Lydia Christensen

Where Christensen stands

Grouped by topic by Vote Book; headings and quoted words are the candidate’s own, with the source under each one. “As reported” items are a news outlet’s description, not an exact quote.

Guns

Defending the 2nd Amendment

Unchain your right to self-defense by defending the 2nd Amendment with responsible ownership and safety measures.

Immigration & border

IMMIGRATION: What is your position on due process, First Amendment, and Fourth Amendment rights for all Michigan residents, including noncitizens, and what changes, if any, would you support?

Due process applies to everyone on American soil, citizen or not, and I oppose detaining anyone without it. I also oppose warrantless surveillance and facial recognition dragnets that have swept in Americans' calls, texts, and emails, targeted protesters exercising First Amendment rights, and traced cars without warrants. The Constitution matters i would repeal the unconstitutional 100 mile constitution free border zone: all searches inland require probable cause and a warrant, as they do for every other law enforcement agency. Incarcerated Americans and noncitizens alike remain within the law's protection under my plans.

Health care

HEALTH CARE: What specific steps will you take in Congress to address healthcare affordability, access, and quality for the people you represent?

I support Medicaid for All as an opt-in plan: keep your employer or union plan if you want it, or enroll in a public plan with one transparent premium, no deductibles, no surprise bills, and income-based costs that are zero for lower-income families. Unlike the ACA subsidies Congress let expire in 2025, it would be mandatory spending that cannot lapse. It is not a monopoly equal tax treatment, repeal of Certificate of Need laws, and interstate license reciprocity keep private plans competitive. Coverage extends to psychiatric care and addiction treatment where counties have no providers, and no one may reclassify a doctor-prescribed treatment

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY: How would you approach ensuring energy reliability, consumer affordability, and environmental protection in Michigan?

Energy reliability and affordability start with equal treatment under the tax code for every energy source, ending the fossil fuel carve outs that let oil and gas deduct drilling costs while renewables cannot. Wind and solar sit in federal permitting queues for years; I will fix that queue and push nuclear licensing reform without cutting safety standards. Michigan caps electric choice at 10 percent, maxed out since 2009 with thousands waitlisted; I support lifting it. I support ending $35 billion a year in fossil fuel subsidies and decommissioning Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, honoring Anishinaabe treaty rights and protecting our water.

Jobs, wages & cost of living

Legalizing Cannabis & Psilocybin with Worker Safety

Drug use is a health issue, not a criminal one. Lydia will push for federal legalization of cannabis and psilocybin, with full OSHA worker protections and expanded mental health treatment options, ending unjust criminal penalties for patients, practitioners, and workers alike.

ECONOMY: What policy initiatives do you support for residents to earn a living wage and address the overall question of affordability across Michigan?

I support a $15 federal minimum wage, adjusted for inflation, and zero federal income tax on earnings under $150,000, so a nurse, teacher, or electrician keeps every dollar below that line. Tariffs cost the average household about $1,745 a year; I will remove them. Interstate license reciprocity lets a license earned in Michigan count in other states. My housing plan adds supply through zoning incentives and builder credits, closes corporate landlord loopholes, and ends algorithmic rent fixing. Childcare rules written for institutions, not family homes, must be included because without childcare, most people cannot work.

Elections, ethics & government

Ending the 100-Mile Constitution-Free Zone

Repeal the inland 100-mile extension that lets the government search two-thirds of the country without a warrant. Inspection stays at the actual border, not 100 miles past it.

Background & priorities

Ending Qualified Immunity

Qualified immunity was invented by judges, not passed by Congress. Restore Section 1983 to what it actually says, and let people hold government accountable when their rights are violated.

Other priorities

Repealing the Patriot Act: Defending Civil Liberties

Most of the Patriot Act's surveillance powers already expired in 2020. Two provisions are still active: sneak-and-peek warrants that delay notifying you of a search, and National Security Letters that compel your records without a judge's approval. Lydia will push to end both.

Decriminalizing Sex Work for Consenting Adults

Decriminalize consensual sex work between adults, repeal FOSTA, and focus federal resources on actual traffickers instead of consenting adults trying to survive.