By Liz Nass
Gongwer News Service
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced her run for attorney general on Tuesday afternoon, saying her record protecting kids and families and prioritizing public safety will set her apart.
McDonald, a Democrat, said her campaign is about “doing the most good” and that the stakes have never been higher for the state in taking on tough fights against threats on “everything from public safety to the rule of law.”
“Michigan needs an attorney general ready to take on these tough fights, protect our freedoms, uphold the law and keep our communities safe,” McDonald said in the press release announcing her campaign. “It’s what I’ve done my whole life, as a prosecutor, as a judge, and a teacher and a mom, and it’s what I’ll do as attorney general.”
McDonald was elected Oakland County prosecutor in 2020. Her initiatives in office include reviewing every pending juvenile lifer case, establishing a Trafficking Unit, a Hate Crimes Unit and a Conviction Integrity Unit.
Before this role, McDonald was an Oakland County Circuit Court judge from 2012 to 2019, specializing in family matters like divorce and child abuse. Before then, she was a high school English teacher in Midland.
As county prosecutor, she led the prosecution of Ethan Crumbley and his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley following the Oxford High School shooting in 2021.
McDonald first put together her candidate committee in April.
McDonald is joining the Democratic primary with Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit and former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten, who led the Department of Justice’s Western Michigan District following a stint as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s chief legal counsel.
As Attorney General Dana Nessel cannot seek reelection in 2026, the Michigan Democratic Party delegates will formally select a candidate next year.
In an interview with Gongwer News Service, McDonald said her path has always been in the direction of where she can make the most impact, and is known for being strong, fair and straightforward.
When it comes to her opponents, she said what makes her stand out against Savit, who has a similar record to her, being another county prosecutor, is the size and diversity of the county she serves and that what she handles is “on a whole different level.”
She said while violent crime is down in her county now, it’s a large county with both rural and urban areas and the amount and “seriousness” of the crime is different. She said she doesn’t really think about the name recognition of Mark Totten, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden in his role and was the Democratic candidate for attorney general in 2014, and is more focused on her growing up in this state and knowing how to represent the people of Michigan who shared similar experiences to her.
She also said she has a history of winning tough races, alluding to her race for prosecutor in 2020 against the 12-year incumbent, beating her opponent two to one.
She said she’s taking lessons from that race into this one, including the reminder that not only being an elected official, but running the campaign, is “service.”
“You’re serving the people of your county or your state and so your number one job, which is the one I always take the most seriously when I’m in a campaign and even serving as the elected official, is to listen and make sure that I’m representing and listening to the real needs of everyday people,” McDonald said.
One of her focuses of the campaign is “threats to fundamental freedoms and federal overreach,” according to her campaign press release. When it comes to the current administration, Nessel has been focused on piling lawsuits on Trump administration executive orders and actions.
When asked if she would take a similar approach to Nessel, McDonald said the role of the attorney general is to do “whatever needs to be done” to protect law and vulnerable people.
“I think it’s extremely important that we stand up and fight. It’s a limiting of our rights and our liberty, right? The rule of law is under threat,” McDonald said. “So, there are things the attorney general has authority and power to object and fight on those efforts, and I think it’s critical that we do.”
She said while addressing gun violence, another piece of her campaign, prosecuting individuals with gun charges is only one piece of the puzzle.
Gun violence needs to be treated like a public health crisis, McDonald said, and should be treated in the way the state was able to bring down the amount of automobile accidents: with education.
She wants to use the office to be an educational resource on safe storage laws and provide resources to help children before “they get to that moment of crisis where their hand is on a gun.”
McDonald is passionate about the fight against human trafficking in the state as well, with Michigan being in the top 10 states in instances of trafficking of both humans or drugs, focusing on that issue as county prosecutor.
She highlighted the training her office administered to over 300 law enforcement officials on trafficking. Since then, her office has charged 30 new cases of trafficking.
She said the office of the attorney general would give her more authority and power to investigate the traffickers as they often cross county lines and would continue this work that Nessel has done on trafficking.
McDonald emphasized her small-town experience in mid-Michigan and taking advantage of student loan programs and FHA loans allowed her to be where she is today and sees these opportunities in limbo for Michiganders today.
“They give them opportunities to be contributing to our community, and they are at risk, and so we need a fighter,” McDonald said.
Gongwer News Service
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald announced her run for attorney general on Tuesday afternoon, saying her record protecting kids and families and prioritizing public safety will set her apart.
McDonald, a Democrat, said her campaign is about “doing the most good” and that the stakes have never been higher for the state in taking on tough fights against threats on “everything from public safety to the rule of law.”
“Michigan needs an attorney general ready to take on these tough fights, protect our freedoms, uphold the law and keep our communities safe,” McDonald said in the press release announcing her campaign. “It’s what I’ve done my whole life, as a prosecutor, as a judge, and a teacher and a mom, and it’s what I’ll do as attorney general.”
McDonald was elected Oakland County prosecutor in 2020. Her initiatives in office include reviewing every pending juvenile lifer case, establishing a Trafficking Unit, a Hate Crimes Unit and a Conviction Integrity Unit.
Before this role, McDonald was an Oakland County Circuit Court judge from 2012 to 2019, specializing in family matters like divorce and child abuse. Before then, she was a high school English teacher in Midland.
As county prosecutor, she led the prosecution of Ethan Crumbley and his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley following the Oxford High School shooting in 2021.
McDonald first put together her candidate committee in April.
McDonald is joining the Democratic primary with Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit and former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten, who led the Department of Justice’s Western Michigan District following a stint as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s chief legal counsel.
As Attorney General Dana Nessel cannot seek reelection in 2026, the Michigan Democratic Party delegates will formally select a candidate next year.
In an interview with Gongwer News Service, McDonald said her path has always been in the direction of where she can make the most impact, and is known for being strong, fair and straightforward.
When it comes to her opponents, she said what makes her stand out against Savit, who has a similar record to her, being another county prosecutor, is the size and diversity of the county she serves and that what she handles is “on a whole different level.”
She said while violent crime is down in her county now, it’s a large county with both rural and urban areas and the amount and “seriousness” of the crime is different. She said she doesn’t really think about the name recognition of Mark Totten, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden in his role and was the Democratic candidate for attorney general in 2014, and is more focused on her growing up in this state and knowing how to represent the people of Michigan who shared similar experiences to her.
She also said she has a history of winning tough races, alluding to her race for prosecutor in 2020 against the 12-year incumbent, beating her opponent two to one.
She said she’s taking lessons from that race into this one, including the reminder that not only being an elected official, but running the campaign, is “service.”
“You’re serving the people of your county or your state and so your number one job, which is the one I always take the most seriously when I’m in a campaign and even serving as the elected official, is to listen and make sure that I’m representing and listening to the real needs of everyday people,” McDonald said.
One of her focuses of the campaign is “threats to fundamental freedoms and federal overreach,” according to her campaign press release. When it comes to the current administration, Nessel has been focused on piling lawsuits on Trump administration executive orders and actions.
When asked if she would take a similar approach to Nessel, McDonald said the role of the attorney general is to do “whatever needs to be done” to protect law and vulnerable people.
“I think it’s extremely important that we stand up and fight. It’s a limiting of our rights and our liberty, right? The rule of law is under threat,” McDonald said. “So, there are things the attorney general has authority and power to object and fight on those efforts, and I think it’s critical that we do.”
She said while addressing gun violence, another piece of her campaign, prosecuting individuals with gun charges is only one piece of the puzzle.
Gun violence needs to be treated like a public health crisis, McDonald said, and should be treated in the way the state was able to bring down the amount of automobile accidents: with education.
She wants to use the office to be an educational resource on safe storage laws and provide resources to help children before “they get to that moment of crisis where their hand is on a gun.”
McDonald is passionate about the fight against human trafficking in the state as well, with Michigan being in the top 10 states in instances of trafficking of both humans or drugs, focusing on that issue as county prosecutor.
She highlighted the training her office administered to over 300 law enforcement officials on trafficking. Since then, her office has charged 30 new cases of trafficking.
She said the office of the attorney general would give her more authority and power to investigate the traffickers as they often cross county lines and would continue this work that Nessel has done on trafficking.
McDonald emphasized her small-town experience in mid-Michigan and taking advantage of student loan programs and FHA loans allowed her to be where she is today and sees these opportunities in limbo for Michiganders today.
“They give them opportunities to be contributing to our community, and they are at risk, and so we need a fighter,” McDonald said.
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