Mari Manoogian
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 40th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2019
Preceded byMike McCready
Personal details
Born (1992-09-03) September 3, 1992 (age 31)
Birmingham, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA, MA)
WebsiteCampaign website
State House website

Mari Manoogian (born September 3, 1992) is an American politician from Michigan who represented the 40th District in the Michigan House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, her constituency included several communities within Oakland County, including Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, and part of West Bloomfield Township.[1]

Early life and education

Manoogian was born in Birmingham, Michigan as the eldest daughter of a utility worker and union leader, and a vocational rehabilitation specialist.[2] After graduating from Ernest W. Seaholm High School in 2010,[3] Manoogian began her undergraduate work at Michigan State University's James Madison College. She moved to Washington, D.C. in 2012, and finished her bachelor's degree in international relations and security policy at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs in 2014, and earned a master's degree in global communication and international organizations from the same institution in 2017.[4][5][6][7]

Manoogian's family are descendants of survivors of the Armenian genocide.[8] She is a member of St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in Dearborn.[5]

Career

During her undergraduate studies, Manoogian interned in the office of Congressman John Dingell and at the United States Mission to the United Nations under Ambassador Samantha Power. She began work in Washington, D.C. at the United States Department of State, first in the Office of English Language Programs and later in the Office of eDiplomacy, before returning to Michigan and running for office.[9]

Manoogian began campaigning for election to the Michigan House of Representatives in August 2017.[5] Receiving the endorsement of national progressive candidate recruitment organization Run for Something,[10] Manoogian won the Democratic primary in August 2018, defeating the 2016 Democratic nominee for the 40th District, Nicole Bedi.[11] During the general election, Manoogian was endorsed by former U.S. President Barack Obama and former 2016 U.S. Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton.[12][13] Manoogian defeated David Wolkinson – former vice chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and policy director to Governor Rick Snyder – by 56.5% to 43.4%, flipping the district for the first time in 22 years.[14][15][16]

Manoogian was selected as one of seventeen speakers to jointly deliver the keynote address at the 2020 Democratic National Convention nominating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.[17]

Political positions

Manoogian supports repealing the state Senior Pension Tax and expanding investment in renewable energy practices.[18] She has been profiled by national and local news outlets in the lead-up to her election for supporting funding for clean water initiatives in her district.[19] She considers herself a progressive.[20]

Campaigns

2020

2020 Michigan House of Representatives, 40th district, general election[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mari Manoogian 38,162 57.77 +1.2
Republican Kendra Cleary 27,897 42.23 -1.2
Turnout 66,059 100.00 +23.6

2018

2018 Michigan House of Representatives, 40th district, general election[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mari Manoogian 30,223 56.5
Republican David Wolkinson 23,221 43.4
Turnout 53,444 100.0
2018 Michigan House of Representatives, 40th district, Democratic Party primary election[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mari Manoogian 8,877 53.1
Democratic Nicole Bedi 7,856 46.9

References

  1. ^ Haddad, Ken. "Election 2018: 26-year-old Democrat flips Michigan State House..." www.clickondetroit.com. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  2. ^ "From pot to roads, 40th District hopefuls share their views". HometownLife. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  3. ^ "Mari for MI | Democrat for State Representative in Michigan House District 40". Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  4. ^ Mirror-Spectator, The Armenian (August 10, 2018). "Mari Manoogian Wins Democratic Primary as Candidate for Michigan State Rep - The Armenian Mirror-Spectator". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Mari Manoogian Launches Bid for State Representative in Michigan's 40th District". The Armenian Weekly. August 23, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  6. ^ "Oakland County becomes epicenter of fight to control Michigan House". Detroit News. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  7. ^ "Mari Manoogian - Run For Something". Run For Something. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  8. ^ "State Rep-Elect Mari Manoogian on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  9. ^ "Mari Manoogian Launches Bid for State Representative in Michigan's 40th District". The Armenian Weekly. August 23, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  10. ^ Drabold, Will (January 20, 2018). "How women candidates will run on the Republican anti-abortion record in 2018". Mic. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  11. ^ "Manoogian Wins Democratic Primary in Michigan". The Armenian Weekly. August 8, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  12. ^ Oosting, Jonathan (October 1, 2018). "Obama endorses Whitmer, Slotkin, Stevens, other Mich. Dems". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  13. ^ Something, Run for (October 29, 2018). "Hillary Rodham Clinton endorses 19 RFS candidates". Run for Something. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  14. ^ Veselenak, David (November 7, 2018). "Voters in Birmingham go Democratic in state House race". HometownLife. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  15. ^ Veselenak, David (August 9, 2018). "It's Wolkinson, Manoogian for November's state House race in Birmingham, Bloomfield". HometownLife. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "Oakland - Election Results". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  17. ^ "Democrats Unveil A New Kind of Convention Keynote". 2020 Democratic National Convention. August 16, 2020. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  18. ^ "Mari for MI | Democrat for State Representative in Michigan House District 40". Archived from the original on June 14, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  19. ^ VICE News examines how Michigan-area organizers are leveraging local concerns about clean water to encourage voter participation. "Vice News Tonight, S03 E179". VICE News.
  20. ^ North, Anna (October 31, 2018). "Trump won the Rust Belt with macho. These women hope to win with change". Vox. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Michigan Election Results". November 3, 2020.
  22. ^ "Michigan Election Results". The New York Times. November 7, 2018.
  23. ^ Michigan Primary Election Results. The New York Times. September 24, 2018.
Party political offices Preceded byElizabeth Warren Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention 2020 Served alongside: Stacey Abrams, Raumesh Akbari, Colin Allred, Brendan Boyle, Yvanna Cancela, Kathleen Clyde, Nikki Fried, Robert Garcia, Malcolm Kenyatta, Marlon Kimpson, Conor Lamb, Victoria Neave, Jonathan Nez, Sam Park, Denny Ruprecht, Randall Woodfin Most recent
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