Editor’s note: Michigan Farm Bureau has coordinated with the candidates for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat and the gubernatorial race to provide their responses to four questions to help you learn more about the candidate, their background, and agriculture-related views. In the interest of fairness and objectivity, staff did not write or edit the candidates’ submissions. Each profile is presented as submitted by the candidates.
U.S. Senate Candidates: Mallory McMorrow, Mike Rogers, and Haley Stevens
Candidates for Governor: Jocelyn Benson, Mike Cox, Mike Duggan, John James, Perry Johnson, Aric Nesbitt, Ralph Rebandt, and Kim Thomas
Haley Stevens – Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate
In your words, tell us who you are and why you’re the ideal candidate for U.S. Senate.
I'm Haley Stevens, and I've represented Michigan's 11th District since 2019. Before serving in Congress, I served as Chief of Staff of the Auto Rescue Task Force, helping save Michigan's auto industry and supply chains that run through every corner of our state including the equipment, processing, and logistics that Michigan agriculture depends on.
In Congress, I've focused on advanced manufacturing, workforce development, and standing up to China. In the Senate, I'll bring that same focus to fighting for Michigan farm families, defending our export markets, and making sure rural Michigan gets the federal investment and respect it has earned.
Farm profitability remains a major concern for many producers. What policies would you support to strengthen the farm economy, manage rising input costs like fertilizer, and improve long-term financial stability for farmers?
First, we must lower costs for farmers. The President’s blanket shoot from the hip tariffs are hurting our producers. Tariffs can be an important tool when used strategically to support industries, but what we are seeing is not that. We must put an end to the President’s blanket tariffs that are raising prices for farmers while making it harder to export their products. That is why I have introduced legislation that would require congressional approval before the President puts tariffs on farm inputs like fertilizers, manures, and agro-chemicals. In addition, we must support policies that will open new markets and avenues to sell their products. That is why I am proud to support year-round E-15 sales.
We must also invest in a federal farm safety net that actually works when prices fall or disasters hit, a crop insurance program producers can count on, and serious investment in the research and infrastructure that keeps Michigan competitive.
On long-term financial stability, the priorities are straightforward: accessible credit, strong support for beginning farmers, and policy that keeps Michigan farmland in the hands of working farm families rather than absorbed into distant investor portfolios. Michigan loses farmland every year, and reversing that starts with a profitable farm economy.
Workforce shortages continue to challenge many sectors of agriculture. What policies would you support to help farmers and agribusinesses attract and retain employees, and what role should programs such as H-2A play in meeting labor needs?
Labor is one of the most consistent concerns I hear from Michigan growers, and I take it seriously. As a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, workforce policy has been central to my work in Congress.
The most durable answer to the agricultural workforce challenge is a strong domestic pipeline. That means real federal investment in agricultural education, FFA, 4-H, and community college and technical programs that train the next generation of equipment technicians, agronomists, herd managers, and farm operators. Apprenticeships and career and technical education should be expanded for agriculture, connecting Michigan students and workers to the good-paying careers that exist on and around our farms.
On federal guest worker programs, I have supported bipartisan legislation to provide undocumented farmworkers a path to legal status, aimed at addressing labor shortages in the agriculture industry. We need to ensure that our producers have the labor they need to do their jobs. Any approach has to balance Michigan agriculture's workforce needs with protections for American workers. I'm committed to listening to all sides as we work toward durable solutions.
Federal policy plays a major role in agriculture through trade. How should the U.S. balance market access through trade agreements, enforcement against unfair trade practices, and utilization of tariffs?
Michigan agriculture is an export economy. Our soybeans, dairy, dry beans, cherries, apples, and processed food products depend on access to foreign markets, and trade policy has to start with that fact.
The U.S. has fallen behind on market access. While we've sat out new agreements, our competitors have signed them — and Michigan farmers have lost market share as a result. I support an active trade agenda that opens new markets for U.S. agricultural products, with strong, enforceable standards.
On enforcement, my work on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has reinforced what Michigan producers already know: China's unfair trade practices, intellectual property theft, and state subsidies harm American workers and farmers. Tough, targeted enforcement is legitimate and necessary.
On tariffs, we need an approach that works for Michigan farmers — not against them. Broad, across-the-board tariffs raise input costs, invite retaliation against Michigan ag exports, and create uncertainty that makes it impossible to plan a crop year. Tariff policy has to be strategic, predictable, and paired with real support for the farmers who absorb the consequences.
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