Noah Arbit | |
|---|---|
| Member of the MichiganHouseofRepresentatives from the 20th district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Matt Koleszar [lower-alpha 1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Noah Jeremy Arbit September 21,1995 West Bloomfield,Michigan |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Wayne State University (B.A.) |
| Website | Campaign website Government website |
Noah Jeremy Arbit (born September 21,1995) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party,Arbit represents Michigan's 20th House District,anchored in West Bloomfield Township,alongside Keego Harbor,Orchard Lake,Sylvan Lake,and portions of Commerce and Bloomfield townships. [2] First elected in the November 2022 general election, [3] Arbit is the youngest LGBTQ+ person ever elected to serve in the Michigan Legislature. [4]
Noah Arbit was born on September 21,1995,alongside his fraternal twin brother,to parents Edie and Steve Arbit. [5] Arbit was raised with his two brothers in West Bloomfield Township,and attended Bloomfield Hills Schools,including Lone Pine Elementary School,West Hills Middle School,and Andover High School,before completing high school at the Frankel Jewish Academy in 2013. [6]
In 2018,Arbit graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative politics and Jewish studies. [5] His undergraduate thesis,entitled “International Law and the Israeli Embassy and AMIA Bombings in Buenos Aires:Iranian Terrorism,Argentine Corruption,and the Birth of an International Cold Case”,was published by the Pennsylvania Undergraduate Law Review in Spring 2018. [7]
In 2016,Arbit took a semester off college to work for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign,leading the campaign’s organizing efforts in West Bloomfield,Commerce,and Milford townships in central-west Oakland County. He has cited Clinton’s loss in the 2016 election as a major turning point in his career,compelling him to shift focus from foreign affairs to local and state politics. [8]
Following his graduation,Arbit worked as a staffer for Gretchen Whitmer’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign in Oakland County, [9] and later,as a fundraiser for the Michigan House Democrats. [9]
Following the 2018 terrorist shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh,and a perceived rise in antisemitism nationally,Arbit founded the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, [10] stating its mission to “elevate Jewish voices in the Michigan Democratic Party,combat antisemitism and extremism,and advocate for progressive policies to build a better,stronger,fairer Michigan.” [11] As chair of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus,Arbit was outspoken about the need to combat antisemitism in politics,and the importance of Jews running for office in Michigan. [12] He was named to the Detroit Jewish News’annual “36 Under 36”list in 2020 and 2022. [12]
In January 2021,Arbit was appointed Director of Communications for the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office,serving under Prosecutor Karen McDonald. He organized the Office’s first-ever Racial Justice Advisory Council,as well as its first ever Pride celebration. [5]
In August 2021,prior to the completion of Michigan’s redistricting process,Arbit announced his candidacy for the Michigan House of Representatives,filing to run in an undetermined district anchored in his hometown of West Bloomfield. [13] In his announcement,Arbit cited the urgency of combating rising hate crimes and extremism,as well as addressing Michigan’s mental health crisis. [13]
On August 2,2022,backed by record-breaking fundraising and endorsements from U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence, [14] local leaders, [14] and organizations, [14] including the Detroit Free Press, [15] Arbit came first in a competitive,three-way Democratic primary for Michigan’s 20th House District,defeating West Bloomfield School District board member Ken Ferguson and former legislative staffer James Sklar by nearly 16 percentage points,with 7,180 votes (46.6%) to Ferguson’s 4,785 (31%),and Sklar’s 3,448 (22%). [16]
On November 8,2022,Arbit was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in the 2022 General Election,defeating Republican Party nominee Albert Mansour with 56.6% of the vote to Mansour’s 43.4%. [3] Arbit is only the second Democrat to represent a state house district comprising West Bloomfield and Commerce Townships since before the Civil War, [17] and is the youngest openly gay person ever elected to the Michigan Legislature. [4]
On December 4,2022,Arbit was sworn in as State Representative by Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard H. Bernstein at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. U.S. Representative Haley Stevens also participated in Arbit’s ceremony. [18]
Arbit is Jewish;he and his family are congregants at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. [19] Arbit is also openly gay, [4] and has cited his experiences as a part of the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities as compelling him to get involved in politics,to run for office,and particularly,to focus on strengthening Michigan’s hate crime laws. [20]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Noah Arbit | 27,825 | 56.64 | |||
| Republican | Albert Mansour | 21,302 | 43.36 | |||
| Total votes | 49,176 | 100% | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Noah Arbit | 7,180 | 46.6 | |
| Democratic | Ken Ferguson | 4,785 | 31.0 | |
| Democratic | James Sklar | 3,448 | 22.4 | |
Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its seat of government is Pontiac, and its largest city is Troy. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, and the most populous county in the United States without a city of 100,000 residents.
West Bloomfield Township is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, West Bloomfield is located roughly 27 miles (43.5 km) from downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 65,888.
Sander Martin Levin is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019, representing Michigan's 9th congressional district. Levin, a member of the Democratic Party from Michigan, is a former ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee; he was Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee from 2010 to 2011. He was the older brother of former U.S. Senator Carl Levin, and is the father of former Congressman Andy Levin, his successor.
Michigan's 11th congressional district is a United States congressional district north of Detroit, comprising most of urbanized central Oakland County. Until 1993, the district covered the state's Upper Peninsula and the northernmost portion of the Lower Peninsula. In redistricting that year, it was shifted to the outer Detroit area. Its former geographical area is now the state's first district. Its current configuration dates from 2023.
Michigan's 6th congressional district is a United States congressional district in southeast Michigan. In 2022, the district was redrawn to be centered around Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, as well as western and southern Wayne County, small part of southwestern Oakland County, and the city of Milan in Monroe County. In previous redistrictings, the 6th district consisted of all of Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren, counties, and includes most of Allegan county.
Frankel Jewish Academy(FJA), named after its major benefactors Jean and Samuel Frankel, is a college-preparatory independent Jewish day school in West Bloomfield, a city in the Detroit metropolitan area. Opened in 2000 primarily for providing continuity of Jewish education for the graduates of Hillel Day School, a local Conservative K – 8 school, it became the first multi-denominational Jewish high school in Michigan. It provides both secular and Judaic studies instruction for ninth through 12th grade students coming from various denominations within Judaism, including Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox.
Brenda Lawrence is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 14th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Lawrence served as mayor of Southfield, Michigan, from 2001 to 2015, and was the party's nominee for Oakland County executive in 2008 and for lieutenant governor in 2010. Her congressional district covered most of eastern Detroit, including downtown, and stretched west to take in portions of Oakland County, including Farmington Hills, Pontiac, and Lawrence's home in Southfield.
Gary Charles Peters Sr. is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Michigan's 14th congressional district, which included the eastern half of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Southfield, and Pontiac, from 2009 to 2015.
Rashida Harbi Tlaib is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.
Lisa Brown is an American politician from the state of Michigan. A Democrat, she was elected Oakland County Clerk & Register of deed on November 6, 2012. Brown was previously a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives. She represented the 39th State House District, located in Central Oakland County since 2009. The district covers all of Commerce Township and most of West Bloomfield Township. She was the 2014 Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor alongside former Congressman Mark Schauer.
Jeremy Allen Moss is an American politician from Southfield, Michigan currently representing the 7th State Senate District, which includes all of Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Lake Angelus, Lathrup Village, Pontiac, Southfield, and parts of Detroit, Southfield Township, and Waterford Township. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the first openly LGBT person elected to the Michigan Senate, as well as the first to serve as President Pro Tempore. Moss previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2014 - 2018, and remains the youngest-ever member of the Southfield City Council.
Elissa Blair Slotkin is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative for Michigan's 7th congressional district since 2019. The district, numbered as the 8th from 2019 to 2023, stretches from Lansing to the outer northern suburbs of Detroit. A member of the Democratic Party, Slotkin was previously a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst and Department of Defense official.
Andrew Saul Levin is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 9th congressional district from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Levin was elected to the House in 2018, succeeding his retiring father, Sander Levin. He is the nephew of Carl Levin, formerly Michigan's U.S. senator.
Mari Manoogian is an American politician from Michigan who represented the 40th District in the Michigan House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, her constituency included several communities within Oakland County, including Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, and part of West Bloomfield Township.
Haley Maria Stevens is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 11th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Stevens represents most of urbanized Oakland County, including many of Detroit's northern and western suburbs.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Michigan will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect a Class I member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Michigan. It will be held concurrently with the 2024 United States presidential election, other elections to the United States Senate, other elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and Republican former congressman Mike Rogers are seeking their first term in office. The winner will succeed Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow, who is not seeking a fifth term.
Matt Hall is an American politician from Michigan. Hall is a Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives from District 42.
Hillary Jeanne Scholten is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 3rd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents Grand Rapids and much of the urban core of West Michigan, in a district once represented by late President Gerald Ford.
Michigan's 20th House of Representatives district is a legislative district within the Michigan House of Representatives anchored in the central Oakland County community of West Bloomfield Township, alongside the cities of Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, and parts of Commerce and Bloomfield townships. The 20th district preserves greater West Bloomfield as defined by the Greater West Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, including the entirity of the cities of Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, Orchard Lake Village, and West Bloomfield Township in its entirety.
Kathy Ellen Manning is an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina, presently representing the state's 6th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, her district is in the heart of the Piedmont Triad and includes Greensboro and most of Winston-Salem. She was the nominee for North Carolina's 13th congressional district in the 2018 election, and ran for and won the neighboring 6th in the 2020 election after court-ordered redistricting.
