LEONARD

MARQUETTE — As part of The Mining Journal’s coverage of candidates for upcoming state and federal elections, the first candidate we’ve interviewed for Michigan’s 2026 gubernatorial race is Tom Leonard.

Born in Montrose and after earning his Juris Doctorate degree from Michigan State University, Leonard served as a clerk in Genesee County and an assistant prosecutor in Flint. He served as the State Representative for Clinton and Gratiot counties in 2012, and was elected to be Speaker of the House in his final term. President Donald Trump nominated Leonard to be the United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan in 2019. He has been a partner and shareholder at Plunkett Cooney Law Firm in Lansing since 2020.

Leonard mentioned that his three children – eight-year-old Hannah, five-year-old Thomas, and one-year-old Daniel – are very simple reasons as to why he’s running for governor. Citing Michigan as being the 49th out of 50th state for unemployment, less than 40% of the state’s third graders reading at a proficient level, and 20% of the state population suffering from mental health issues where less than half can’t get the services they need, Leonard was searching for a gubernatorial candidate who would have a positive vision for the state’s future. When he couldn’t find one, he decided to become one instead.

“What I was looking for over the first several months of this year was one: was there going to be a candidate out there discussing (and) focusing on the real problems facing our state with real solutions? I believe Michigan needs to be a growth state again, that’s my number one priority is to make certain that Michigan is a growth state again, so that my kids and your kids one day will not have to leave this state for better opportunities,” said Leonard. “Number one, I didn’t hear anyone really focused on the policies that are going to solve these problems, but number two, I also was looking for somebody that was going to have a positive vision. I spent several months traveling the state, doing a lot of listening, just listening to your average person. What I found was they didn’t want to focus on the bickering, they didn’t want to focus on the fighting, they didn’t want to focus on the partisanship. Frankly, they were looking for somebody who was going to look forward with a positive vision to get this state back on track.”

Tom’s campaign strategy, message-wise, is very focused on his positive vision for Michigan’s future and using real solutions to solve problems the state faces. He also emphasized that he understands campaigning will be a lot of hard work.

“We’re not going to take any part of this state for granted. That’s why within one month of us announcing (candidacy,) I was in the Upper Peninsula. I want the citizens there to understand that we care about them, that they are not going to be forgotten,” Leonard explained. “So, our goal is to put together a statewide coalition…certainly, candidates in today’s world, they need to raise money in order to be competitive and win races, but money alone won’t do it. You better have a grassroots army. You better have a ground swell of support on the ground, and that’s the second part of our strategy is to ensure that we’ve got volunteers and the grassroots army on the ground to assist our efforts when election day comes.”

If Leonard is elected to be Michigan’s Governor, he says that he will consider one thing regarding every piece of legislation that crosses his desk: will this bill help grow the state of Michigan’s population, and will the bill help keep kids here? If the answer is yes, Leonard says, he’s more than likely going to sign it.

“The biggest issue I hear about when I travel the state is affordability, and in particular, affordable housing. To really drill down on that, when it comes to affordable housing … without fail, the biggest issue I’m hearing about when I’m out there is property taxes. People are fed up with rising property taxes and the cost of purchasing a home. We’ve got to do something about property tax reform, but we also have to do something about the cost of homes as well,” Leonard mentioned. “We need regulatory reform across the state. Some of these local ordinances and burdens and even state laws that are inhibiting our ability to build homes (by) putting too much red tape in the way? We’ve got to streamline this permitting process and we’ve got to streamline the regulatory process to make it much cheaper to build a home.”

Leonard is also focused on combating the worker shortage in the skilled trades, and has been pushing for licensing reciprocity.

Being a father is Leonard’s top reason for running for governor, and he wants voters to know that he’s campaigning to help establish a brighter future for the state of Michigan and the children who grow up here.

“That is why I’m doing this: to ensure that Michigan is putting the right policies in place to keep our kids here. This is going to be a campaign unlike others. I’m not going to focus on other candidates. We’re not going to go negative. We’re not going to get in the gutter, because, quite frankly, the problems that are facing our state are more important than any person running for office right now,” Leonard concluded. “We’ve got to stay focused on the issues that matter, so every day instead of focusing on other candidates, I’m going to be focused on solutions to help our children read, solutions to create jobs, solutions to address our broken mental health system. Most importantly and overall, solutions that are going to help keep our kids here in this state.”

Leonard also said that the Line Five tunnel will also be a huge priority for him, because it’s a safe and secure way to make sure that the citizens of the Upper Peninsula are getting the resources that they need. He will make it a priority to ensure that the tunnel is constructed if he is elected to be the state’s next governor, and wants to emphasize that the U.P. is not simply a campaign stop, but an essential partner in helping move the state forward.

More information about Tom’s gubernatorial campaign can be found on his website at tomformichigan.com.

Abby LaForest can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 548. Her email address is alaforest@miningjournal.net.