State Senator is first candidate to declare candidacy for the open seat being vacated by Senator Gary Peters
MICHIGAN — Calling herself, “A Democrat with a Backbone,” State Senator Mallory McMorrow announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate this week. McMorrow, a second term state senator made the announcement to supporters and would-be voters alike with a pre-recorded video.
According to her official campaign website:
“Mallory was raised with the small-town values she lives by today. Her front door was never locked, and kids from the neighborhood were always welcome to grab a snack, stay for dinner, or spend the night. Her mother worked full time, raised four kids and cared for her grandmother, who moved in when she was stricken with multiple sclerosis. The definition of hard work and selfless service, Mallory’s mom still found time to bring the community together for an annual town-wide yard sale and take Mallory and her siblings to volunteer at the local soup kitchen.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, at 12 years old, Mallory got her first job serving coffee at BINGO night at the local volunteer firehouse. By 16, she was a manager at a local family-run grocery store. She worked as a bartender and in various jobs on campus as she earned her degree from the University of Notre Dame, where she was nicknamed “car girl” by her classmates and in her senior year won an international car design competition. But when she graduated in the middle of the Great Recession of 2008 with no healthcare, no job prospects, and student loans coming due, Mallory went from designing cars to spending a few nights sleeping in the backseat of one as she tried to land on her feet.”
McMorrow rose to fame when she gave a speech on the floor of the Michigan Senate when she called out and shamed a colleague who made baseless and slander-filled attacks against McMorrow. McMorrow declared that she would not, “let hate win,” and became an instant star on the political media scene.
Her website describes the moment: When a right-wing state senator baselessly referred to Mallory as a “groomer” in a fundraising email, she took to the floor of the Michigan state Senate and, in a now-viral speech, she memorably declared that, “we will not let hate win.” The speech showcased her courage and moral clarity, leading James Carville to say “I’d show this tape as an instructional video,” and the New York Times to label her “one of the Democratic Party’s most promising young talents.”
McMorrow is the author of a recently released book titled, “Hate Won’t Win: Find Your Power and Leave This Place Better than you Found It”
She and her husband Ray were married in Detroit’s Eastern Market. Along with their young daughter and rescue dog, they’re proud to call Royal Oak home.
