Michigan House of Representatives, District 17

Laurie Pohutsky is an incumbent Democrat seeking re-election for her fifth term in the Michigan House of Representatives. She grew up in Redford, Michigan and attended Michigan State University with a Bachelor's of Science in microbiology.

Pohutsky has built a substantial legislative record across several key areas. On healthcare, she co-sponsored legislation to create a state-funded Medicare for All program and introduced bills to strengthen consumer protections around prescription drugs, making them more affordable. In civil rights, she supported expanding the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect the LGBTQ+ community, championed a ban on the LGBTQ+ panic defense, streamlined the process for trans Michiganders to legally change their names, and helped reform the state's pretrial sentencing guidelines. On infrastructure, she backed legislation raising overweight trucking fees and closing corporate tax loopholes to fund road repairs, and voted for budgets that funded local roads. For the environment, she introduced legislation to protect Michigan's natural resources, co-sponsored Polluter Pay legislation, and sponsored what became Michigan's Clean Energy and Jobs Act of 2023. And on abortion access, she helped repeal Michigan's criminal abortion ban and pass the Reproductive Health Act to expand access to care.

​​Pohutsky’s priorities include state-funded Medicare for All and affordable prescription drugs for healthcare, expanded LGBTQ+ protections and criminal justice reform for civil rights, higher trucking fees and closed tax loopholes to fund road repairs, clean water protections and the Clean Energy and Jobs Act for the environment, early education access and competitive teacher pay for education, repeal of the abortion ban and the Reproductive Health Act for abortion access, and healthcare/necessities funding for elder care.

Pohutsky has been endorsed by the following progressive partner organizations: American Federation of Teachers - Michigan, Equality Michigan Action Network, Michigan AFL-CIO, Sierra Club - Michigan, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Michigan Association for Justice, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan

Pohutsky is running against Republican Ken Crider who is anti-reproductive rights, calls himself a pro-gun advocate, and supports views on elections rooted in right-wing misinformation and conspiracy theories.

Laurie Pohutsky is the most progressive choice in this race.