Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions, and ensuring full funding for vital conservation programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
In addition to tackling climate change, we must also take action to fight pollutants that plague our air, land and waterways and poison our drinking water. Sadly, Michigan is all too familiar with the dangers that unsafe and polluted drinking water pose for our communities. Dangerous levels of toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—man-made chemicals that are used in many consumer products and industrial applications—are consistently being found across our great state. That’s why I joined the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force, which works to urgently address the public health threat created by these dangerous chemicals, protect our communities and ensure access to safe drinking water.
Health Care
As a two-time cancer survivor and father of two kids with Crohn’s disease, I know that health care is a human right—not a privilege for those who can afford it.
Right now, we live in a country where pharmaceutical companies make billions in profits while working people have to crowd-sourc funding to cover their health care costs. And, despite all the money we’re spending, Americans still have worse health outcomes compared to other countries. It doesn’t have to be this way.
We have the means to streamline our bloated, cumbersome health care system by expanding Medicare—a program that already works—to cover every American. This is the surest way to guarantee health care for all while strengthening protections for people with pre-existing conditions and lowering inhumane and unsustainable prescription drug costs. That is why I am an original cosponsor of the Medicare for All Act.
At the same time, until we build the political consensus to achieve that big picture change, we have to defend and expand the Affordable Care Act to protect people with pre-existing conditions and lower drug costs. That’s why I introduced the STOP GAMES Act, which would prevent drug companies from gaming the system and ultimately help cheaper, generic drugs come to market faster.
We must also treat our nation’s gun violence epidemic like the public health crisis that it is. After the Sandy Hook school shooting, we said never again. After the Orlando nightclub shooting, we said never again. After the Parkland, FL shooting, we said never again. Thoughts and prayers are no longer—and have never been—enough.
It is past time for our country to enact gun safety laws that will save lives and end the horrors of gun violence. As a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I promise to make good on our word when we say, “never again.” Sensible gun safety laws like universal background checks, banning assault weapons and undetectable firearms, and stopping online ammunition sales will prevent gun violence and protect our loved ones.
