Stephanie Young

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Stephanie Young
Image of Stephanie Young
Michigan House of Representatives District 16
Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor
Prior offices
Michigan House of Representatives District 8
Successor: Mike McFall
Predecessor: Sherry Gay-Dagnogo

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 5, 2024

Education

High school

Cass Technical High School

Bachelor's

Michigan State University, 1990

Personal
Birthplace
Detroit, Mich.
Religion
Christian: Nondenominational
Profession
Legislator
Contact

Stephanie Young (Democratic Party) is a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing District 16. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Young (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 16. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Young completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Stephanie Young was born in Detroit, Michigan. Young graduated from Cass Technical High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in international relations and affairs from James Madison College at Michigan State University in 1990.[1][2][3][4]

Young's career experience includes working as a legislator, the executive director of the Community Education Commission, the district one manager with the Mayor's Office Department of Neighborhoods, the outreach manager of the Detroit Area Agency on Aging, and the chief of staff and legislative liaison for three state representatives. She has been affiliated with the Rosedale Park Improvement Association, the Wellspring Board, the Brightmoor Alliance, United Precinct Delegates, Grandmont Rosedale Supports Justice, and 12 Congressional District Democratic Party Organization.[1][2][3][5]

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

Young was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Young was assigned to 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

2024

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Stephanie Young defeated Brian Duggan and Linda Green-Harris in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 16 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Stephanie Young
Stephanie Young (D) Candidate Connection
 
73.5
 
35,682
Brian Duggan (R)
 
22.3
 
10,803
Linda Green-Harris (Working Class Party)
 
4.2
 
2,050

Total votes: 48,535
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Stephanie Young defeated Keith Windham in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 16 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Stephanie Young
Stephanie Young Candidate Connection
 
90.7
 
11,475
Keith Windham
 
9.3
 
1,176

Total votes: 12,651
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 16

Brian Duggan advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 16 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Brian Duggan
 
100.0
 
2,043

Total votes: 2,043
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Working Class Party convention

Working Class Party convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 16

Linda Green-Harris advanced from the Working Class Party convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 16 on June 23, 2024.

Candidate
Linda Green-Harris (Working Class Party)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Young received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Young's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.

  • Michigan League of Conservation Voters

2022

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Stephanie Young defeated Keith Jones in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 16 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Stephanie Young
Stephanie Young (D)
 
77.9
 
29,550
Image of Keith Jones
Keith Jones (R) Candidate Connection
 
22.1
 
8,372

Total votes: 37,922
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 16

Incumbent Stephanie Young defeated Ishmail Terry in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 16 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Stephanie Young
Stephanie Young
 
88.4
 
11,075
Image of Ishmail Terry
Ishmail Terry
 
11.6
 
1,452

Total votes: 12,527
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 16

Keith Jones defeated Gabriel Rees in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 16 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Keith Jones
Keith Jones Candidate Connection
 
57.8
 
1,708
Gabriel Rees
 
42.2
 
1,247

Total votes: 2,955
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance

2020

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 8

Stephanie Young defeated Miroslawa Teresa Gorak in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 8 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Stephanie Young
Stephanie Young (D) Candidate Connection
 
96.7
 
35,945
Miroslawa Teresa Gorak (R)
 
3.3
 
1,210

Total votes: 37,155
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 8

Stephanie Young defeated Reggie Davis, George Etheridge, and Anthony Bradford in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 8 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Stephanie Young
Stephanie Young Candidate Connection
 
44.8
 
7,490
Image of Reggie Davis
Reggie Davis Candidate Connection
 
31.2
 
5,214
Image of George Etheridge
George Etheridge Candidate Connection
 
15.8
 
2,642
Anthony Bradford
 
8.3
 
1,380

Total votes: 16,726
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 8

Miroslawa Teresa Gorak advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 8 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Miroslawa Teresa Gorak
 
100.0
 
238

Total votes: 238
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign finance


Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Stephanie Young completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Young's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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I am serving in my second term as state representative of Michigan’s newly created 16th House District, serving northwest Detroit, including the, Brightmoor, Castle Rouge, West Outer Drive Civic Association (WODCA) and Grandmont-Rosedale communities, as well as the southern portions the City of Livonia and Redford Charter Township.

After graduating from Cass Technical High School and Michigan State University’s James Madison College, I landed my first job as a legislative staffer. I have gained policy and community relations experience with my work on 4 Detroit Mayoral administrations, Detroit Area Agency on Aging and serving as the Exe Director of the Community Education Commission, where I worked diligently to help improve educational outcomes for Detroit students by eliminating barriers to success and improving access to transportation, quality afterschool programs and information for parents.

I am the proud mother of two sons, both graduates of the legendary Cass Technical High School. Her oldest received his Bachelor’s in Animation from the University of St. Francis and my youngest received his Bachelor's in Finance from the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. She is also Mom to her two-legged son Spirit, who has been a part of their family since 2010.

I am also a licensed and ordained minister in the Christian faith, serving at the Historic Pure Word Missionary Church in House District 16 - Detroit.
  • Healthy Families - during my time in the legislature I have worked to improve health outcomes through legislation like the Safe Patient Care Act - to improve working conditions of our nurses which improves health outcomes for patients; or my legislation to test for Fentanyl when presenting with an overdose at the ER to ensure the best treatment and choices of care; or my legislation to address PTSD/PTPD in returning citizens to help with their mental wellness and reducing/preventing recidivism.
  • Vibrant communities - Voted and secured millions of dollars to invest in community centers, parks, and roads improving residents' quality of life.
  • Quality public education - All students deserve a public education that prepares them for a successful future. I introduced legislation to support foster youth that was recently signed into law to improve their educational outcomes before aging out of the system; voted for and secured funding for free breakfast and lunch for all students in public schools; helped secure the $94 million for Detroit Public Schools Community District
Child welfare, criminal justice reform, economic development
Rev. Larry Simmons, Executive Director of the Brightmoor Alliance. His faith and passion for uplifting the marginalized is an inspiration and roadmap to service I work to emulate daily.
Elected officials are public servants. It is incumbent up these servants to stay connected to the people they have sworn to serve. There is a saying, 'Nothing about us without us'. Unless public servants continue to spend time with those who elected them, they won't know what issues are important to them. Regular coffee hours and other community functions held on a regular basis is critical to establishing a good rapport. Additionally It is important to be honest and responsive to residents' inquiries. Every problem will not be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, but being honest about the process and options and possible solutions is key to building trust.
Honesty, compassion, tenacity, longsuffering and hopefullness
*Have good attendance. The work can't be done if we don't show up prepared to represent our constituents. *Do your homework. It is important to know the issues as well as your community's position. Establish relationships with subject experts and stakeholders.
  • Stay connected. Elected should make every effort to connect with the people who sent them. In-person meetings and events, mailings, newsletters, virtual meetings, etc. - there is not reason not to connect.
  • Have a genuine concern for people, especially those who can't afford expensive lobbyists. We are their voice.
That I fought for what was right and beneficial to everyday citizens in an effort to improve the quality of life of those who elected me and others across the state.
My very first job babysitting. I did that through high school. My first professional job after college graduation was in the House of Representatives as a legislative aide. I did this for a year, but came back a few years later and served for several more years before working in my first mayoral administration in Detroit.
The Bible. It has everything, mystery, intrigue, romance, skills for living and most of all instills a sense of empathy and hard work rooted in love for all people.
A female Perry Mason. As a defense attorney, he always fought for those wrongfully accused. I look at my work as a legislator to fight for what the Bible calls the 'least of these', those who don't have lobbyists or know that they don't need them to have their voices heard. He never gives up on those who have entrusted their fates to him and I never give up on my neighbors and fighting for what's best for our community.
I did a community clean-up and we were preparing to walk as a group in a June Day Parade and we needed a song or chant to march by, when the song my sons sang in pre-k and kindergarten got stuck in my head all day: "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere. Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share!" Seriously stuck in my head all day!
Imposter syndrome. I have excelled in academics and on my various jobs. I am an excellent public speaker and encourager and yet there are times when I look at my accomplishments and ask the question, 'Did I do that I?' People who experience the imposter syndrome usually feel like someone could have or should have done what they did, but as the foster youth I worked with told me, I was the only one who listened and acted on their behalf, making me the real deal afterall.
It should be a partnership that includes regular communication.
Yes. One vote doesn't pass any piece of legislation. Building relationships and learning about the interests of my colleagues actually helps build a solid base of co-sponsorships, which can help legitimize legislation.
Former/Deceased Rep. Alma G. Stallworth. She looked at the problem of residents who couldn't afford high heating bills in the winter having their gas shut off and came up with the solution to spread the payments out over the year. Practical solutions for everyday problems.
The story of foster youth who were placed in child caring institutions where they took classes, but those classes didn't count towards them earning their diplomas and so right when they were about to age out of the system, they were told they didn't have enough credits to graduate. This is what prompted me to do my research and draft legislation to correct this problem. The bills were signed into law In April 2024.
I don't have a favorite joke, but the other day I saw a Facebook reel that had me laughing non-stop all day, here goes: There was a young man standing outside looking thoughtfully up at the sky. The caption read .... I am never doing edibles again. I just watched a two hour movie on mute, and started crying because I thought I was deaf." I'm still laughing!
The legislature should be working in partnership with the executive branch to ensure the best course of action during any emergency.
Child welfare issues are top of mind for me. During my freshman year, I was appointed to the Adoption and Foster Care Task Force. One of my first bills was to provide support and stability for foster parents and the children they care for.
UAW Region 1A, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 876, AFSCME Michigan 925, Mayor Mike Duggan, Mayor Maureen Brosnan, Supervisor Pat McRae, Wayne County Sheriff Washington, Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell, partial listing
Those that I currently sit on are of great interest to me: Chair of the Families, Children and Seniors Standing Committee, Criminal Justice, Insurance and Financial Services, Regulatory Reform and Agriculture
I believe in a a fair and transparent government. I voted for financial disclosure legislation and completed my first personal financial disclosure. I believe that financial transparency and governmental accountability are necessary to prevent misuse and abuses of power.
Petition circulators may need additional training and any person running a business that offers this services should be vetted with potential accreditation process.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Stephanie Young did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Connection

Stephanie Young completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Young's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Proud Detroiter. DPS educated. Grad of Cass Tech and MSU. 30 year career public servant. Worked for 4 Mayors, 3 State Reps, DAAA. Mom of 22 y/o college grad, 21 y/o MSU senior -sons
  • Healthy Families: Advocating for affordable universal healthcare, mental health resources, safe affordable water, clean air
  • Thriving Communities: Advocating for good paying jobs with benefits, affordable housing, public safety reform, criminal justice reform, senior resources, small business supports
  • Quality Public Education: Advocating for increased spending in underserved districts, certified full-time teachers, early learning, affordable, quality childcare, special needs resources
Detroit Free Press   Featured local question
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on federal, state and local budgets. Estimates has Michigan looking at a $6.2 billion shortfall for the rest of this year and next year combined. Tough decisions are going to have to be made. I believe it's going to take more than cuts and tax increases. Tapping into Michigan's rainy day fund and Federal assistance also need to be in play to reduce the negative impact balancing our budget will have on residents.
I am most passionate about quality public education, which includes trade schools. This policy issue effects every area of life. A solid education is the front door to good paying jobs with benefits, affordable housing, entrepreneurship, etc. Additionally, students who receive a quality education are less apt to participate in criminal activity and have more hope for a better future.
Telling one's own story can be challenging at times. I live to help people have a better quality of life. From the age of 4 when my friends down the street from me said they didn't have any food, I simply marched to my Mom's kitchen, got some Farmer Jack's grocery bags and started getting stuff from her cabinets. No body told me to do that, I just knew we had enough to share, so I did. This is the life I have lived every since. During this campaign, many of my supporters have reminded me of things I've done to improve their quality of life, that I hadn't remembered. Consistently across the board they would all say the same thing: they could trust me. Trust isn't given, it is earned and I'd like my legacy to continue to be that of a person who can be trusted to do what she promises and mean what she says.
Growing up I heard stories from my parents about where they were when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. I remember thinking that I hadn't experienced anything like that, that is until 911 terror attacks. I was out campaigning for Kwame Kilpatrick for the mayoral primary. I was the chief of staff to State Representative Triette Lipsey Reeves. She and I were together when her husband called us and asked if we had heard the news about a plane flying into the World Trade Center. Known to be a practical joker, we almost dismissed him - that was until we stopped for lunch and the restaurant had coverage on the television. We didn't know if the election was going to be stopped as government buildings were shutting down. I will never forget. I was 36 years old.
I have a few favorites, but this book helped encourage me to pursue elective office this time around: Don't Settle For Safe - Embracing the Uncomfortable to Become Unstoppable. It encourages the reader to use one's past as building blocks for one's future and not letting anything, no matter how uncomfortable, prevent you from your reaching your destiny. Author: Sarah Jakes Roberts
Relationship building is the key to success as a legislator. Drafting impactful policy is one part of the job. Being able to get one's colleagues to sign-on is another. This starts with relationship. I have a proven 30 year track record of building relationships to get things done for the residents of the City of Detroit and will do the same as State Representative in District 8.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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.


Stephanie Young campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Michigan House of Representatives District 16Won general$45,700 $0
2022Michigan House of Representatives District 16Won general$69,167 $0
2020Michigan House of Representatives District 8Won general$53,678 N/A**
Grand total$168,545 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 from this year may not be complete
** 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








See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 26, 2020
  2. 2.0 2.1 Michigan House Democrats, "Meet Rep. Young," accessed January 20, 2021
  3. 3.0 3.1 LinkedIn, "Stephanie A. Young," accessed May 1, 2023
  4. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 2, 2024
  5. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 2, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by
Kevin Coleman (D)
Michigan House of Representatives District 16
2023-Present
Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (D)
Michigan House of Representatives District 8
2021-2023
Succeeded by
Mike McFall (D)


Current members of the Michigan House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Matt Hall
Minority Leader:Ranjeev Puri
Representatives
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
Mai Xiong (D)
District 14
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
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
Matt Hall (R)
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
Kara Hope (D)
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
Tim Kelly (R)
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
District 100
Tom Kunse (R)
District 101
District 102
District 103
District 104
John Roth (R)
District 105
District 106
District 107
District 108
District 109
District 110
Republican Party (58)
Democratic Party (52)