Andrew Watkins, a Democrat running to represent Michigan’s 35th District in the state House of Representatives, hopes to beat the odds and make a difference in the Hillsdale community.

“I just need to give the Democrats a voice,” Watkins said. “There are lots of them around. They just haven’t been comfortable coming out.”

Watkins will face Republican incumbent state Rep. Andrew Fink in the November election. 

The 35th District is heavily Republican. Two years ago, Fink won more than 71% of the vote against Democrat Tamara Barnes. 

“I’m doing a grassroots campaign,” Watkins said. “It’s a little tough right now because I’m just relying on supporters to help. But I think once you get into the money side of things, you can change your whole perspective.” 

Watkins lacks previous political experience, but he said his father, brother, and sister were involved in local government. He grew up in Hillsdale, where he attended local schools before joining the Army as a petroleum supply specialist. 

While in the Army, Watkins was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, which he said prepared him for a life in politics

“There are lots of politics in the military,” Watkins said. “Some of it’s good, and some of it’s bad. But it helps you because you get more diversity, especially compared to where I grew up in Hillsdale. You get introduced to other cultures and ethnicities and start learning that the world is big.” 

After serving for seven years, Watkins settled back in Hillsdale and took a job in manufacturing.

“I had opportunities to go to plenty of other places, but coming back to your roots is what everybody wants to do,” Watkins said. “It’s great.” 

If elected, Watkins said he hopes to tackle the issue of housing in Hillsdale. According to Rocket Homes, local property values have increased by almost 25% since August 2021. By distributing state grants to renters, Watkins said he hopes to lower housing costs so locals can afford to live, work, and support a family.

“Say somebody owns a second home and wants to rent it out, but they need to renovate it,” Watkins said. “They could possibly get a grant from the state to help them do that. Then when they rent it, it will adjust that rent closer to the median income.” 

Watkins also aspires to overcome polarization in the nation and county by uniting the two fractured sides. He believes in “people over politics,” according to his Facebook page. 

The Hillsdale County Republican Party remains fractured and may fight each other in court. In August, HCRP’s “America First” executive committee accused delegates of being “Trochky [sic] International Socialists,” and prevented them from attending the local convention.

With the current Hillsdale County Republican Party schism, Watkins said he hopes Democrats can serve as an example of leadership, cooperation, and bipartisanship. 

“Everybody should just come together and listen,” Watkins said. “Yes, we are going to have differences, but our common goal is going to be the same, which is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Rather than advocating wealth redistribution, Watkins said he takes a more moderate approach by embracing equality of opportunity. 

“I’m not not going to say everybody has to pay for everything for everybody,” Watkins said. “It’s more in the middle. Whether you have $5 or $1 million, you should still be able to have the same opportunity.” 

Watkins encouraged individuals to think for themselves instead of following the dominant party orientation of their family or “fake news.”

“In this area, whether conservative or Democrats, a lot of people feel stuck,” Watkins said. “They are diehard. Either, ‘This is how my family was,’ or ‘I will live this way,’ because they are so dead set on that way. With that being the status quo, they don’t want to stir the pot.”

Fink, Watkin’s opponent, is a Hillsdale College alumnus running on a conservative platform. According to Fink’s campaign website, he is pro-life, and supports law enforcement, election integrity, the Second Amendment, lowering taxes, and ending vaccine mandates. 

Watkins urged voters to come together ahead of the upcoming election.

“United we stand, divided we fall,” he said.