The Gist
State Representative, 81st District
Photo of Stephen Wooden
Stephen WoodenOfficial portrait — Michigan House

Stephen Wooden

Candidate for State Representative, 81st District

DemocraticIncumbent

Background

Occupation
State Representative
Lives in
Grand Rapids
Campaign website
stephenwooden.com

State representative for the 81st District since 2025 and the ranking Democrat on the House Election Integrity Committee. He was a Kent County commissioner from 2019 to 2024 and worked seven years for Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, a community development nonprofit.

Report

Photo: Official portrait — Michigan House

Documented positions

Education

  • Supports keeping universal pre-K and free school meals.

    Priorities — Stephen Wooden For State House

    Campaign website · Friends of Stephen Wooden · stephenwooden.com

    “I want to protect universal pre-K and free school meals while refocusing our efforts to improve literacy and expand job training”
    Report

Housing

  • Sponsored bipartisan building code changes to spur housing.

    Meet Stephen — Stephen Wooden For State House

    Campaign website · Friends of Stephen Wooden · stephenwooden.com

    “he was able to pass bipartisan legislation to modernize building codes to build more housing”
    Report

  • Pledges to cut red tape and curb Wall Street homebuying.

    Priorities — Stephen Wooden For State House

    Campaign website · Friends of Stephen Wooden · stephenwooden.com

    “I'll work to cut red tape, build more homes, invest in affordable housing and crack down on Wall Street investors.”
    Report

Environment & parks

  • Supports transitioning to wind, solar and battery storage.

    Priorities — Stephen Wooden For State House

    Campaign website · Friends of Stephen Wooden · stephenwooden.com

    “We need to make the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy like wind, solar and battery storage while improving our grid”
    Report

Health & human services

  • Pledges to fight prescription drug price gouging.

    Priorities — Stephen Wooden For State House

    Campaign website · Friends of Stephen Wooden · stephenwooden.com

    “I'll fight back against prescription drug price gouging and federal cuts to affordable healthcare”
    Report

Government & transparency

  • Opposes the federal executive order restricting mail-in voting.In office

    Rep. Wooden's News

    Government record · Michigan House Democrats · housedems.com

    “issued the following joint statement in response to President Donald Trump's Executive Order attempting to assert federal authority over elections”
    Report

All sources (7)

Positions are summarized from the sources listed and are not inferred from party affiliation. Items marked “Provided by” were published by the candidate's verified campaign or party office under our campaign content standards. See something wrong? Use the Report link beside it, or contact us.