The Democratic candidate for House District 46 is Daniel J. Mahoney. Mahoney has served as the Mayor of Jackson, Michigan since 2021, winning elections in 2021 and again in 2023. When he was first elected in 2021, Mahoney became the city’s first African American mayor. Now, he is running for Michigan House District 46, kicking off his campaign in March. 

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion once again became a hot-button issue in elections throughout the country. Democrats widely support reproductive rights and access to abortion. Democratic legislators in Michigan, including every Democratic member in the state House, voted in favor of repealing a 1931 abortion ban that could have taken effect after Roe was overturned. Michigan House Democrats have listed reproductive rights at the top of their priorities, indicating that access to abortion will remain a key campaign issue as they seek to retain their majority. 

Mahoney is running against Republican incumbent Rep. Kathy Schmaltz, who was elected in 2022. Rep. Schmaltz voted against the package of bills that removed the 1931 abortion ban from Michigan law. Rep. Schmaltz has been endorsed by The Right to Life of Michigan, which requires their candidates to be pro-life with no exceptions but to save the life of the mother, even in the case of rape or incest. 

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the Republican Party of Michigan praised the decision, calling it “a huge win.”