Some politicians talk about our problems from the sidelines. Alex Hawkins has spent his entire life on the front lines stepping up to solve them.
Growing up in Michigan in a union household with a single mom who worked for United Airlines, Hawkins learned the value of hard work and public service early on. He joined the Civil Air Patrol as a teenager—where he met his wife and where he continues to serve as a mentor today—before joining the Army and deploying to the Middle East. Today, he continues to wear the uniform as an active National Guard officer specializing as an explosive bomb tech, and as a Reserve Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy.
Hawkins knows what it takes to manage high-stress situations and keep people safe. Now, as the Democratic candidate for Michigan’s 55th House District, he is ready to take that lifelong commitment to service to Lansing.
Here is a look at how Hawkins’s background and priorities are resonating with voters in Rochester and Rochester Hills who want a representative focused on action, accountability, and community safety.
Keeping Our Communities Safe
As an active first responder and Reserve Deputy Sheriff in Oakland County, Hawkins doesn’t just talk about public safety—he lives it. He believes fundamentally that every family in Rochester and Rochester Hills deserves a safe neighborhood and strong emergency response services. In Lansing, Hawkins will fight to ensure that local law enforcement agencies have the critical resources they need to prevent crime, support victims, and respond quickly when people need help the most.
Holding Monopoly Utilities Accountable
Hawkins knows that working families are being squeezed, and he is ready to take on the powerful special interests making life more expensive. He is pushing an aggressive plan to hold monopoly utility companies accountable.
His agenda includes banning utility monopolies from passing the costs of their corporate advertising, executive bonuses, and private jets onto local customers. Furthermore, to root out the influence of dark money in Lansing, Hawkins wants to ban these monopolies from giving campaign contributions, gifts, and trips to the politicians who oversee them and approve their rate increases. Hawkins also wants to ban data centers from driving up electricity costs for Michiganders. Finally, Hawkins wants to lower gas prices by lowering the gas tax and banning price gouging on gas and groceries.
Tackling the Mental Health Crisis
For Hawkins, the mental health crisis isn’t just policy; it’s deeply personal. Having lost his grandfather, a Vietnam veteran, to suicide, Hawkins knows firsthand the devastating impact of mental illness and the vital importance of comprehensive mental health care, especially for veterans and first responders. He is committed to working with both parties to tackle the state’s mental health crisis, ensuring services reach more adults who are suffering. He is also fiercely advocating for struggling children, fighting to guarantee we have enough mental health counselors in every single school.
Protecting Public Education and Student Futures
Hawkins believes in protecting our schools to ensure we have the best teachers and the resources to give every student the individual attention they need to succeed. Beyond supporting guaranteed universal free school meals, he is focused on the future of Michigan’s workforce. Hawkins will push to vastly expand career, technical education, and apprenticeship programs in Michigan’s public schools, ensuring every student has a debt-free path to a six-figure job in high-demand fields like biotechnology, manufacturing, and healthcare.
Serving Those Who Served
Service runs in the Hawkins family. Inspired by his grandfather, who was paralyzed serving in Vietnam and went on to become a leading advocate for the disabled, Hawkins is dedicated to ensuring our veterans get the care and respect they have earned. In the state legislature, he will champion legislation to make sure disabled veterans and their spouses can continue to receive their property tax exemptions, even if they move.
Rooting Out Corruption in Lansing
Hawkins’s military and law enforcement background means he has no patience for waste, fraud, and abuse. He is running to curb the influence of wealthy corporate lobbyists who line their own pockets at the expense of everyday Michiganders. He supports strict bans on state employees and elected officials directing grants or contracts to organizations where they or their families have financial interests, and he wants to outright ban elected officials from trading stocks of companies with business before the state. Finally, Hawkins has a plan to lower costs for Michigan families by capping the cost of insulin and prescription drugs and banning price gouging on gas and groceries.
The Bottom Line
Whether he is defending our country overseas, defusing high-stakes situations as a bomb tech, or keeping our streets safe as a Deputy Sheriff, Alex Hawkins has spent his life protecting others. Now, he’s ready for his next mission: fighting for the families of Rochester and Rochester Hills in the state legislature.