TJ Stephens
TJ Stephens (unaffiliated) (also known as Thomas) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Michigan. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Stephens completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
TJ Stephens was born in Ennis, Texas. He earned a high school diploma from Hope High School. His career experience includes working as a business executive.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: United States Senate election in Michigan, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. Senate Michigan
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Michigan on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Abdul El-Sayed (D) | |
 | Rachel Howard (D)  | |
 | Mallory McMorrow (D) | |
 | Haley Stevens (D) | |
| Travis Zollner (D) | ||
| Kent Benham (R) | ||
 | Frederick Heurtebise (R) | |
 | Andrew Kamal (R) | |
 | Mike Rogers (R) | |
| Genevieve Scott (R) | ||
 | TJ Stephens (Unaffiliated) | |
 | Lydia Christensen (Independent) | |
| Craig Henley Johnson (Independent) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joseph Tate (D)
- Gary Peters (D)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
TJ Stephens completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stephens' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am not a politician. I am a senior executive in the medical software industry with a diverse background that includes working as a volunteer firefighter, on an oil rig, and in real estate. My career in healthcare began after a frustrating personal battle with an insurance company at age 18, an experience that ignited my passion to fix broken systems and fight for consumers.
I am running for office because I believe the two-party system is failing us. My allegiance is not to a political party, but to the people of Michigan. My core philosophy is rooted in direct representation and radical transparency, ensuring that the government is a tool for the people, not the other way around. I am dedicated to listening, not convincing, and my goal is to restore power to the individual and ensure every citizen has a direct voice in their governance.- No Party. Just People. I believe the two-party system is the primary source of division and dysfunction in our government. My allegiance is not to a party platform or political donors, but directly to the people of Michigan. As a true independent, I will be an honest voice for our state, focused on finding commonsense solutions that benefit everyone, not just one side of the aisle.
- Direct Representation for Every Citizen. My job is to be a listener, not a politician. I am running to restore power to the individual by creating a system where every citizen's voice is heard and matters. I will work to ensure that the government is a tool for the people, not the other way around. My role is to represent your will and be a direct conduit for your concerns in Washington.
- Radical Transparency and Accountability. Trust in our leaders is broken, and the only way to earn it back is through absolute honesty. I have been transparent about my own past, and I will demand that same level of accountability from our government. I am committed to commonsense reforms that eliminate backroom deals and ensure every action taken by our elected officials is done in the open, for the people to see.
Immigration Reform
Government Accountability and Transparency
She wasn't a politician or a CEO; she was a woman of incredible strength, integrity, and unconditional love. Throughout my life, especially during the most difficult times, she was the one person who always stood by me and believed in me without question.
Mimi embodied the values I believe are most important. She had a no-nonsense, commonsense way of looking at the world and a work ethic that never wavered. She taught me that you don't complain about problems, you work to fix them. She believed in personal responsibility, in treating everyone with respect, and in the simple but profound power of honesty.
An elected official's word must be their bond. Integrity is the bedrock of public trust, meaning an official's actions align with their stated principles and the law, even when no one is watching. This includes transparency in their dealings and a willingness to be held accountable for their decisions. Without integrity, voters cannot have faith in their leaders or the democratic process.
Commitment to Service,
Holding public office is an act of service, not a path to personal enrichment or power. The most effective officials are driven by a genuine desire to improve their communities and the lives of their constituents. This principle, often called public-spiritedness, means prioritizing the needs of the people over personal ambition or the demands of a political party.
Empathy and Understanding,
To represent a diverse population, an official must have empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. They need to listen to different perspectives and appreciate the challenges faced by people from all walks of life. An empathetic leader makes more inclusive and compassionate decisions because they can see the human impact of public policy.
Courage and Principled Leadership,
Elected officials often face immense pressure to make popular decisions rather than the right ones. Courage is the willingness to stand by one's principles and make difficult choices for the long-term good, even if they are politically risky. Principled leadership involves having a clear vision and the strength to pursue it, inspiring others to work toward a common goal.
Pragmatism and Sound Judgment,
The primary responsibility is to write, debate, and vote on federal laws that affect every American. This requires a deep understanding of complex issues and a commitment to creating policies that promote national security, economic prosperity, and individual liberty. As a senator for Michigan, this duty also involves ensuring that the unique needs of our state—from our manufacturing sector and auto industry to the health of the Great Lakes—are championed during the legislative process.
To Provide Oversight and Accountability
A crucial part of the Senate's role as a co-equal branch of government is to conduct oversight of the executive branch. This means holding hearings, investigating waste and abuse, and ensuring that federal agencies are implementing laws as Congress intended. It is the Senate's job to ask tough questions and demand accountability to ensure the government remains transparent and works efficiently for the taxpayers. This includes the Senate's unique constitutional duty of "Advise and Consent" on presidential appointments, such as cabinet members and federal judges, and the ratification of international treaties.
To Serve as an Advocate for the People
My goal is not to be remembered for the bills I passed, but for fundamentally changing the relationship between the elected and the electorate. I want my legacy to be that of the senator who helped restore power to the individual citizen and proved that our system can work for everyone, not just the powerful.
I hope to be remembered as a fiercely independent voice who helped break the grip of the two-party system, proving that a leader's only allegiance should be to their constituents and their conscience. I want my time in office to be defined by pioneering new ways for citizens to be heard and have a meaningful voice in their own governance.
I was a freshman in high school in Texas, sitting in my first-period science class when the news broke. I remember a TVs being turned on, and the initial confusion as we watched smoke billowing from the North Tower, thinking it was a terrible accident. When the second plane hit the South Tower live on television, the entire room went silent. We all knew, in that instant, that this was a deliberate attack and the world had just fundamentally changed. We spent the rest of that surreal day watching the towers fall, seeing the images from the Pentagon, and hearing the heroic story of Flight 93.
At the time, the book was making national news, and it was so controversial that it was actually pulled from my school's library shelves. That didn't sit right with me. I couldn't understand why adults would ban a book, so I decided I needed to read it for myself to understand what all the fuss was about.
I went to the public library, and because of my dyslexia, I checked out both the physical book and the audiobook. I spent weeks listening and following along with the words on the page.
That experience was about more than just magic and wizards; it taught me a valuable lesson that has become a core principle in my life: you should always question things and form your own opinions, rather than letting an authority figure tell you what to think or what you're allowed to read.
Most people think of him as the character who "stole from the rich and gave to the poor," but the story is much deeper than that.
At its heart, Robin Hood's story isn't just about money; it's about fighting against a corrupt and unjust system. He saw that the government, led by the Sheriff of Nottingham, was using its power to enrich itself and its cronies while the common people suffered under heavy taxes and unfair laws.
He chose to live outside that broken system, not for personal gain, but to be a voice for those who had none. He built a community based on loyalty and a shared sense of justice.
In my late teens and early twenties, I was adrift. I bounced from construction to farming to working on an oil rig, all while making a series of poor choices that led to a legal record I am not proud of, which I have detailed publicly. I knew I was capable of more, but I didn't know how to get there, and that sense of frustration and aimlessness was a heavy burden.
The turning point came from a deeply frustrating personal experience with the healthcare system. For the first time, I saw a complex, broken system and felt a clear and undeniable call to try and fix it. It was the spark that gave me direction.
Unlike the House of Representatives, where representation is based on population, the Senate gives equal power to every state, with each electing two senators. This structure ensures that less populated states have a powerful voice in federal legislation.
Senators serve six-year terms, which are three times longer than those of their House colleagues. This extended term is designed to insulate them from the pressures of short-term public opinion, allowing them to focus on long-term policy and act as a stabilizing, more deliberative force in Congress.
The Power of "Advise and Consent"
The Senate holds the exclusive constitutional power to provide "Advise and Consent" on presidential nominations. This means it is solely responsible for confirming or rejecting key appointments, including:
Supreme Court Justices and federal judges
Cabinet Secretaries and agency heads
Ambassadors and other high-ranking officials
This authority serves as a crucial check on the power of the President. Additionally, the Senate must ratify all international treaties with a two-thirds vote, giving it a direct role in shaping U.S. foreign policy.
Unique Rules and Procedures
The Senate operates with rules that empower individual members and the minority party far more than in the House. The most famous of these is the filibuster, a procedural tactic that allows a senator (or group of senators) to delay or block a vote on a bill by extending debate.
Ending a filibuster requires a cloture vote, which currently needs a supermajority of 60 senators. This rule effectively means that most major, controversial legislation needs bipartisan support to pass, forcing compromise and moderation.
A Continuous Body with Judicial Power
What I admire most is her profound courage and integrity in a moment of national crisis. In 1950, at the height of the Cold War, Senator Joseph McCarthy was rising to power by creating a climate of fear and division with baseless accusations. He was a powerful and feared figure within her own party.
As a freshman senator, Margaret Chase Smith risked her entire political career by taking to the Senate floor to deliver her famous "Declaration of Conscience." She denounced the tactics of fear, ignorance, and smear, stating that the nation was being debased by character assassination and that freedom of speech was being threatened. She did this not to gain politically, but because her conscience demanded it.
That act embodies the qualities I believe are most essential for a senator:
A fierce independence that places fealty to the Constitution above loyalty to a political party.
The courage to speak truth to power, especially when it is unpopular.
An unwavering commitment to the principles of decency and integrity.
However, it is crucial to distinguish between principled compromise and political capitulation.
It's the story of people feeling completely invisible to their government. I've talked to autoworkers in Detroit, farmers in the Thumb, and small business owners in the Upper Peninsula, and the common thread that unites them is the deep and frustrating feeling that no one in Washington is actually listening to them or fighting for their interests.
They see a government that responds to lobbyists, party insiders, and corporate donors, but not to them. This isn't a Republican or a Democrat issue; it's an American issue. Hearing this same story of frustration from people of all backgrounds is what fuels my campaign and solidifies my belief that the system is fundamentally broken.
That said, the accomplishment I value most is not a single event or an award, but a consistent, lifelong mission: to help people and solve problems. This has been the one constant throughout my life. Whether it was fighting fires as a volunteer, fixing houses for those in need, or now, working to solve complex challenges in the healthcare industry, my driving force has always been the same.
My core belief is that if someone comes to me with a problem, it becomes my mission to help them find a solution. It’s about leaving things better than I found them, one person and one problem at a time.
1. Secure and Accessible Voter Identification
To ensure that every legal vote is counted and protected, I support a national standard for voter identification. However, the right to vote should be free and unencumbered. This provision would require the federal government to provide a free, secure, national voter ID card to every registered citizen who requests one. We would fund mobile and pop-up registration centers to ensure these IDs are easily accessible to all, including those in rural communities, the elderly, and low-income citizens.
2. Mandatory, Transparent Post-Election Audits
To eliminate suspicion and build confidence in election results, this provision would mandate that all states conduct statistically sound, hand-counted audits for all federal elections. These "risk-limiting audits" are the gold standard for verifying that the reported outcome is correct. The process would be fully transparent, conducted by bipartisan officials, and live-streamed for the public to observe. This is a simple, powerful way to prove the integrity of the vote.
3. Federal Protections for Election Workers
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Campaign finance summary
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.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 2, 2025
