Rep. Debbie Dingell Discusses Leaving Dearborn, Build Back Better and the Future of Our Democracy

Dingell reflects on the political and personal consequences of remapping Michigan’s districts.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell spoke with WDET during the Mackinac Policy Conference in 2019.

After many decades of having a “Dingell” represent Dearborn, the city will have a new congressional representative. Michigan’s independent commission has officially re-written its political maps, which will soon cause a shift in political representation.

“The vote we have is the fundamental foundation of our democracy and people are trying to undermine people’s confidence in that. You need to worry about that.” — Rep. Debbie Dingell

Consequently, Rep. Debbie Dingell will be relocating to Ann Arbor to run in a different district, which, she says, was a “difficult” and “emotional” decision. 


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Rep. Debbie Dingell represents Michigan’s 12th district. She says local political leaders in Michigan will need to unite across geographical lines to leverage money from the infrastructure bill that recently passed in Washington. “One of the criteria for these dollars coming in is going to be regional cooperation, which isn’t always the strength of southeast Michigan,” she says. 

Dingell is also concerned about the future of our politics, as she says many Republicans are operating to subvert the right to vote. “The vote we have is the fundamental foundation of our democracy and people are trying to undermine people’s confidence in that. You need to worry about that,” she says.

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