LANSING (AP) — Former Macomb County judge and prosecutor Carl Marlinga on Monday announced his campaign for a new House seat in suburban Detroit, becoming the fourth Democrat to enter the primary for what may be among Michigan's most competitive congressional races this fall.
Marlinga, 75, retired from the bench last month after serving nine years. He said he would focus on ensuring there are good-paying U.S. jobs and bringing back the supply chain from countries like China.
“I love the community and as someone who has lived in the community all my life, I understand the hopes, aspirations and challenges of the families and small businesses who are my neighbors and whom I have served for nearly 40 years,” he said in a statement.
The contest for the 10th Congressional District, which includes south Macomb County and a portion of Oakland County, has no incumbent after redistricting. Then-President Donald Trump narrowly won the turf in 2020, and political analysts say it leans Republican.
Other Democratic candidates in the August primary are ex-state lawmaker and current Sterling Heights council member Henry Yanez, Warren council member Angela Rogensues and activist Huwaida Arraf. The Republican candidate is businessman and war veteran John James, a two-time U.S. Senate nominee.
Marlinga was Macomb County's elected prosecutor for 20 years until 2004, when he was charged with helping a man obtain a new rape trial in exchange for contributions to Marlinga's failed 2002 congressional campaign. A federal jury acquitted Marlinga in 2006.
The Michigan Republican Party called Marlinga “corrupt” and said he cannot run because the state constitution prohibits judges from seeking a non-judicial office until one year after leaving office. Marlinga's campaign said the provision cannot supersede the U.S. Constitution's House eligibility requirements, which include no such restriction.
Abby Mitch, spokesperson for the James campaign, said he “looks forward to putting his record and ideas up against those of the far-left radicals in this growing field of Democrats" and is eager to campaign against candidates “indicted on bribery and corruption.”
Marlinga campaign manager Steve Steinhardt said he is the “most formidable” candidate and has deep community roots, noting that James — of Oakland County — lives outside the district.
“Voters want someone who understands them and the challenges they face, not someone who is just shopping for a district as a way to get into Congress,” he said.
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