GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — An actor and activist is hoping to break into the political sphere by representing Michigan in the U.S. Senate.
Hill Harper is one of the two Democratic candidates looking to ultimately fill the vacancy left behind by Debbie Stabenow, who's held that seat since 2001.
His name is one you might already recognize from his roles as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes in CSI: NY, Agent Spelman Boyle in Limitless or Dr. Marcus Andrews in The Good Doctor.
"No matter how many characters I play, to save lives on TV, occupying this U.S. Senate seat gives me an opportunity to save lives in real life." he told FOX 17.
Harper's background also includes an undergraduate degree in economics and sociology from Brown University, a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an MPA degree with honors from John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University.
His campaign website says he is "running for U.S. Senate to ensure every single Michigander has economic security and real representation focused on the people, not lobbyists or wealthy donors."
He sat down with FOX 17 to discuss his run for the U.S. Senate and why he said he deserves your vote come August 6th.
*Below is a transcript of the interview. It has been edited for clarity. This conversation took place on June 11. The full interview can be found at the bottom of the article.*
Making that that transition (from acting to politics) is quite a leap. You wouldn't be the first person to do it. Are you looking at the blueprints from someone like Ronald Reagan?
"Ronald Reagan and I, we're definitely in the same union, different parties. I'm proud to be a Democrat. Proud to be running for this open seat being vacated by a great Democrat in Debbie Stabenow. When we think about where we are — when you talk about acting and activism, and what that represents — the people I think about, or people that I wanted to be like, like Harry Belafonte, who was an actor and activist, or Paul Robeson, Sidney Poitier, Ozzie Davis, these are folks. I did a film with Ozzie Davis one time, a Spike Lee film, and he talked to me about, if you're going to be a true artist, then you need to be political. You need to be an activist. But it really goes back to my days when I was at Harvard Law School, when I did a joint degree at Harvard Law School in the Kennedy School of Government. I was acting and doing plays the, but I was also learning about — because at that point, when I went to grad school at Harvard, I really thought I was going straight into government service. That's why I got a master's in government, you know. And so, my love and my heart for performing and acting and being an artist took over at that point in my life, but now it's kind of come full circle."
Reportedly, you turned down a $20 million offer to run against Rashida Tlaib in the House. You said no, I want to run for this seat in the Senate. Why? Why was this one specifically so important to you?
"This Senate see is so important because we're in a moment where we're seeing a 50-50 Senate. When I was at Harvard Law School, my constitutional law professor would always hammer home that the U.S. Senate is most important and powerful body and all of politics. At that point, it wasn't even a 50-50 Senate. It was a 53-47. It could be one party or the other and then the party's controlling."
Watch the video below for Hill's full answer:
Is there a moment you can think back to where you said, 'You know, what? It's time. I need to officially throw my name in the ring and run for the seat?
"For me, it was a multitude of reasons because it was such a massive life change. So, I thought about it a long time. It was on my heart. I was driving my son to school, and he just finished second grade last week, and I'm driving him to school. He told me one day he was scared to go to school. I said, 'Why?' Because, you know, he's scared of shootings, you know. We're actually damaging the mental health of our kids, having them do these active shooter training drills in school rather than actually taking on the NRA and the gun lobby and actually solving our our gun issue — the number one cause of death of children. We know it right here in Grand Rapids. Just about three or four weeks ago, there was a child killed right here in Grand Rapids from guns. The number one cause of death of children today is gun violence, yet we have a bunch of elected officials that stick their toe on the problem, act like they're actually solving something and they're not really taking it on because of the power of the NRA and the gun lobby. It doesn't stop there. We can go down — Big Pharma, we can talk about Big Oil, we can talk about corporate PACs, and it all really ends up back to a conversation about Citizens United. I don't want to get too far in the weeds, but the point is that about a decade and a half in now — because Citizens United was 2010 — about a decade and a half in, we're seeing the results. Our democracy is devolving and both parties are culpable. Both parties. I'm trying to hold both parties accountable. I want to be clear. I'm running as a Democrat in the Democratic primary."
What are the biggest differences, do you think, between yourself and your Democratic competitor, Rep. Elissa Slotkin?
"A number of things. Let me first preface it — I have nothing personal against Elissa Slotkin. We just have a different lived experience, and we just would vote and approach issues a different way. I'll give you a couple examples. She didn't co-sponsor the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act. I would have voraciously co-sponsored that. She didn't co-sponsor the Cannabis and Expungement Act. There's no pathway to federal expungements."
NOTE: Rep. Slotkin cosponsored and voted in favor of the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act in 2020. In 2021, she did no cosponsor the bill but did vote in favor of it. She did not cosponsor the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, but did vote in favor of it both times it came to the floor (2020, 2022).
Watch the video below for Hill's full answer:
How do you convince (voters), as a political outsider, that you deserve their trust and their vote, as someone who doesn't have the same experience as Rep. Slotkin?
"It's a different set of experiences, and that's the point. When we look at the 100-person body of the U.S. Senate, I think that we all want to make sure that there's different sets of experience purview and filters about what we fight. For example, if I'm elected to the U.S. Senate, I would be the only active union member in the U.S. Senate. We're already down to 6% union membership in the private sector. Unions, particularly in Michigan, deserve a voice in that 100-person body and I would be the most voracious advocate for us because I'm my 32-year union member who's elected to the national board of my union. That experience doesn't exist in the U.S. Senate. Another point — I'd be only one of two Senators with a school-aged, elementary-aged child. Like we just talked about, gun violence, etc. We need people at that 100-person body that are experiencing what's happening in schools today, not the way they went to school before, but actually dealing with schools actively right now. Another one — I'd be one of very few small business owners in the U.S. Senate. I think all of us hopefully agree that the engine of neighborhood and community economies is small business — investing in small business making sure that small businesses can grow."
Please give your final message to West Michigan — your monologue, if you will.
"First of all, West Michigan, I'm so proud to have the opportunity to represent you. They are going to be two names on the Democratic ballot on August 6. Leading up to August 6, with nine days of early voting, 40 days of absentee voting, and remember, same-day registration. A couple things that folks need to know — we have some of the best voting rights in the country here in Michigan."
Harper went on to say, "my candidacy, this candidacy for this U.S. Senate seat, is all about representing people and the power of people."
Watch the video below for Hill's full answer:
If you'd like to watch the full conversation with Harper, click the video below.
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 is primary election day in Michigan. For more information, you can check out FOX 17's complete Election Guide.
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