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OF MICHIGAN AND THE STATE OF
ISRAEL?
I will work with anyone and compete
with everyone to grow Michigan’s
economy and keep our state at the
forefront of innovation. Building on a
rich tradition for Michigan governors, I
was proud to travel to Israel early in my
administration to strengthen relationships
and establish business ties with startups
and mobility companies to help Michigan
compete for good-paying, high-tech jobs.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit hosted this productive trade
mission in coordination with the MEDC.
I signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with Israel-based tech
NGO Start Up-Nation Central that
acts as a gateway to Israeli innovation
to collaborate on technology solutions
that have the potential to improve
opportunities and quality of life for
Michigan citizens. This highlights the
strength of the relationship between
Michigan and Israel when it comes to
the automotive industry, technology,
cybersecurity, and the next generation of
transportation.
I look forward to continuing our work
with partners overseas to help bring
supply chains home, secure investments,
and create jobs in Michigan.

Attorney General Race
Democratic incumbent Dana Nessel is
facing Republican challenger Matthew
DePerno. DePerno’s campaign did not
respond to the JN’s questions.

Dana Nessel

DESCRIBE YOUR TOP
THREE PRIORITIES IF
ELECTED?
To protect the civil,
voting and reproductive
rights of all Michigan
residents; to continue my
work protecting Michigan
consumers from corporate
polluters, price-gougers,
scammers, and other bad actors; and
enacting tough but smart policies to fight
crime and reduce gun violence.

WHAT ARE MICHIGAN’S GREATEST
CHALLENGES AND BEST
OPPORTUNITIES?

We have the opportunity to be a top
state in the nation because we have all
the right building blocks: a racially and
culturally diverse population made even
more vital by our welcoming attitude
toward immigrants and refugees, our
abundant natural resources, our esteemed
universities, an international border that
is one of the busiest in terms of trade
commerce, and a state economy that
is decreasingly reliant on a few huge
industries and is embracing growth
opportunities in high-tech sectors.
Our greatest challenges encompass
some of what is holding Michigan back:
a public education system that continues
to be subject to annual funding cuts by
the Legislature; the destabilizing effect
the pandemic has had on the workforce
and crime; an increase in political
policies and philosophies that devalue
democracy and the will of the people; and
the open embrace of misinformation and
disinformation that seems intended only
to divide us.
We are also seeing the encroachment
of church into matters of state and the
movement to funnel taxpayer dollars away
from public schools and toward private
religious schools, as well as the rise of
science deniers and those who want to
impose their extreme ideological beliefs
on birth control, abortion, vaccines, and
other aspects of our lives — all of which is
fundamentally un-American and contrary
to the founding ideals of this country.
The nation has a full slate of serious
challenges that will require working
together to solve. Perhaps our biggest
challenge, then, is regaining consensus
reality and the spirit of bipartisan
cooperation. Should we manage to
come together and address these serious
challenges, we can fortify America’s stature
as the world’s leading democracy.

HOW WILL YOU WORK TO CLOSE
THE POLITICAL DIVIDE THAT SEEMS
TO DOMINATE MUCH OF THE
POLITICAL AGENDA?
As mentioned in the answer above,
bipartisan cooperation is essential to
getting anything done for the people’s
benefit. I have promoted many attorneys
within my department who were first
appointed by Republican AGs for one

reason: because they are highly skilled —
their partisan beliefs, if they have them,
do not affect the stellar work they do on
behalf of the state and people of Michigan.
So I find it alarming that we are now
treating political parties like sports teams,
heightening the “us vs. them” mentality
that currently permeates national and
state political discourse to the point
that if people aren’t on “your side,” they
are disregarded as enemies. If we are to
overcome our more serious challenges,
we must be able to find common
ground and common humanity, and I’m
committed to finding those opportunities
for cooperative work so we can keep
Michigan moving forward.

HOW MIGHT YOU WORK TO
ENHANCE THE LONG AND RICH
HISTORY BETWEEN THE STATE
OF MICHIGAN AND THE STATE OF
ISRAEL?
While I’m proud to be the first Jewish
person elected Attorney General in
Michigan, as a state official, I don’t really
have a hand in foreign policy. That being
said, Jewish people must be protected
from bigotry and hate crimes in order
to publicly convene to support peace in
Israel.
That is one reason I created the hate
crimes and domestic terrorism unit
within my department, the first of its
kind in a state AG’s office: to help stop
racially and ethnically motivated violence
before it starts. That unit helped take
down Michigan members of The Base, a
white supremacist militia that conducts
paramilitary training in preparation
for starting a race war in the United
States. (Its name derives from the literal
translation of Al-Qaeda.) Under Michigan
law, this extremist militia is a gang, and
my office charged them as such — another
state first.
Make no mistake, I understand better
than most how the rise in antisemitic
rhetoric and violence impacts the Jewish
community because I’ve so often been the
target of it. My office often partners with
groups like the ADL in an effort to combat
antisemitism and will continue to do so
should I be elected to a second term.