MARQUETTE — Dana LaLonde has announced she is stepping away from the state house race.

While LaLonde entered the campaign as a sitting Marquette County commissioner with a strong record of labor advocacy and community leadership, she determined that the structural support needed to build a sustainable grassroots campaign was not in place.

“This experience reinforced a broader concern,” LaLonde said. “Too often, political decisions are driven by fundraising and access to power rather than lived experience, community service, and readiness to lead. We have seen the consequences of this here in the Upper Peninsula, including the loss of a blue seat that might have been prevented with deeper engagement with labor unions, the building trades, township leaders and local elected officials.”

She will continue serving as Marquette County commissioner.

“That work doesn’t stop because a campaign ends,” LaLonde said. “I encourage people to stay engaged. You don’t have to run for office to make a difference. Show up, support local efforts, help your neighbors and hold leaders accountable. Decisions get made by the people who show up.”

“My loyalty is to the people of the Upper Peninsula, and that’s where my focus remains.”