Bill Wild

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Bill Wild

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 7, 2018

Contact

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Bill Wild was a Democratic candidate who sought election to Michigan's 13th Congressional District for the 2019-2020 term. He was also a Democratic candidate who sought to fill Michigan's 13th District for the rest of the 2017-2018 term to which John Conyers Jr. (D) was elected in November 2016.

Wild ran in the concurrent Democratic primaries for the 2019-2020 term and the rest of the 2017-2018 term on August 7, 2018. The general election for the 2019-2020 term and the special election for the rest of the 2017-2018 term were both on November 6, 2018.

Biography

Wild was elected to the Westland City Council in 2001 and was appointed as mayor in 2007. Before that, he served on Westland's planning commission.

Elections

2018 regular election

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 13

Rashida Tlaib defeated Sam Johnson and D. Etta Wilcoxon in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 13 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rashida Tlaib (D)	84.2	165,355
		Sam Johnson (Working Class Party)	11.3	22,186
		D. Etta Wilcoxon (G)	4.1	7,980
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	778

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 196,299
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Conyers III (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rashida Tlaib	31.2	27,841
		Brenda Jones	30.2	26,941
		Bill Wild	14.1	12,613
		Coleman Young II	12.5	11,172
		Ian Conyers	6.6	5,861
		Shanelle Jackson	5.4	4,853

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 89,281
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Michael Gilmore (D)
• John Conyers III (D)
• Kimberly Hill Knott (D)
• Sherry Gay-Dagnogo (D)

Republican primary election

No Republican candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• David Dudenhoefer (R)

Endorsements

Click here to see a list of endorsements in the Democratic primary

Ballotpedia tracks endorsements by organizations and elected officials. To notify us of other endorsements, please email us. Democratic primary endorsements Endorsement Date Ian Conyers John Conyers III Jones Tlaib Wild Young Individuals Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez July 30, 2018 ✔ Mike Duggan, mayor of Detroit February 5, 2018 ✔ John Conyers Jr., former District 13 representative December 5, 2017 ✔ Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C. Unknown ✔ U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.) Unknown ✔ Warren Evans, Wayne County Executive Unknown ✔ James Tate, Detroit City Council Unknown ✔ State Rep. Sylvia Santana Unknown ✔ Bishop P.A. Brooks Unknown ✔ Bishop J.H. Sheard Unknown ✔ Reverend Ronald Griffin Unknown ✔ U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) Unknown ✔ State Rep. Stephanie Chang Unknown ✔ Ilona Varga, Wayne County Commissioner Unknown ✔ Michael Moore, filmmaker Unknown ✔ Organizations Michigan Chronicle August 2, 2018 ✔ The Detroit Free Press July 29, 2018 ✔ The Detroit News July 12, 2018 ✔ Detroit Regional Chamber June 28, 2018 ✔ Michigan AFL-CIO June 18, 2018 ✔ United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 876 May 3, 2018 ✔ United Automobile Workers International Union Unknown ✔ Communications Workers of America, District 4 Unknown ✔ American Federation of Teachers-Michigan Unknown ✔ Detroit Police Officers Association Unknown ✔ Michigan Association of Police Officers Unknown ✔ Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights Unknown ✔ Michigan Building Trades Council Unknown ✔ Operating Engineers Local 324 Unknown ✔ Justice Democrats Unknown ✔ Democracy for America Unknown ✔ Our Revolution Unknown ✔ Progressive Change Campaign Committee Unknown ✔ Arab American Democratic Action Fund Unknown ✔

Campaign finance

This chart contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission for the special election.

This chart contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission for the regular election.

2018 special election

See also: Michigan's 13th Congressional District special election, 2018

See also: Michigan's 13th Congressional District special election (August 7, 2018 Democratic primary)

See also: Michigan's 13th Congressional District special election (August 7, 2018 Republican primary)

This election was held to replace John Conyers Jr. (D). On December 5, 2017, Conyers announced his resignation from office, effective immediately. The announcement came amid sexual harassment allegations and calls for Conyers' resignation from the Democratic leadership. The winner completed the rest of the 2017-2018 term to which Conyers was elected.

David Dudenhoefer, Royce Kinniebrew, Clyde Darnell Lynch, Danetta Simpson, and Jonathan Pommerville ran as write-in candidates in the general election. David Dudenhoefer ran as a write-in candidate in the Republican primary, but he did not receive enough votes to advance to the general election.

General election

Special general election for U.S. House Michigan District 13

Brenda Jones defeated Marc Joseph Sosnowski and D. Etta Wilcoxon in the special general election for U.S. House Michigan District 13 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brenda Jones (D)	86.8	169,330
		Marc Joseph Sosnowski (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	8.9	17,302
		D. Etta Wilcoxon (G)	4.3	8,319
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	42

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 194,993
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Danetta Simpson (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13

Brenda Jones defeated Rashida Tlaib, Bill Wild, and Ian Conyers in the special Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 13 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brenda Jones	37.7	32,769
		Rashida Tlaib	35.8	31,121
		Bill Wild	15.2	13,174
		Ian Conyers	11.2	9,749

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 86,813
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Michael Gilmore (D)
• Mary Waters (D)
• Kentiel White (D)

Campaign themes

2018

Wild's campaign website stated the following:

“	SAVING LIVES: COMMON SENSE GUN LAWS We need to provide a safe space for our school kids to learn. No one should fear that they’ll be texting their mom “I love you” from under a desk. I support the 2nd Amendment but we need red flag laws nationwide. We need to ban assault weapons, which no one needs for hunting. Bump stocks and other devices that convert firearms into weapons of mass destruction should be banned. We need to strengthen background checks and “boyfriend” and “stalker” laws. Arming our teachers is madness and we can’t tolerate that. IMMIGRATION: PRIORITIZING FAMILIES AND FAIRNESS “I never imagined I would live in country that would deport people who happen to be undocumented through no fault of their own–because they came to the US as children. It’s inhumane and wrong that their lives hang in the balance as they are used as pawns and bargaining chips to build a wall!” Bill will fight for common-sense and humane immigration policies that prioritizes keeping families together but keeping America safe. He fully supports the DREAM Act to help undocumented immigrants who came here as children get a path to citizenship. He also believes that we need to strengthen our refugee programs and open them to areas around the world where human rights abuses and war have put entire populations and generations at risk. BRINGING HOME FEDERAL RESOURCES AND CUTTING RED TAPE As the second poorest district in the country, the 13th needs a strong federal partner to bring home resources and connect families to the resources they need. As a mayor, Bill has been leveraging federal dollars from Washington for over a decade. He has used community block grants to help our local non-profits and to revitalize neighborhoods. As your Congressman, Bill will be “hands-on,” solving your concerns and connecting you to federal agencies like the VA, Social Security, and immigration services. FAIRNESS AND EQUALITY FOR WOMEN It is long past time in America that we stopped treating women like second-class citizens. We need Equal Pay for Equal Work. Now. We need to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act which bans employers from asking salary history and perpetuating pay inequity. It’s not just a matter of justice but basic economics for struggling families, when nearly 40% of 13th District households are headed by women. We must increase funding and enforcement for the Violence Against Women’s Act which combats domestic abuse, sexual assault and the scourge of human trafficking; and we must ensure every woman has access to the health care she needs ACCESS TO JOBS, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND FAIRNESS Too many families and neighborhoods are still being left behind. We need an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. We need to raise the Minimum Wage to $15/hour right now. We need to grow the economy for the middle class, restore manufacturing jobs, and make sure job training is accessible to everyone who wants to work – young and old. Bill has been a champion of strongly enforcing prevailing wage laws. He believes that labor unions have been the backbone of our communities and believes we need stronger federal laws to protect and grow union representation of workers. VOTING RIGHTS AND EXPANDING ACCESS TO THE BALLOT BOX Bill believes that no citizen should be denied the right to vote. As a mayor, Bill pushed programs to increase the “early vote” in his city, making sure thousands more could vote when they were ready. As your congressman, he would ban states from having strict voter-ID laws or denying former felons the right to vote. REBUILDING OUR ROADS, BRIDGES AND WATER SYSTEMS Our roads and bridges are crumbling, making driving hazardous and expensive, and our aging water systems put us all at risk for water problems and expensive repairs. Bill will work to bring home our fair share of federal dollars to fix our roads, bridges and water infrastructure, and create good-paying jobs at the same time! SUPPORTING SENIORS We made a deal with the people who built this country and those who’ve come along after. We’ll provide for you in your retirement. That’s a sacred bargain and we must do everything we can to protect Social Security and Medicare. The Trump/Ryan plan to give massive tax breaks for the rich while endangering Social Security and Medicare, cutting support for those who got us here, is a disaster and wrong. HEALTH CARE: AFFORDABILITY AND EQUAL ACCESS Everywhere I go, I hear stories of how deeply concerned folks are about health care, affording insurance and the rising costs of care. Health care is a right, not a privilege. I believe that, no matter what you call the policy, every American should have access to affordable insurance and quality, affordable care. When families have to choose between seeing a doctor, filling a prescription, or buying groceries, our system is far from fixed. Obamacare was a good start. Millions more Americans, especially kids, are now covered. But too many people are still falling through the cracks with outrageous deductibles, skyrocketing prescription drug costs and unmanageable co-pays. That’s why I support “Medicare for All,” building on a successful decades-old program which puts us on a path to universal coverage. IMPROVING PUBLIC EDUCATION AND SUPPORTING TEACHERS Our kids deserve good schools with good teachers, programs that help them get ahead to succeed, and well-maintained, safe buildings. There is no higher priority. Right now, public education is under attack in Washington from Michigan’s own Betsy DeVos, the Trump Administration’s Secretary of Education. She’s proposed eliminating critical programs for our most at risk and at need students, cutting millions from our own after school academic support programs and other programs geared to help economically challenged areas. Congress must fight these spending cuts. As the second poorest congressional district in the country, the children of 13th District deserve better! LGBTQ EQUALITY As Mayor, Bill championed and passed one of the most progressive LGBTQ local civil rights ordinances in the state and regularly performs same-sex marriages. As congressman, he will do even more in Washington like supporting federal guarantees for fair and equal housing, including adding sexual orientation and gender identity protections; fighting for explicit anti-discrimination laws across key areas of life including credit, education and federally funded services; and prohibit discrimination in foster care and adoption. FIGHTING FOR RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE TRANSIT When nearly 20% of families in the 13th Congressional District don’t have access to a vehicle. When our kids need to get to school…when we need to get to our jobs…when our parents and grandparents need to get to the doctor or shopping …reliable, affordable public transportation isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. Especially in Wayne County, too many jobs, shopping and amenities are inaccessible by transit for the folks who need them most. Bill has been an outspoken leader to bring reliable, affordable transit to every corner of the 13th District and our region. CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM America’s addiction to mass incarceration, fueled in part by a for-profit prison industry, must end. It is long past time that we look to rehabilitation and restoration of citizens formerly incarcerated to become productive members of our community. We must eliminate discrimination in employment by passing “ban the box” laws which make it illegal to ask about past incarceration and arrests; we must reform our money bail system which keeps those awaiting trial incarcerated simply because they are poor; and we must do away with the for-profit prison system which is rife with abuse and distorts justice.	”
—Bill Wild's campaign website (2018)

See also

• United States House of Representatives

External links

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Footnotes

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Michigan's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Gary Peters (D)

Elissa Slotkin (D)

Representatives

District 1

Jack Bergman (R)

District 2

John Moolenaar (R)

District 3

Hillary Scholten (D)

District 4

Bill Huizenga (R)

District 5

Tim Walberg (R)

District 6

Debbie Dingell (D)

District 7

Tom Barrett (R)

District 8

Kristen Rivet (D)

District 9

Lisa McClain (R)

District 10

John James (R)

District 11

Haley Stevens (D)

District 12

Rashida Tlaib (D)

District 13

Shri Thanedar (D)

Democratic Party (8)

Republican Party (7)