Jason Morgan, an Ann Arbor Democrat, is seeking reelection to Michigan’s 23rd House District in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Republican Miriam Corvino and Green Party candidate Christina Marudas are also running for the two-year seat, according to Michigan’s official candidate list.
Morgan’s priorities include housing affordability, utility costs, transportation and health care.
Morgan responded to the Ann Arbor Record candidate questionnaire on Sept. 30. Unless otherwise noted, the information and responses below come from that questionnaire.
“I am seeking reelection because public service is how I help people and strengthen the communities I love,” Morgan said. “I grew up in a working-class family, worked my way through college as a first-generation student, and built my career around listening to people and solving problems.”
Candidate information
Party: Democratic.
Residence and family: Morgan lives in Ann Arbor with his husband, Jon Mallek, and their cats, Doug and Joey. Mallek represents Ward 2 on the Ann Arbor City Council, according to the city’s website.
Education: Morgan said he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Michigan University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
“I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, working part time and relying on state and federal student aid to complete my education,” he said.
Background: Morgan grew up in Pinconning. He described his father as a commercial fisherman and his mother as a school lunch aide.
“Their hard work and commitment to our community shaped my values and my approach to public service,” he said.
Experience and public service
Morgan was first elected to the Michigan House in 2022 and reelected in 2024. He previously represented Washtenaw County’s 8th District on the Board of Commissioners from 2017 through 2022 and chaired the board from 2019 through 2021.
He also served on Northern Michigan University’s Board of Trustees after his appointment by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2021.
Morgan said he has taught government at Washtenaw Community College and previously served as its director of government and community relations.
His earlier work included staff positions with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and members of Congress John Dingell, Debbie Dingell, Bart Stupak, Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens. He said those roles involved constituent services, district leadership, education casework, transition work and policy advising.
Morgan is also a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Asked about accomplishments that prepare him for the job, Morgan cited his county leadership during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and his legislative work on civil rights, reproductive freedom, gun safety, clean energy and worker protections.
He also co-founded the Legislature’s bipartisan Public Transit Caucus, according to his official House biography.
On the issues
Affordability: Morgan identified everyday costs as the most pressing issue facing Michigan residents.
“Families are being squeezed by rent, groceries, utilities, child care, health care and transportation,” he said.
He supports building more housing, expanding affordable-housing programs, restricting large private-equity firms’ purchases of starter homes, banning rental junk fees and grocery surge pricing, and expanding access to child care.
“Michigan’s economy should be measured by whether working families can afford a good life here,” he said.
Utilities and transportation: Morgan said he wants to hold utilities accountable for rates and outages and give homeowners more freedom to install rooftop solar.
“I would also invest in roads and reliable public transit so people can reach work, school and health care without transportation becoming another financial burden,” he said.
Budget priorities: Morgan said the state should begin with essential services.
“A responsible budget should begin with the services people cannot do without: strong public schools, affordable health care, safe communities and dependable infrastructure,” he said.
His priorities include K-12 education and special education, Medicaid, mental health, public health, housing, child care, roads and public transit.
Financial accountability: Morgan said he would use multiyear revenue forecasts, evaluate programs against clear outcomes, protect the state’s rainy-day fund and require corporate incentives to demonstrate a public return.
“If resources are limited, I would protect essential services and the people least able to absorb cuts, defer lower-impact projects, and look first for administrative savings and unfair tax loopholes rather than resorting to across-the-board cuts that cost families more later,” he said.
What sets him apart: Morgan emphasized his experience at different levels of government and his approach to constituent service.
“I offer a combination of progressive values, deep public-service experience and a record of delivering results,” he said.
“Voters do not have to guess how I will govern; they can evaluate my record.”
Endorsements
Morgan’s confirmed 2026 endorsements include:
Advice that guides him
Morgan said the best advice he received came from his former boss, U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell, after Morgan was elected.
“You have a very important job, a VERY important job . . . and you’re not a very important person,” Morgan recalled Dingell telling him.
“Mr. Dingell taught me, and all new elected officials he would meet, that we don’t ‘have’ power but that we hold it in trust,” Morgan wrote. “This advice has stayed with me always.”
This profile draws primarily on Jason Morgan’s responses to the Ann Arbor Record candidate questionnaire, with additional information from official election records, government biographies and endorsing organizations. Responses have been excerpted and paraphrased; direct quotations retain his wording.
