Moving Michigan Forward
Affordability
Thomas is committed to policies that fight inflation and make life more affordable – from the grocery store to the gas station and from health care to housing.
Lower taxes – including income taxes -- to provide fair and broad relief to all Michiganders.
Create more affordable housing by streamlining regulations and lowering property taxes.
Eliminate misguided ‘green energy’ mandates that make utility bills skyrocket.
Reduce inflationary government spending to allow Michigan residents and businesses to keep more of their own money.
Rein in health care costs by preventing an unelected state department from unilaterally imposing insurance provider assessments with costs that would be passed along to patients and job providers.
Opportunity
Michigan has the potential to once again become an economic powerhouse. We have the people and the experience to get the job done. But we must first return to proven policies that will allow our state to grow from the ground up.
State-directed, centralized economic planning does not work. This strategy failed Michigan in the early 2000s and it is failing us again now, as our state has higher than average unemployment and below average median income. A new direction is needed.
Eliminate the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and several of its programs, ending favoritism for corporations and special interests with political connections. Transfer legitimate remaining MEDC functions to the proposed Bureau of Fair Competition and Free Enterprise.
Lower taxes and reform regulations to give everyone in Michigan better opportunities for success.
Restore ‘right to work’ laws that protect individual rights and make Michigan a better place to create jobs.
End massive taxpayer-funded subsidies for electric vehicle production, allowing the free market to dictate what types of vehicles are built and sold.
Accountability
Thomas fights to hold state government accountable to Michigan families and taxpayers.
Fought shutdowns and government overreach during COVID shutdowns.
Opposes government overspending that fuels inflation.
Introduced plan to ban non-disclosure agreements in economic development deals.
Supports independent review of government economic incentive spending to ensure improved oversight for taxpayers.
Supports expanded financial disclosure and public access to information related to the state government and its leaders.
Energy Reform
High utility costs - worsened by government mandates - are crippling the budgets of families and businesses across Michigan. Thomas supports common-sense policies that will help rein in costs.
Repeal the ‘green energy’ mandates that fuel higher prices for electricity and make the energy grid less reliable.
Restore local control over where wind and solar projects are located.
Repeal the tax breaks that make Michigan a magnet for data centers, and ensure these developments do not raise utility costs for other customers.
Reform the Michigan Public Service Commission to increase representation for customers, and ensure the commission does not act as a rubber stamp for the governor and utility rate hike requests.
Education
Michigan spends more per pupil than most states and still produces below average results as judged by many metrics. Thomas is fighting to restore accountability and improve outcomes for students.
Protect parents’ right to direct and know about what their kids are taught in school.
Strengthen accountability provisions in Michigan’s ‘Read by Grade 3’ law.
Ensure teacher evaluations are tied to student performance.
Reduce chronic absenteeism because students can’t learn if they aren’t in class.
Support career and technical education to reflect the reality that not all students are headed to college.
Support curriculum flexibility to give students more pathways to success.
Support school choice and opt Michigan into the new federal scholarship program for public and private schools.
Families and Communities
Thomas believes government can foster an environment that allows families and communities to thrive.
Protect vulnerable young children from harmful social media and age-inappropriate content by adding age verification standards to state law.
Invest in public safety and support law enforcement, building on his efforts while in the House to significantly improve officer recruitment and retention.
Support prosecutors and ensure the justice system keeps criminals off the street by putting victims’ rights first.
Invest in roads and public infrastructure that communities need to prosper.
Support families with the public services they need while adopting policies that help them live and succeed as independently from government as possible.
Sanctity of Life
Thomas is pro-life and strongly supports the protection of life at all stages. He was endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan in all three of his elections for the Michigan House of Representatives and his 2022 election to the Michigan Senate.
As House Appropriations chairman, Thomas included $20 million in the 2022 state budget to aid mothers in crisis pregnancies through a maternal health navigator program, help pregnancy resource centers through grants, and promote adoption.
Additionally, Thomas had legislation signed into law that requires warning labels on marijuana products informing mothers of the possible birth complications caused by using marijuana while pregnant.
2nd Amendment
As a gun owner, sportsman and four-time Expert Marksman with both the rifle and pistol in the U.S. Marine Corps, Thomas supports the Constitutional right to bear arms.
In Lansing, Thomas has supported numerous pro-gun bills including allowing constitutional carry in Michigan and reducing fees for concealed pistol licenses. He has voted against Democrat-sponsored legislation that undermines gun rights such as ‘red flag’ laws, ‘safe storage’ laws and universal background checks. His position is shaped by the Second Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court decisions such as the 2008 District of Columbia vs. Heller case.
Thomas is a strong supporter of and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.
Election Security
Safe and secure elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. Thomas supports measures that enhance election security while eliminating potential for voter fraud. He believes Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has failed Michigan voters by allowing security lapses through shoddy practices and insufficient oversight.
Thomas supports accountability measures to ensure only U.S. citizens can vote, requiring photo ID to vote, and removing those who have died or moved out of Michigan from the qualified voter file. He supports measures that would deny third party access to voter files, and prevent voting machines from being connected to the internet, among several other measures.
Veterans
Thomas is a veteran, proudly serving in the United States Marine Corps from 2007-10 and continuing in the Reserves until 2013. During his time in the Michigan House, he served on the Military and Veteran Affairs Policy Committee and the Military and Veteran Affairs Appropriation Committee.
Thomas was proud to support the creation of a County Veteran Services Grant and increased funding for Veteran Service Organizations while in the House. In the Senate, he supported legislation to help members of the Michigan National Guard with child care and health care costs.
Our country would not exist today without the sacrifices our veterans made to protect our freedoms. The least we can do is ensure they are supported and taken care of when they return home.
Agriculture
Agriculture is a vital component of communities in the 18th District and the entire state of Michigan. Thomas helps provide farmers with a voice in Lansing and has supported numerous agriculture-related bills. In the current Senate session, Thomas supported and helped improve bipartisan legislation to clarify the state’s farmland preservation program and ensure income tax credits are available for eligible land. He has supported reforms to water irrigation withdrawals and extending the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP).
Thomas also supports the preservation of farmland by opposing mandates for wind and solar development, which is devouring more acreage each year. He also supports ensuring local governments can make their own zoning decisions related to wind and solar.
Thomas was endorsed by the Michigan Farm Bureau in each of his three elections to the Michigan House of Representatives, and to the Senate.
Immigration
Thomas supports a fair and lawful immigration system that respects the rule of law and reflects our values as a nation of opportunity. He believes legal immigration strengthens our economy and communities, and should be encouraged.
At the same time, our laws must be enforced. Thomas supports safe, humane, and orderly enforcement of federal immigration laws, while protecting the rights and dignity of those who have followed the rules and immigrated here legally.
He believes federal, state, and local governments should work together to improve coordination, educate communities, and enforce immigration laws in a practical, common-sense way that keeps communities safe and treats people with respect.