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Erika Geiss

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Erika Geiss
Image of Erika Geiss
Michigan State Senate District 1
Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor
Prior offices
Michigan House of Representatives District 12
Successor: Alex Garza

Michigan State Senate District 6
Successor: Mary Cavanagh
Predecessor: Hoon-Yung Hopgood

Compensation

Base salary

$71,685/year

Per diem

No per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense allowance of $10,800/year for session and interim.

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Brandeis University, 1993

Graduate

Tufts University, 1998

Personal
Profession
Professor
Contact

Erika Geiss (Democratic Party) is a member of the Michigan State Senate, representing District 1. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Geiss (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Michigan State Senate to represent District 1. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Geiss is a former Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing District 12 from 2015 to 2019.

Biography

Erika Geiss lives in Taylor, Michigan.[1] Geiss earned a B.A. in developmental and child psychology from Brandeis University in 1993 and an M.A. in art and architectural history from Tufts University in 1998.[1][2] Her career experience includes working as an adjunct faculty member with the Wayne County Community College District, an editor and proofreader with Red Pencil Editing Services, and a freelance writer.[2]

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Geiss was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Geiss was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Geiss was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Michigan committee assignments, 2017
Commerce and Trade
Michigan Competitiveness, Vice chair
Workforce and Talent Development

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Geiss served on the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2022

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Michigan State Senate District 1

Incumbent Erika Geiss defeated Erik Soderquist in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 1 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erika Geiss
Erika Geiss (D)
 
71.6
 
53,475
Erik Soderquist (R)
 
28.4
 
21,243

Total votes: 74,718
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 1

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 1 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erika Geiss
Erika Geiss
 
32.3
 
6,824
Image of Brenda Sanders
Brenda Sanders
 
23.3
 
4,912
Image of Frank Liberati
Frank Liberati
 
22.9
 
4,842
Shellee Brooks
 
9.9
 
2,089
Image of Ricardo Moore
Ricardo Moore
 
7.9
 
1,673
Carl Schwartz
 
3.7
 
774

Total votes: 21,114
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 1

Erik Soderquist advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 1 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Erik Soderquist
 
100.0
 
7,320

Total votes: 7,320
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

2018

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Michigan State Senate District 6

Erika Geiss defeated Brenda Jones in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 6 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erika Geiss
Erika Geiss (D)
 
61.3
 
60,789
Image of Brenda Jones
Brenda Jones (R)
 
38.7
 
38,301

Total votes: 99,090
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 6

Erika Geiss defeated Robert Kosowski in the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 6 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erika Geiss
Erika Geiss
 
65.4
 
19,596
Image of Robert Kosowski
Robert Kosowski
 
34.6
 
10,359

Total votes: 29,955
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 6

Brenda Jones advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 6 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Brenda Jones
Brenda Jones
 
100.0
 
12,013

Total votes: 12,013
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 19, 2016.

Incumbent Erika Geiss defeated Erik Soderquist in the Michigan House of Representatives District 12 general election.[3]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 12 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Erika Geiss Incumbent 67.11% 24,716
     Republican Erik Soderquist 32.89% 12,112
Total Votes 36,828
Source: Michigan Secretary of State


Incumbent Erika Geiss defeated Edward Martell in the Michigan House of Representatives District 12 Democratic primary.[4][5]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 12 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Erika Geiss Incumbent 76.70% 3,976
     Democratic Edward Martell 23.30% 1,208
Total Votes 5,184


Erik Soderquist ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 12 Republican primary.[4][5]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 12 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Erik Soderquist  (unopposed)

Endorsements

For 2016, Geiss' endorsements included the following:[6]
Individuals:

  • Rick Sollars - Mayor, City of Taylor
  • LeRoy Burcroff - Mayor, City of Romulus
  • Ellen Craig-Bragg - Romulus City Clerk
  • Cindy Bower - Clerk, City of Taylor
  • Leon Wright - Van Buren Twp. Clerk
  • Edward Bourassa - Treasurer, City of Taylor
  • Stacy Paige - Treasurer, City of Romulus
  • Linda Parker-Craig - City Council Chair, City of Taylor
  • Angela Croft - Council Chair Pro-Tem, City of Taylor
  • Celeste Roscoe - City Council, City of Romulus
  • Alex Garza - Councilman, City of Taylor
  • Charley Johnson - Councilman, City of Taylor
  • Raymond Basham - Wayne County Commissioner
  • Debbie Stellini - Taylor School Board; Chair, Taylor Reading Corps.
  • Bobby Masters - Vice Pres., Taylor School Board
  • Al Haidous - Wayne County Commissioner
  • John Barden - Pres. Romulus City Council; Mayor Pro-tem
  • Tim Wooley - Councilman, City of Taylor
  • Madeline Arkuski - Pres. Romulus Democratic Club
  • Rep. Bill LaVoy
  • Sen. David Knezek
  • Rep. Julie Plawecki
  • Rep. Robert Kosowski
  • Rep. Leslie Love
  • Rep. Tim Greimel - House Minority Leader
  • Kathy Abdo - Romulus City Council
  • Sylvia J. Makowski - Romulus City Council Treas.
  • Sharry A. Budd - Van Buren Twp.
  • Brenda McClanahan - Van Buren Twp. Trustee
  • Phillip C. Hart - Van Buren Twp. Trustee
  • Emily Mixter - Pres. Downriver Young Democrats
  • Bill Wadsworth - Romulus City Council
  • Tom Zorn - Secretary, Taylor School Board
  • Blaine Honeycutt - Vice Pres. Taylor School Board
  • Devan Safford - Romulus School Board
  • Deborah Vogel, RN

Organizations:

  • Romulus Democratic Club
  • Democratic Club of Taylor
  • Taylor Federation of Teachers
  • Iron Workers Local 25
  • Political Education Ctte.
  • UAW-CAP
  • Greater Detroit Building & Construction Trades Council
  • Sierra Club Michigan Chapter
  • EMILY's List
  • Michigan Nurses Association
  • Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters
  • Sheet Metal Workers Local 80
  • Michigan Teamsters Joint Council No. 43
  • PPAM
  • POAM
  • AFSCME 25
  • Michigan League of Conservation Voters
  • Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union
  • 12th Congressional District Democrats
  • Down River Association of Realtors

2014

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Erika Geiss was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Kelly Thompson was unopposed in the Republican primary. Geiss defeated Thompson in the general election. Alexis Brice Martell (D) withdrew before the primary.[7][8][9][10]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 12 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngErika Geiss 69.6% 15,334
     Republican Kelly Thompson 30.4% 6,696
Total Votes 22,030

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Erika Geiss did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2016

Geiss' website highlighted the following themes:[11]

While Michigan's residents still face many issues, Representative Geiss believes that continually addressing the issues of education, jobs and the economy as well as healthy families/healthy communities at the legislative and policy levels will help create a better Michigan for today and tomorrow. Addressing preKindergarten through post-secondary education are critical for ensuring that Michiganders can have a strong social and economic footing. We need to prioritze [sic] better investment in education at all levels and to ensure that there is equality and equity in education across the board. Along this line, investment in workforce & talent development in post-secondary education—whether career-tech education, community college, traditional college/university and professional development—will help ensure that Michiganders can have and keep jobs to sustain themselves, their families and communities. And working on improving public health polices that help communities, indivudials [sic] and families be and stay healthy and thrive are also critical issues that Geiss will continue.[12]

2014

Geiss' website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Education

Let's make all Michigan students competitive with their peers across the country, Michigan schools national role models and Michigan a place where learning doesn't end just because one has earned a diploma.

  • Work to Improve preK-12 public funding.
  • Use data-driven information to preserve parental education choices and improve them without sacrificing public education.
  • Work with school districts to help them put viable, "SMART" goals in place in order to avoid closing and damaging communities.
  • Improve preK-12 school schedules to be better aligned with family needs and recent research in child development and neuroscience.
  • Improve college and workplace readiness for all students and opportunities for life-long learning/education for those already in the workforce across industries and disciplines.
  • Continued focused attention on reducing the drop-out rate.
  • Examine focusing on STEAM education, not just STEM education and allow schools and districts to implement using different teaching and learning models in order to set students up for success instead of setting them up for failure because not all students learn the same way.

Jobs & The Economy

When people have jobs, a fair wage and work-related satisfaction, they contribute to the local and state economy. When there are viable jobs in a community and opportunities for employees to improve themselves and their lives, companies, the community, the economy and individuals thrive.

  • Fight to increase the minimum wage to a fair, sustainable living wage and remove the ability of companies to require candidates and new hires to sign documents that waive their constitutional rights as a condition of employment.
  • Fight to completely close the gender-wage gap to make Michigan an equal pay state across all industries.
  • Provide realistic job-training, professional development opportunities regardless of industry.
  • Promote progress on the Aerotropolis by promoting the Willow Run-Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) Detroit Region Aerotropolis to attract and retain business, industry and local jobs and serve as a catalyst to economic growth in our towns.
  • Support a diversified portfolio of business types by creating a friendly business climate for small businesses, entrepreneurs and work-at-home professionals.
  • Support using yesterday's business infrastructure to build for today and tomorrow. Promote using and retooling parts of our manufacturing infrastructure and applying the expertise in Michigan to make the state friendly to today's in-demand fields and industries with an eye towards the future.
  • Encourage partnerships to help improve today's workforce and train tomorrow's with more public-private partnerships for job-training/co-op programs for students and for adults who are jobless, low-wage earners or underemployed.

Healthy Families & Healthy Communities

Health is not limited to physical health, but also well-being. When families and communities are healthy and have the tools, support and resources to be healthy, they thrive. When individuals are healthy, they can work and attend school. When people can work and go to school, they earn more (in both the short term and the long term), and when people earn more, they are able to contribute more and take pride in their communities in both small and large ways.

  • Support improving family health with access to tools, information and support for all families to have paid sick leave regardless of industry
  • Improve pre-natal, infant and early childhood health including providing better maternity/paternity/adoption leave and education on the benefits of breastfeeding and the destigmatization of nursing mothers.
  • Improve senior health and access to information, tools and support for seniors and their families/caregivers.
  • Improved, realistic teen-pregnancy information and prevention.
  • Support using schools as family community centers, to not only educate students, but also provide the wrap-around and support services that parents, families and communities need to thrive.
  • Address and restrict environmental and industrial hazards that affect the health and well-being of citizens.
  • Address Welfare so that it is a life line only, not a lifestyle and work to reduce legacies of Welfare and poverty with improved job training and life skills.
  • Ensure that returning Veterans are reintegrated into our communities and have the support they and their families need.[13][12]

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Erika Geiss campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2022Michigan State Senate District 1Won general$114,061 $0
2018Michigan State Senate District 6Won general$152,529 N/A**
2016Michigan House of Representatives, District 12Won $44,174 N/A**
2014Michigan House of Representatives, District 12Won $34,040 N/A**
Grand total$344,803 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Michigan

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Michigan scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.


2024


2023


2022


2021


2020


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015



See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
Stephanie Chang (D)
Michigan State Senate District 1
2023-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D)
Michigan State Senate District 6
2019-2023
Succeeded by
Mary Cavanagh (D)
Preceded by
-
Michigan House of Representatives District 12
2015-2019
Succeeded by
Alex Garza (D)


Current members of the Michigan State Senate
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
Sue Shink (D)
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
Sam Singh (D)
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
Vacant
District 36
District 37
District 38
Democratic Party (19)
Republican Party (18)
Vacancies (1)