A Conversation with MI Attorney General Nominee Eli Savit

Eli Savit, the presumptive Democratic nominee for Michigan attorney general, combines a unique blend of public‑service credentials. A former eighth‑grade teacher turned Washtenaw County prosecutor, he clerked for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and led high‑profile litigation against opioid manufacturers, slumlords, and corporate polluters. His track record includes securing the nation’s largest single‑site water‑pollution recovery and a landmark $100 million settlement that redirected funds to Detroit’s public‑school literacy program. Savit argues that a state attorney general is the primary defender of civil rights, voting integrity, and environmental safeguards when federal protections wane.

During the campaign, Savit highlighted three policy pillars: protecting voting rights, enforcing consumer and worker protections, and championing clean air and water. He stresses that Michigan’s diverse electorate—urban centers like Detroit and Flint, suburban districts, and rural communities—makes the AG’s office a critical bulwark against disenfranchisement and corporate abuse. By leveraging his civil‑rights litigation experience, he aims to challenge any federal or state actions that threaten fair elections, wage theft, price‑gouging, or environmental degradation. His education agenda, exemplified by the literacy settlement, underscores a belief that every child deserves a constitutionally grounded right to read, a principle he hopes will eventually be recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Beyond policy, Savit addressed the political climate surrounding his nomination. He condemned anti‑Semitic incidents at the Democratic convention, urging unity across religious, racial, and gender lines to strengthen the party’s electoral prospects. On religious‑freedom issues, he reaffirmed Michigan’s constitutional ban on public funding for religious schools while insisting that providers who accept public money must obey anti‑discrimination laws. Savit also criticized the Supreme Court’s recent shadow‑docket decisions and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, warning that aggressive judicial activism threatens the very rights his office will defend. His candidacy positions the Michigan AG as a decisive player in national elections and a safeguard for progressive values.