Chris Gilmer-Hill

Chris Gilmer-Hill (Democratic Party) is running for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 8. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Democratic primary on August 4, 2026.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Chris Gilmer-Hill, and I’m running for State Representative in District 8. I’m a lifelong Detroiter, democratic socialist, environmental justice advocate, and proud union member. I’m running to fight to lower costs and empower and support working people in our communities, workplaces, schools.

I am not taking any corporate PAC Money, because I’m guided by the belief that it’s possible for things to be fundamentally better, and that the best way to build a movement that can win the changes I believe in is by showing people how the policy changes that I believe in can change things for the better in their everyday lives and in their local communities, not just in the abstract long-term and at the national or global scale.

I believe in big structural changes to the way that we as a society operate basic systems like healthcare, housing, energy, and transportation, and ultimately our economy overall; translating those big-picture changes to the local community level is the basis for my belief in policies like investment in local health clinics, stronger protections for tenants against exploitation, and full funding of local public transit systems as stepping stones towards bigger changes like single-payer healthcare for all, an unprecedented investment in social housing, replacing utility monopolies with publicly owned power generation and distribution, and reliable permanent public transit at every level from hyper-local bus rapid transit to statewide rail.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Affordability for Everyone: We need a state government that puts people over profits and focuses relentlessly on driving down costs for everyday Michiganders. As state representative I will:

Take on DTE to strengthen accountability for outages, inconsistent service and ridiculous rate hikes, and start building towards publicly-owned power in Michigan.

Address the housing affordability crisis by supporting badly-needed protections for tenants across our state and backing funding for new housing everywhere, including expanded social and publicly-owned housing options for every income level

Tackle our healthcare and auto insurance disasters by vocally support legislation to enact a single-payer system in Michigan.Investing in Communities, not Corporations: Michigan needs to make real long-term investments in our people and communities, instead of doubling down on state-level handouts to billionaires and corporations that put profits over working people. As state representative, I will:

Work to protect state programs, particularly those affecting our most vulnerable and historically marginalized communities from harm caused by Republicans’ disastrous cuts at the federal level

Support legislation to expand our state revenue sharing program to give cities the funds they need for local investments that improve every Michigander’s quality of life

Prioritize real investments in our public schools that give every child in our state a quality education.Making Government Work for You

We need state legislators to be deeply rooted in the communities they represent. I grew up in this district, and I’ll always show up to represent and listen. As state representative, I will:

Support airtight legislation to get corporate money out of Michigan politics for good.

Never take money from AIPAC, DTE, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, or any other corporate or conservative PAC.

Show up for the community outside of election years to answer your questions and partner with community organizations to help ensure you know what’s happening in Lansing and why.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Getting corporate money out of politics is one of the most important civil and human rights issues of our time. We need big, structural changes to the way our society and economy operate, and to do that we need to have a system that elects leaders beholden to the people and not corporate profit. I am an environmental policy expert at the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition, where I fight every day to hold DTE accountable by ending rate hikes, and forcing accountability for constant, unjustified outages, and implementing an immediate moratorium on AI data centers . I am also a proud member of Detroit NewsGuild/CWA 34022, and I believe that union power is critical to winning the better world I know is possible.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Unite Here Local 24, Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America, Planned Parenthood, Michigan Working Families Party, Detroit Action, Fems for Dems, Unity Fund, Run for Something, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, State Rep. Natalie Price, State Rep. Dylan Wegela, Detroit City Councilmember Denzel McCampbell, Detroit City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero, Ferndale City Councilmember Eddie Sabatini, Oakland County Commissioner Charlie Cavell, Detroit Police Commission Member Victoria Camille, Ferndale School Board President Mark De la Vergne, Ferndale School Board Vice President Jonathan Turner, Ferndale School Board Member Jessica Newman, Ferndale Library Board Member Brianna Foraker, Ferndale Library Board Member Jonathan Ross

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