Candidate questionnaire: Brett Muchow

The following is Watershed Voice‘s candidate questionnaire for the August 2026 primary elections. We will be running all remaining candidate questionnaires in the order received today, Thursday, July 30.

Brett Muchow, Michigan Senate District 17 Democratic primary candidate filled out our questionnaire, below are his answers as submitted.

Name: Brett Muchow  
Age: 47
Are you an incumbent? No  
Family (optional): Married for 22 years, three sons, Beckett 19, Russell 17, Casey 15

Background/bio

I’ve been a farmer for the past ten years and a union teacher for over a decade before that. These experiences have strengthened my resolve to protect our land and water, improve our public education systems, and provide healthcare, childcare, and vocational opportunities for all.  Higher costs of living and housing have made it harder for everyone, and we need real solutions to address these issues.

As a first generation regenerative livestock dairy farmer, I’ve created systems to support the land, water, animals and people, and develop it responsibly with my own two hands, our farming team, a number of contractors, and agencies that regulate. I work everyday to be a better land steward and raise quality proteins for our local community.

As a union teacher, I dedicated my time to providing the best lessons for my students, spaces for them to express themselves and practices to improve their skills.  I know the importance of quality teachers, counselors, social workers, and the staff who dedicate their time to making a school community that supports all students.  Children need access to clubs, a variety of classes, vocational programs, and local community college programs that will inspire them.

As a husband, father, and son, I know that healthcare access for all, affordable housing and utilities, and childcare are fundamental for living and working in District 17.  We need real solutions to help people now with the rising costs.

I will work from dawn to dusk to make progressive changes that will help every Michigander.

Why are you running for the office of Michigan State Senate?

I’m running because our current District 17 Senator is not protecting our access to health care, like the hospital in Sturgis shutting down.  He is not protecting our land and communities, as in the ongoing Dowagiac data center development.   He did not protect our workers, by fighting alongside the union in Three Rivers for a fair contract.  He has only failed with a nuisance lawsuit in trying to prevent early voting, absentee ballots, and other voter rights.  He is afraid of his constituents. He rarely has appeared in front of the public, and when he does, gives very little lead time.  We need a state senator who listens to all people of District 17, and who fights for statewide improvements to help our local families and communities. 

I believe healthcare is a human right and will work to pass the MiCare bill to have a single payer system so every Michigander has access to healthcare.  I will fight for federal dollars and work with healthcare providers to open more hospitals and clinics.  I will never take corporate money and will work to get money out of politics with any bill or ballot measure to stop the corruption. I will aim to protect our land, our workers, and our communities by listening to people as development comes, and support transparency and strict regulation for data centers.

Have you previously held public office, or have you served in a public leadership role? If so, what is your experience, and what are some of your accomplishments?

I have never held public office and only seek this position to improve District 17’s representation in the State Senate.

If not, describe any experience — professional, volunteer, or otherwise — that you believe is relevant to serving as Michigan State Senator.

I have never held public office, but I’m a lifelong volunteer in addition to my careers. As a farmer, I often help my local community by simply being available with equipment and tools to help a neighbor out. I am a chair of the Michigan Rural Caucus and the Berrien County Democrats because I know there are issues bigger than our farm that the community needs solutions for. For years, I have run the Berrien County Youth Fair tent for the Dems to help encourage the conversations that must happen to end our divisive political culture. As a farmer, I have had success by establishing an Animal Welfare Approved Farm and building a farmstead goat creamery, 1 of 5 in the state of Michigan. As a parent, I have volunteered through 4-H and my sons’ schools. As a union teacher, I volunteered through after school programs and groups because students needed a safe place to go. I also became a National Board Certified teacher, which requires extensive training and testing. Early on in my career, I volunteered by tutoring a variety of people who didn’t have access to formal education opportunities.  

I have chosen a life of service in any role I have, and only want to continue that as a state senator to help more people.

How long have you lived in the area you are seeking to represent?  

I’ve lived on our farm in Buchanan for the past ten years.

In your opinion, what are the three most important issues to the area relative to the scope of the position you are seeking, and why?  

For our families and people, we need healthcare, housing, childcare, education, and lower living costs.

For our workers, we need more vocational programs to connect with local businesses to strengthen our labor market. We need companies to respect workers’ rights and pay a living wage.  

For our government, we need money out of politics and a state senator who actually shows up to help his District. We need statewide policies to help local communities to protect their land and water when large corporations want to develop it.

What measures will you pursue to address those issues?  

I may have listed more than three, but the job of the state legislature is to push progress on every issue. There are specific bills already drafted to address some of these issues, but my measures will be to be honest, work constantly for the people, and transparently share the progress with the community. For example, the MiCare Act would create a single payer system for healthcare in Michigan. I support this solution, and I would always want to research its details, talk to experts in the field, patients who may be affected, and then work tirelessly to get it passed. There is an ever changing body of legislation that gets voted upon, tabled, or killed, and I only want to find solutions and act on them to make the best impact on our District.  Data center development is a local, statewide, and national issue that must be addressed immediately, and it’s good to have township ordinances that protect communities, but statewide regulation should be created to protect the land, water, and make development transparent and beneficial to the towns that permit them.

How would you ensure better protection and service for the most vulnerable and underserved populations in District 17?

As a union teacher in high poverty areas for a dozen years, I have a sense of the students and children’s needs for the best start and continued success in the public education system.  I know that schools need to be well-funded to have quality teachers and strong social workers, aides, support staff to address the unique needs of every child. 

As a farmer, I have pushed to create better foods and connect consumers to their local farmers, because our food system is broken, especially in rural areas. Options to eat in small towns are often fast food, corporate, processed, and low quality, despite living in a fantastic region to grow food.  The ingredients are shipped in and the profits are sent out, while we eat less healthy. I would support programs to provide land access to those in need, train young farmers for local careers, and encourage best practices for a healthy land and a healthy farmer.

Young families struggle with childcare across the counties of District 17 because of the limited number of providers and the high costs. This prevents parents from working and providing well for their families.This can affect early development if kids are not socialized nor have an opportunity for professional care. I would work on legislation to provide families with more options for quality childcare.

How would you promote transparency and maintain public trust in state government?

Michigan has a wonderful option to amend the state constitution directly through ballot initiatives. Our recent voting amendments overwhelmingly passed to provide absentee ballots, early voting, and more transparent auditing, which strengthens Michigan’s democracy and fair elections. Jonathan Lindsey tried to sue our government and overturn the peoples’ voting amendments, with 11 other republicans. He thinks an extreme fringe of the government is more important and righteous than voices of ⅔ of Michigan. How can citizens trust any representative who would sign on to this?  

As a state senator, I would be holding town halls to listen, discussing my votes publically, and I will never take a dime of corporate money which influences politics. I know our current representative can’t say the same or would even be available to the public to have that conversation. We need better candidates who are held responsible to be servants of the people, not a fringe elite group who ignore the citizens.

What values or guiding principles shape your approach to public service?  

Honesty, accountability, accessibility, and progress are how I would assess if a public servant is doing their job. I don’t see any of these traits with our current State Senator Jonathan Lindsey, and we the people of District 17 deserve better.

Is there anything else your prospective constituents should know about you, your platform, your views, or your background?

If you want someone who will work for the people of District 17, when nobody is watching and when it really matters, think of a farmer or teacher you know. I’m that farmer baling hay into the night before the rain when nobody’s watching. I’ve been the teacher prepping for a lesson or grading essays late on Sunday night, only because it’s important to show up and do our work well, so students are inspired to do the same.  This is who I am and I hope to have an opportunity to bring my persistence to Lansing to get work done for Michiganders.

If you have any questions about my positions look to brett4senate.com for more information or to contact me.