Washtenaw County prosecutor announces campaign for Michigan attorney general
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit | Submitted photo
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit announced Tuesday that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general.
Savit said his role as attorney general would be to 'stand between Michiganders and those trying to take their rights away—whether it's extremist politicians in Washington, corporate polluters contaminating our environment, or shady businesses ripping off workers and consumers.'
As prosecutor, Savit created Michigan's only Economic Justice Unit, focused on wage theft, price gouging and consumer abuse, as well as new units focused on domestic violence and sexual assault.
He was elected as Washtenaw County prosecutor in 2020 and re-elected in 2024.
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Prior to that, he served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor. He was also senior legal counsel for the city of Detroit, where he oversaw the city's lawsuits against the opioid industry and led the litigation in a right-to-literacy lawsuit that netted nearly $100 million for the city's public schools.
Savit said he would use the office to push back on the Trump administration, who he said is 'seeking to strip our communities of their fundamental freedoms.'
'The attorney general is uniquely situated to fight back, in court, against federal overreach,' Savit said.
But he said it's also important to litigate issues closer to home, 'whether it's a slumlord taking advantage of tenants, a business ripping off its workers, or a scammer taking advantage of seniors.'
Savit joins a field that also includes former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten, the Democratic nominee for attorney general in 2014. Only one Republican has entered the race so far, defense attorney Kevin Kijewski, best known for his representation of Clifford Frost, one of the 15 defendants charged by the Michigan Attorney General's Office with submitting false electoral votes in 2020 for President Donald Trump.
Savit's campaign said he has already earned the endorsements of 15 state legislators, including state Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), and more than 30 city and county officials, including Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand and Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.
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