Former Dow exec running for swing Michigan seat in Congress

A former Dow Chemical Co. executive is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in a key swing district in mid-Michigan, announcing her campaign Wednesday.

Mary Draves, 55, of Midland is a first-time candidate for public office and seeking the Republican nomination in the 8th District, which covers Genesee, Saginaw and Bay counties and part of Midland County, including the cities of Bay City, Flint, Midland and Saginaw.

The seat is held by retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, who announced in November he wouldn't seek another term.

"I grew up knowing the value of hard work, as a child on my grandparents farm and through my life working for my family’s business. Today’s politicians in Washington haven’t put in a hard day’s work in years, embracing policies that raise prices, open up our communities to violent crime and dictate how we live," Draves said in a statement.

"It is time to take a sledgehammer to this dysfunction and lack of fiscal responsibility. I will bring the fighting voice that our families deserve and need so our children have a safer and better future than they do today.”

Draves' campaign declined to make her available for an interview. She enters the race behind the others in fundraising and in gathering petition signatures to get on the ballot that are due April 23.

Also seeking the GOP nomination in the 8th District are State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder of Dexter; Paul Junge of Grand Blanc Township; and small-business owner Anthony Jason Hudson. Junge lost to Kildee in 2022 by nearly 10 percentage points. 

"I’ve never heard of her before," Snyder said of Draves in a statement to The Detroit News.

"I guess she has been in the private sector, but I remain the only candidate that has actually been elected with a track record of public service for the people of the 8th District," Snyder added. "I think it’s a great contrast between a single mom of three that has constantly fought for real people and a retired executive that won’t even take your questions.”

On the Democratic side, candidates include state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet of Bay City; Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley; State Board of Education President Pam Pugh of Saginaw; Daniel Moilanen of Flint; and Matt Collier, a former Flint mayor in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

McDonald Rivet on Tuesday announced she had raised more than $825,000 last quarter, which her campaign said was a Michigan record for the most raised by a non-incumbent U.S. House candidate in their first quarter. No other candidates have publicly disclosed their fundraising totals for the quarter yet, and reports are not due to the Federal Election Commission until April 15.

But McDonald Rivet's haul is a reminder that the 8th District is primed to be among the most competitive and expensive races nationally for the U.S. House. Outside and party groups are expected to invest heavily in the district, having spent $9 million there in 2022. 

The 8th District slightly favors Democrats but is more competitive since redistricting and has been a top target for Republicans. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report labeled the district a toss-up after Kildee announced in November that he wouldn't run again.

Draves grew up in Midland, attended public schools and graduated with two degrees from Saginaw ValleyState University — a bachelor's in biology and a master's in technological processes. According to her campaign, she started working at Dow while still a full-time college student.

After 29 years, she became an executive at the company before retiring in 2022. Her LinkedIn page says she held various roles in sustainability, environmental health and safety, manufacturing, environmental matters, public policy, government and community affairs.

Her roles at Dow included serving as chief sustainability officer and vice president of environment, health and safety, where she had responsibility for the company's environmental, health and safety governance and corporate sustainability, including reporting Dow’s environmental, social and governance performance, according to LinkedIn.

Since retiring from Dow, she started a consulting business in Midland where she helps local business owners "grow their companies," according to her campaign. She serves on the board of the Saginaw Valley State University Foundation and the firm 3E, which provides hazardous materials information management and emergency response services for environmental health and safety managers, according to Bloomberg.

mburke@detroitnews.com