Farmington Hills voters will choose between incumbent state Rep. Samantha Steckloff and Republican challenger Kevin J. Hammer for the 19th District state House seat on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to Oakland County's unofficial general election candidate list updated Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Both candidates live in Farmington Hills. The two-year seat pays $71,685 annually.
Steckloff, 42, a lifelong Farmington Hills resident, won her Aug. 4 Democratic primary with 71.5% of the vote, collecting 10,206 votes to challenger Brandon Young's 4,071, according to Ballotpedia. She has served in the Michigan House since 2021 and sat on the Farmington Hills City Council from 2013 to 2020.
Hammer, 68, a retired attorney and accountant who has lived in Farmington Hills for 39 years, took the Republican primary with 65.6%, earning 2,853 votes to Mitch Swoboda's 1,496. He has never held elected office. Hammer holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and a law degree, both from the University of Detroit.
In a pre-primary questionnaire published by C&G Newspapers, Steckloff listed her top goals as protecting seniors and working families from rising costs through property tax stabilization, expanding access to affordable healthcare and strengthening workforce development. Hammer said he wants to "invigorate Michigan's economy and promote the well-being of families."
In a Feb. 26 statement following the governor's State of the State address, Steckloff said her priority remains building up infrastructure on all fronts, citing road funding, water infrastructure and higher education investment.
The Nov. 3 ballot also includes the 8th District state Senate race, where Democrat Dayna Polehanki faces Republican Kenneth D. Massey. Massey lists a Farmington Hills address on the county's candidate filing.
Farmington Hills saw 73.26% turnout in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election, with 48,558 of 66,282 registered voters casting ballots.
The candidate list remains unofficial pending certification by Oakland County. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
