Washtenaw County prosecutor joins Michigan attorney general race
The 42-year-old Ann Arbor Democrat who started his career as a public school teacher said on his campaign website that he will "take on corporate polluters, protect workers and consumers from exploitation, and hold powerful interests accountable."
"At a time when our constitutional rights are under attack, Eli will be a fearless advocate for justice, fairness, and opportunity for all," the site said.
Savit worked as a law clerk to former U.S. Supreme Court justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor and legal counsel for the city of Detroit before he was elected Washtenaw County prosecutor in 2020. He was re-elected to the position in 2024 and currently lectures at the University of Michigan Law School.
As prosecutor, Savit created the state's only Economic Justice Unit, focused on price gouging, wage theft and consumer abuse, as well as zeroed in prosecutorial efforts on domestic violence and sexual assault cases, his campaign announcement said.
In Tuesday's announcement, Savit said the attorney general's office needs to focus its efforts on abuses close to home − such as slumlords and scammers − and at the federal level, where he argued Trump "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. "And I'll do so whenever Michiganders are placed at risk."
His endorsements include that of former Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton and state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit.
Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel is term-limited and serving her last four-year term.
Savit joins two others who have already announced their candidacy for the statewide role: Defense attorney Kevin Kijewski, a Republican, and former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten, a Democrat.
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