Matt Longjohn

Matt Longjohn

Democratic Party

Michigan House of Representatives District 40

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

0

Predecessor: Christine Morse (D)

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Kalamazoo College, 1993

M.D.

Tulane University, 1999

Graduate

Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 2003

Personal

Birthplace

Kalamazoo, MI

Profession

Healthcare professional

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Matt Longjohn (Democratic Party) is a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing District 40. He assumed office on January 1, 2025. His current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Longjohn (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 40. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Longjohn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Matt Longjohn was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Longjohn's career experience includes working as a healthcare professional. He earned a bachelor's degree from Kalamazoo College in 1993, an M.D. from Tulane University in 1999, and a graduate degree from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in 2003.

Longjohn has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• WMU Homer J Stryker School of Medicine
• Epiphany Health Consulting
• Partnership to Align Social Care
• City of Portage Planning Commission
• Kalamazoo Area Runners

Elections

2024

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 40

Matt Longjohn defeated Kelly Sackett in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 40 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Longjohn (D)	57.4	30,707
		Kelly Sackett (R)	42.6	22,746

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 53,453
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 40

Matt Longjohn defeated Lisa Brayton in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 40 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Longjohn	70.4	7,815
		Lisa Brayton	29.6	3,286

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,101
= 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

• Abigail Wheeler (D)
• Christine Morse (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 40

Kelly Sackett advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 40 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kelly Sackett	100.0	5,909

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,909
= 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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Endorsements

Longjohn received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Longjohn's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.

• Kalamazoo County Democratic Party
• Michigan League of Conservation Voters

2018

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

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 6

Incumbent Fred Upton defeated Matt Longjohn and Stephen J. Young in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 6 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Upton (R)	50.2	147,436
		Matt Longjohn (D)	45.7	134,082
	Submit photo	Stephen J. Young (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	4.1	11,920

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 293,438
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 6

Matt Longjohn defeated George Franklin, David Benac, and Rich Eichholz in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 6 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Matt Longjohn	37.1	22,412
		George Franklin	28.9	17,493
		David Benac	21.3	12,867
	Submit photo	Rich Eichholz	12.8	7,719

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 60,491
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Paul Clements (D)
• Eponine Garrod (D)
• Aida Gray (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 6

Incumbent Fred Upton advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 6 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Upton	100.0	64,512

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 64,512
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Matt Longjohn completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Longjohn's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Dr. Longjohn is a 5th generation resident of Kalamazoo County, and a nationally recognized public health leader. For most of the past 25 years, Longjohn has served in non-profit executive roles, leading organizations to successfully integrate community resources into equitable, effective, and sustained population health programs. He was recognized by the Obama Administration as one of the nation's top 100 health innovators after demonstrating historic cost-savings to Medicare through community health initiatives. He ran for US Congress in 2018 on a platform that focused on the social, environmental and political determinants of health. In 2020, Governor Whitmer appointed him to the Protect Michigan Commission to address COVID-19 and health disparities. Dr. Longjohn currently serves as a faculty member at the WMU Homer Stryker School of Medicine (WMed). He also owns a consulting business supporting health systems, community-based non-profits, and government agencies, and he serves on the City of Portage Planning Commission. Dr. Longjohn's earlier roles include a fellowship at the Altarum Institute and faculty positions at Northwestern University. He is a graduate of Portage Northern, Kalamazoo College, Tulane University's School of Medicine, and Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, and the proud father of two adult children.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Matt is fighting for your family's health. When elected, he will be the only physician in the Michigan Legislature. There, he will put his leadership and expertise to work in order to address health equity, improve access and affordability of health care, reduce the price of prescription drugs, protect reproductive freedoms, strengthen mental and behavioral health, and stabilize and diversify the health care workforce.
• You cannot live your best life without a strong community, economic security, a non-toxic environment, housing, food, and an education. Dr. Longjohn knows most of your health is determined by where you live, work, eat, learn, pray and play. Today, your ZIP Code may be more important to your health than your genetic code. So, Matt will work hard to protect our environment, promote lifelong learning, and address housing, food security, violence, substance misuse, transportation, and other household issues tied to our communities' health.
• All Michiganders deserve a fair shot and an opportunity to succeed. This means we must invest in lifelong learning, from Universal Pre-K to financial literacy programs for older adults planning for their long-term care. It also means advancing sustainable economic policies focused on creating jobs and career pathways for the 21st century. Matt's commitment to working with unions comes from his working-class background, and an understanding that protecting workers' rights and collective bargaining are essential to the middle class in Michigan. Our over-arching economic strategy needs to do more to put people ahead of profit-making, lift up those who are often left behind, and prioritize long-term growth over short-term greed.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Even before he earned his MD and swore the Hippocratic Oath, Dr. Longjohn has been driven to improve the health of others. That's what this campaign is about. Matt's passion for improving our health system through policy change was only heightened by his wife's recent experiences in health care while battling cancer. He's not just fighting for better health care for his family, but also your family, your neighbors, and your colleagues. As he frequently says, "We can do better!"

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Two books come to mind:

1. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Dr. Paul Farmer is a role model of mine, and this book provides a glimpse into his inspired commitment to helping others to achieve health by overcoming social, environmental and political determinants of health.

2. The Political Determinants of Health by Daniel E. Dawes

This book provides a compelling view on why and how health professionals should be effective advocates for better health policy.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

First and foremost, elected officials must be recognized by their constituents as being able to represent them. Elected officials govern through the consent of the governed. Having deep roots in a community helps, but votes are a statement of trust... and trust has to be earned.

Second, elected officials should have the skills, temperament and experiences needed to succeed in serving their entire constituency. Experiences in establishing, facilitating and/or leading diverse coalitions are essential when serving in public office. Skills in communications, knowledge of the policymaking process, and a willingness to represent every constituent (whether they voted for or against the elected) are also critical characteristics of a successful politician.

Ultimately, elected officials must want to DO the job... It's not enough to simply want the job.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

One of the qualities I possess which I believe will allow me to be a successful officeholder is my leadership experience. I have led community-based organizations, and also served as a leader of large national organizations. In most cases, my leadership was most apparent in the way created coalitions with other organizations, and/or partnered with diverse stakeholders to create a shared vision. I have decades of experience as a coalition builder and think this is a strength that will lend itself to serving in the MI Legislature.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A commitment to public service, adherence to personal and community values, consistent communications and engagement with constituents, and a respect for the rule of law.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Regardless of whomever holds which office there should always be differences and debate, but never disrespect.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our health care system is falling apart, and too little is being done today to avoid

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, but only to some degree... No political experience may lead to inefficiencies or other problems when lawmakers are not aware of standard routines and processes. However, it is also a problem when the only experiences politicians have are political experiences. We need a legislature with leaders who have had other important experiences.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. Legislation requires coalitions and negotiations. Those are most successful when there is trust between the lawmakers negotiating in good faith. Relationships are the "coin of the realm" in policymaking.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No. I ran for US Congress in 2018 and saw what that level of politic was like. I am singularly focused on serving in the State House and could see myself there for a full 12 years.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Recently I was at a home owned by a non-profit organization, where women recovering from substance use disorders. The women's stories of recovery, reconnecting with children and family, and getting jobs and restarting careers, were all incredibly moving. Their stories were augmented and contextualized by the stories of the women who had gone through similar journeys in the past and who founded the non-profit. I will keep these stories in mind as a legislator, because the shelter, safety and stability, peer support, care coordination, and behavioral and mental health services are all so impactful. It's inspiring to see how State funding to this one non-profit is affecting so many lives. This investment of state resources, guided by policy and appropriations, will clearly pay decades of dividends to the women in recovery, their children and families, and the community as a whole. As a future legislator, I aim to improve the health and quality of life of as many people as possible.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Whether they should or not, the legislature has the authority to do so. This is true for granting emergency powers to officers or agencies who might be responding to a disaster, or a pandemic. While I think several emergency authorities have been over-used (for example the takeover of Benton Harbor Schools), and I would be among those supportive of re-writing laws to limit emergency powers, there are good reasons for emergency powers to exist and they shouldn't be completely eliminated. In any case, we have to hold our elected officials responsible for their actions when emergency powers are over-used, but that happens at the ballot box.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Assuming it will not pass in the current legislative cycle, I would re-introduce the legislation creating the Prescription Drug Affordability Board. PDAB legislation has already passed in multiple other states and can be a way to reduce the price of prescription drugs among those who need them the most.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

First, I am the only candidate in the Democratic Primary who has actually been endorsed by the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party.
Also, virtually every elected Democrat in the Kalamazoo region (and many non-partisan officials) have endorsed my campaign. That list includes State Senator Sean McCann, State Representative Julie Rogers, 5 Kalamazoo County Commission members, Portage Mayor Patricia Randall, 6 out of 7 Portage City Council members, the County Prosecutor and Sherriff, etc. My campaign has also been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, Moms Demand Action, and several labor unions (UAW, the SW Michigan Building Trades, LiUna!, IBEW 131, the Michigan Carpenters and Millwrights, the Michigan Nurses Association, and AFSCME).

What committees interest you?

Each political cycle there are a few lawmakers in Michigan's House of Representatives who serve on both the Health Policy and HHS Appropriations Subcommittee. I hope to be one of those lawmakers during the next term. Given my unique expertise in health systems improvement, it may also make sense for me to be on the Insurance Committee. All this being said, I am a team player and believe I will be effective in taking a "Health in All Policies" approach with me to Lansing to serve in whichever committees I am assigned.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Transparency is a hallmark of good governance, and our government, politicians, and political actors should all be more transparent. Notwithstanding recent policy changes requiring personal financial disclosures, Michigan's state government is among the least transparent in the US. Some progress is being made, but more can be done. In addition to disclosures by elected officials and political candidates, our government processes should also be transparent to the public. Perhaps most concerning is the lack of transparency in the financing of our nation's elections. I believe the 2010 Citizens' United ruling by the US Supreme Court is a significant problem, and Congress should write new laws or pass a Constitutional Amendment to remove all "dark money" from politics. Voters need to be able to identify conflicts of interest among politicians and the bureaucracy.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I support the current process. It isn't perfect, but it has led to important citizen-led policy initiatives like Voters Not Politician's Independent Redistricting Commission. and guaranteeing reproductive freedoms under Michigan's Constitution.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Matt Longjohn campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Michigan House of Representatives District 40	Won general	$152,119	$0
2018	U.S. House Michigan District 6	Lost general	$1,453,675	$1,453,154
Grand total			$1,605,794	$1,453,154
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Michigan

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

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Candidate

Michigan House of Representatives District 40

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Christine Morse (D)	Michigan House of Representatives District 40 2025-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Michigan House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Matt Hall

Minority Leader:Ranjeev Puri

Representatives

District 1

Tyrone Carter (D)

District 2

Tullio Liberati (D)

District 3

Alabas Farhat (D)

District 4

Karen Whitsett (D)

District 5

Regina Weiss (D)

District 6

Natalie Price (D)

District 7

Tonya Myers Phillips (D)

District 8

Helena Scott (D)

District 9

Joseph Tate (D)

District 10

Veronica Paiz (D)

District 11

Donavan McKinney (D)

District 12

Kimberly Edwards (D)

District 13

Mai Xiong (D)

District 14

Mike McFall (D)

District 15

Erin Byrnes (D)

District 16

Stephanie Young (D)

District 17

Laurie Pohutsky (D)

District 18

Jason Hoskins (D)

District 19

Samantha Steckloff (D)

District 20

Noah Arbit (D)

District 21

Kelly Breen (D)

District 22

Matt Koleszar (D)

District 23

Jason Morgan (D)

District 24

Ranjeev Puri (D)

District 25

Peter Herzberg (D)

District 26

Dylan Wegela (D)

District 27

Rylee Linting (R)

District 28

Jamie Thompson (R)

District 29

James DeSana (R)

District 30

William Bruck (R)

District 31

Reggie Miller (D)

District 32

Jimmie Wilson (D)

District 33

Morgan Foreman (D)

District 34

Nancy Jenkins-Arno (R)

District 35

Jennifer Wortz (R)

District 36

Steve Carra (R)

District 37

Brad Paquette (R)

District 38

Joey Andrews (D)

District 39

Pauline Wendzel (R)

District 40

Matt Longjohn (D)

District 41

Julie Rogers (D)

District 42

Matt Hall (R)

District 43

Rachelle Smit (R)

District 44

Steve Frisbie (R)

District 45

Sarah Lightner (R)

District 46

Kathy Schmaltz (R)

District 47

Carrie Rheingans (D)

District 48

Jennifer Conlin (D)

District 49

Ann Bollin (R)

District 50

Jason Woolford (R)

District 51

Matt Maddock (R)

District 52

Mike Harris (R)

District 53

Brenda Carter (D)

District 54

Donni Steele (R)

District 55

Mark Tisdel (R)

District 56

Sharon MacDonell (D)

District 57

Thomas Kuhn (R)

District 58

Ron Robinson (R)

District 59

Douglas Wozniak (R)

District 60

Joseph Aragona (R)

District 61

Denise Mentzer (D)

District 62

Alicia St. Germaine (R)

District 63

Jay DeBoyer (R)

District 64

Joseph Pavlov (R)

District 65

Jaime Greene (R)

District 66

Josh Schriver (R)

District 67

Phil Green (R)

District 68

David Martin (R)

District 69

Jasper Martus (D)

District 70

Cynthia Neeley (D)

District 71

Brian BeGole (R)

District 72

Mike Mueller (R)

District 73

Julie Brixie (D)

District 74

Kara Hope (D)

District 75

Penelope Tsernoglou (D)

District 76

Angela Witwer (D)

District 77

Emily Dievendorf (D)

District 78

Gina Johnsen (R)

District 79

Angela Rigas (R)

District 80

Phil Skaggs (D)

District 81

Stephen Wooden (D)

District 82

Kristian Grant (D)

District 83

John Fitzgerald (D)

District 84

Carol Glanville (D)

District 85

Bradley Slagh (R)

District 86

Nancy De Boer (R)

District 87

William Snyder (D)

District 88

Greg VanWoerkom (R)

District 89

Luke Meerman (R)

District 90

Bryan Posthumus (R)

District 91

Pat Outman (R)

District 92

Jerry Neyer (R)

District 93

Tim Kelly (R)

District 94

Amos O'Neal (D)

District 95

Bill Schuette (R)

District 96

Timothy Beson (R)

District 97

Matthew Bierlein (R)

District 98

Gregory Alexander (R)

District 99

Mike Hoadley (R)

District 100

Tom Kunse (R)

District 101

Joseph Fox (R)

District 102

Curt VanderWall (R)

District 103

Betsy Coffia (D)

District 104

John Roth (R)

District 105

Ken Borton (R)

District 106

Cameron Cavitt (R)

District 107

Parker Fairbairn (R)

District 108

David Prestin (R)

District 109

Karl Bohnak (R)

District 110

Gregory Markkanen (R)

Republican Party (58)

Democratic Party (52)