Stephen Wooden
Stephen Wooden | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 81st district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Rachel Hood |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Austin, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Michigan State University |
Stephen Wooden is an American Democratic politician from Michigan. He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives from the 81st district in the 2024 election.[1][2]
Wooden was a Kent County Commissioner.[3]
Early Life & Education
[edit]Stephen Wooden was born in Austin, Texas on August 6, 1991.[4] His family lived in New York City when he was a young child. Experiencing the attacks on September 11, 2001 as a child in New York was a pivotal experience for him, one that he believes put him on a path towards public service.
His family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2005. He graduated from Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School in 2009. He is an Eagle Scout from Troop 271 in East Grand Rapids. [5]
Stephen graduated from Michigan State University's James Madison College in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in political theory and constitutional democracy.[6]
Career
[edit]Wooden began his career as a legislative aide in the Michigan House of Representatives. He left to work in the nonprofit sector. From 2017 to 2024, he worked for Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, an affordable housing nonprofit.[7]
In 2018, Wooden was elected to the Kent County Commission, unseating the Republican incumbent. [8] He served on the Kent County Commission from 2019 to 2024. Between 2022 and 2024, he served as the minority vice-chair of the commission. There, he negotiated a $108 million spending plan for the county's share of federal funds from the American Rescue Plan. Wooden played a pivotal role in establishing the Kent County Affordable Housing Revolving Loan Fund.[9]
Wooden was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2024. He was appointed to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism and the House Committee on Election Integrity, serving as the Democratic Vice-Chair of the latter.[10]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Stephen Wooden | 30,666 | 55.53% | |
| Republican | Jordan Youngquist | 24,375 | 44.14% | |
| Total votes | 55,041 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ McVicar, Brian (2024-11-06). "Democrat Wooden defeats Republican Youngquist in Grand Rapids area state House race". mlive. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- ^ Kransz, Michael (2024-02-05). "Kent County commissioner announces run for Grand Rapids state House seat". mlive. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- ^ "Opinion: To tackle rising costs and extremism in the state house, we need leaders who've done it locally". gandernewsroom.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- ^ "Rep. Stephen Wooden". Gongwer News Service. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "Meet Stephen". Campaign Website. Friends of Stephen Wooden. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "Rep. Stephen Wooden". Gongwer News Service. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "Rep. Stephen Wooden". Gongwer News Service. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Kransz, Michael. "Incumbents largely hold onto Kent County Commissioner seats". mlive. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ Jaworowski, Matt. "Kent County to use $108M in federal COVID-19 relief funds to cover 30 projects". Wood TV. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "Legislator Details". Michigan Legislative Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "2024 Michigan Election Results". Michigan Secretary of State. November 22, 2024. Archived from the original on November 24, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
External links
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