Christina Hines has launched a Congressional bid to land a competitive recruit in the Democrats in a purple district outside of Detroit.
“We need people that Washingtonians can trust. I have been trying to fight for others and fight for my community. I hope to be someone I can trust in Congress.”
She was inspired to run after seeing news that President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to close the Department of Education.
“My husband and I looked at each other and said, ‘Yeah, this is not time to wait, this is not time to be comfortable,'” she recalled. “Congress needs fighters. And I’ve fought the whole career for people. You need to step up. Michigan tents need fighters.”
The district, which includes parts of the North Detroit suburbs of Oakland and Macomb counties, has been heading for Republicans in recent years. Still, Democrats believe the district could potentially abandon it as it could potentially vacate it for next year’s governor bid to replace Democrat Gretchen Whitmer next year. James won the seats in 2022 by half percentage points in 2024 and with a more tighter margin in 2024.
In particular, she runs with the approval of former judge and lawyer Carl Malinga, who has been running with James in the past two cycles. He originally moved towards this cycle of bids, raising private concern among some Democrats that his past baggage could fight their chances in the district.
But he’s not running this time, so “Christina is the new generation leader needed to give our country a fresh start in Washington. She’s a fighter who knows who live here and in the corners of Macomb.”
Hines could argue for a centralist lane, saying, “I’m not that far on either side of the spectrum.” She contacted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee about the run and “we didn’t expect a highly contested primary.”
Still, she is not the only Democrat. Army veteran Alex Hawkins has already launched a campaign, and former lawmaker Andy Levin (D-Mich.), who represented parts of the district before the rezoning, flirted with comeback bids for Michigan seats or other elected offices.
