Elyon Badger
From Ballotpedia
Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!
Elyon Badger (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Michigan's 7th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Badger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2026
See also: Michigan's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. House Michigan District 7
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 7 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Tom Barrett (R) | |
Elyon Badger (D)  | ||
| Bridget Brink (D) | ||
| Josh Cowen (D) | ||
| William Lawrence (D) | ||
| Matt Maasdam (D) | ||
 | Alexandra Prieditis (D) | |
 | Muhammad Salman Rais (D) | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
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
Elyon Badger completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Badger's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I'm Elyon Badger (Samuel Smeltzer), a Michigan Army National Guard veteran, LGBTQIA+ activist, and small contractor running to represent Michigan’s 7th District in Congress. I’ve experienced the failings of our system firsthand and I’m running to build a government that finally works for the people, NOT THE BILLIONAIRES.
- Healthcare is a human right, Roe v Wade was never enough to protect abortion rights, the only way to restore it permanently is with Universal Healthcare and that needs to be a constitutional amendment. To get that, the Democratic party needs a supermajority in the House and Senate. And the billionaire class can easily afford it, the cruelty is the only point they have.
- A "Technology Bill of Rights" is NECESSARY to protect users from their data being misused by big tech. We need rules around AI and how it can and cannot be used. I fear the day an AI video puts someone in jail for a crime they did not commit.
- The Drug war has FAILED and it's time to rescind these barbaric laws and give people the HELP they need when they suffer from addiction, our system has profited from their suffering and its time to END it. We can fix these problems.
I'm passionate about universal healthcare, ending the war on drugs, and protecting civil rights in the digital age. We need a Technology Bill of Rights to secure privacy, net neutrality, and ethical AI development. I support legalizing cannabis, expunging records, and investing in communities harmed by prohibition. As a disabled veteran, I fight for better VA access and disability justice. I also advocate for green infrastructure like high-speed rail and solar power, and believe in ending insider trading in Congress and overturning Citizens United to return political power to the people.
Mr. Rogers mother Nancy Rogers, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
The Platform is an amazing film on how the randomness of life can take you from the bottom, to the top, and back to the bottom again.
I'm also a big fan of Anime, my favorite is Gundam 00, its set a few hundred years in the future when the earth is out of oil and the geopolitical conflicts that results from a cold/energy war.
I'm also a big fan of Anime, my favorite is Gundam 00, its set a few hundred years in the future when the earth is out of oil and the geopolitical conflicts that results from a cold/energy war.
If a rising tide is supposed to lift all ships, what happens to those without a boat? I believe elected officials should build safety nets that protect everyone, not just the wealthy few. We need leaders who focus on those struggling the most, because when we lift from the bottom up, we lift everyone. What helps the poor, the disabled, and working people strengthens the whole country. Real leadership means listening, being present, and standing up to power when it fails the people. Public service isn’t about status, it’s about showing up, telling the truth, and doing what’s right, no matter how uncomfortable that makes the powerful.
I know what it's like to struggle and be left behind, I care more about the people in my community than power or money that politics can bring. My time in service taught me to never accept defeat and I'm fighting for those that can't fight for themselves, nobody else gets left behind.
The core responsibility of someone elected to Congress is to represent the people, not corporations, not party elites, but the actual folks living and struggling in the district. That means showing up, listening, and fighting for laws that make life better for working families, the poor, the disabled, and the unheard. It means protecting our rights, holding corrupt government officials accountable, and making sure public money serves the public good. This isn’t about climbing a ladder or chasing headlines, it’s about public service, honesty, and being brave enough to challenge the system when it’s broken.
Wise men plant seeds for the trees of which they will never feel the shade. If I can be the one vote that gets the American people the healthcare they desperately need, then that's more than enough for me.
Like so many millenials, I was 11 years old in 7th grade and September 11 was being played on our TV, little did I know how at the time, how bad the consequences from a forever war based on a lie would be.
Selling cherries on the side of the highway, I was 17 and it was a summer job.
The New Jim Crow.
Understanding how the U.S. government targeted the minority groups of America for so long is what challenged me to be the change that congress desperately needs.
Understanding how the U.S. government targeted the minority groups of America for so long is what challenged me to be the change that congress desperately needs.
Mumen Rider from One Punch Man
Rage Against The Machine - Killing In the Name
The U.S. House of Representatives have the societal responsibility to write the laws for all of us to follow, if those laws are written with the corrupt weight of dollar and coin, then they do represent the desires of the people, but the elite few. The House is unique because to fix bad laws, regular people can take up the responsibility, for their communities and be the change to bad policies.
The billionaire class has bought their way into the pockets of congress, our rights are being stripped away as AI is used to harvest all our data from our phones and cars and sold to the Pentagon or Disney for a profit.
The American people desperately need term limits from leadership, while legislation takes time, 30 years in office is FAR too many. Younger people need a chance to run and that cant be overshadowed by years of establishment connections and money.
Bernie Sanders, his fight for Universal Healthcare is why I'm running.
Betty, she and her husband (who is a disabled vietnam veteran) had an appointment to see Tom Barrett, his wheelchair ramp at his office was chained off and a table was barricading the ramp, Tom ignored them. I met Betty and her husband at a protest, Tom left his fellow soldier behind, I wont.
I love to tell dad jokes, but only sometimes he laughs.
Taxing the billionaire class out of financial existence to pay for the 35 trillion dollars of debt we've been left with.
The House should be investigating financial crimes and briberies done by the billionaire class.
The Furry community
I’d be most effective on committees like Energy and Commerce, where I can fight for universal healthcare, cannabis reform, and ethical tech policy. Veterans’ Affairs is personal to me as a disabled veteran, I've been left behind like so many other veterans, so I'm gonna fight my hardest to fix it. I’m passionate about green infrastructure like trains, so Transportation and Infrastructure would let me push for high-speed rail and solar investment. Oversight and Accountability aligns with my commitment to fighting corruption and ENDING insider trading. And as someone advocating for a Technology Bill of Rights, Science and Technology would let me help shape the future in a way that protects people, not just profits.
Members of congress AND their families should NEVER be allowed to own stocks or crypto currencies, public service is about helping people, not profiting.
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
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
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)
