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CBS News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Eli Savit announces candidacy for Michigan Attorney General
Repairs to Belle Isle fountain; financial impact of tariffs; and more top stories Repairs to Belle Isle fountain; financial impact of tariffs; and more top stories Repairs to Belle Isle fountain; financial impact of tariffs; and more top stories Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit, a Democrat, has announced his campaign for the 2026 Michigan Attorney General race. Michigan's current state attorney general Dana Nessel, a Democrat, is facing term limits and is unable to run for re-election. Attorney Mark Totten, also a Democrat, announced his candidacy in April. "At a time when our constitutional rights are under attack, Eli will be a fearless advocate for justice, fairness, and opportunity for all," Savit's campaign announcement said. Savit was born and raised in Ann Arbor. He attended Kalamazoo College, where he played basketball. After college graduation, he worked as a public school teacher both in special education and eighth-grade U.S. history. After graduation from University of Michigan Law School, Savit worked for two federal judges. He then clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court for Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As senior legal counsel for the City of Detroit, Savit oversaw the city's lawsuits against the opioid industry and led the right-to-literacy lawsuit on behalf of Detroit students. He also worked on a negotiating team that secured nearly $100 million in funding for Detroit schools. He also served as the top lawyer in international negotiations that facilitated the construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Michigan and Ontario. Savit was elected Washtenaw County prosecuting attorney in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. In that role, he created special teams that included an economic justice unit and investigated "cold case" rape incidents. He also established the county's integrity and expungement unit, giving over 1,000 residents who met the requirements a chance at clearing old records. Other projects included litigating on behalf of the ACLU, the American Association of University Women, and the League of Women Voters to challenge the Michigan Legislature's adopt-and-amend strategy that was invoked upon a voter-approved measure on paid sick leave and a boosted minimum wage. In addition to his work as a prosecutor, he is a lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit joins race for Michigan attorney general
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit is running for Michigan attorney general, he announced May 13. Savit, a Democrat, pledged to fight corporate polluters, scams and rip-offs that harm Michigan consumers, and constitutional overreach and associated funding cuts by Republican President Donald Trump. He said another priority would be fighting "wage theft" by employers who fail to pay required overtime or avoid paying benefits by improperly classifying workers as independent contractors. "I'm running to stand up for the people of the state of Michigan, no matter who is screwing them over," Savit said in a May 12 interview with the Free Press. Savit, 42, of Ann Arbor, joins former federal prosecutor Mark Totten in the race for the Democratic nomination. On the Republican side, Birmingham attorney Kevin Kijewski has announced his candidacy. The current attorney general, Democrat Dana Nessel, can't run again in 2026 because of constitutional term limits. Savit is completing his second four-year term as Washtenaw County prosecutor, where he campaigned to reduce racial and socio-economic inequities in the criminal justice system and increase support for mental health and addiction services. Since he was first elected prosecutor in 2020, Savit established an economic justice unit focused on issues such as worker and consumer protection. He has also sought to eliminate, to the extent possible under current law, the use of cash bail in criminal cases, saying a defendant's financial resources should not dictate whether they remain free pending trial. "If you're dangerous, you should be held pending trial." Savit said. "You shouldn't be able to buy your way out, if you are wealthy." Before that, he worked for the city of Detroit as senior legal counsel under Mayor Mike Duggan, suing the opioid industry and directing the city's legal efforts in winning, along with interest groups, a nearly $100-million settlement for Detroit Public Schools in a right-to-literacy lawsuit against the state of Michigan. Savit, who grew up in Ann Arbor, graduated from Kalamazoo College and the University of Michigan Law School. In between, he worked as an eighth-grade history and special education teacher. After law school, Savit clerked for two U.S. Supreme Court justices — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in 2020, and Sandra Day O'Connor, who died in 2023. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Washtenaw Prosecutor Eli Savit joins Michigan attorney general race
