Chang wins Democratic primary for State Senate District 3

METRO DETROIT — Stephanie Chang defeated her challenger Toinu Reeves in the Democratic primary for the Michigan Senate’s 3rd District Aug. 2.

Chang secured 22,447 votes, while Reeves took 4,657.

There were no Republicans competing for the nomination. The race is for one four-year term in November. State senators earn a salary of $71,685.

“I am humbled by, and grateful for all the support of residents across Senate District 3 in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties,” Chang said via email. “I am excited to keep working hard and get things done for opportunity, equity, access and justice. From now until November, I will be working to help win a Democratic majority in the Michigan Senate for the first time in almost four decades.” 

Reeves did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

Previously, the two described themselves in profiles published by C & G Newspapers.

Chang, 38, is a current state senator who has lived in Detroit for 17 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in Asian Pacific Islander American studies, as well as master’s degrees in social work and public policy from the University of Michigan. She served as a state representative from 2015 to 2018. She was first elected to the state Senate in 2019.

“I will continue to work for an economy that works for everyone, quality education for all our kids, preventing flooding in our neighborhoods and ensuring clean air and water, fixing our roads and bridges, housing justice, a strong and fair justice system, gun violence prevention, and protecting reproductive freedom,” she previously said.

Reeves, 46, is the founder and managing director of two nonprofits: laescient.org and socivisus.org. He also works as a graduate student instructor at the University of Michigan. He has lived in Detroit for 46 years, and earned a degree in economics and philosophy from Dartmouth College, completed the graduate mathematics program at Wayne State University, and earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan. He is also a PhD candidate in economics through the University of Michigan.