Democrats are going on the offensive in Oakland County, a former Republican stronghold that has become more reliably Democratic, in hopes of keeping their narrow majority in the Michigan House and offsetting possible losses elsewhere in the state.

One focus is in Michigan’s 55th House District, covering Rochester, Rochester Hills and part of Oakland Township, where Republican state Rep. Mark Tisdel of Rochester Hills is facing political newcomer and Democrat Trevis Harrold of Rochester in his bid for a third two-year term.

Tisdel, 69, wants to keep his job to continue working on policies that support small businesses, address cellphone use in schools and how minors access social media platforms.

Harrold, 31, said he is running because Tisdel’s representation “is totally out of sync with” the district, specifically on gun safety and on women’s reproductive health. Harrold beat Alexander Hawkins with 53% of the vote in the Democratic primary.

Tisdel was sworn into state office in 2021 after serving eight years on Rochester Hills City Council. Before getting into politics, Tisdel was a principal for 22 years with Backus Payne & Associates, specializing in medical-liability insurance.

Harrold is a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve and was a foreign service officer for the State Department where he served in Jamaica, Mexico, Thailand and Kosovo. He is also a former Dow Chemical government affairs employee.

Both Republicans and Democrats have been running aggressive ad campaigns. With close races projected in neighboring Macomb County, the Michigan Democrats are gunning in Oakland County for Tisdel’s seat and two other GOP incumbents.

The Democrats are trying to oust Republican State Rep. Donni Steele of Orion Township with Shadia Martini of Bloomfield Township in the 54th House District, which covers Bloomfield Hills, part of Auburn Hills and portions of Bloomfield and Oakland townships. Democratic challenger Aisha Farooqi, a Wayne County assistant prosecutor, is challenging GOP State Rep. Tom Kuhn of Troy in the 57th House District, which represents portions of Sterling Heights, Troy and Madison Heights.

“Dems know that they stand to potentially lose a seat or two, and they only have a two-seat majority, so they have to go on the offense somewhere,” said John Sellek, a Republican and CEO of the Michigan-based consulting firm Harbor Strategic Public Affairs. “The Democrats are playing offense there because they have to. … They’re afraid that they’re going to lose seats even right next door in Macomb, and they’ve got to make up for that somehow.”

Gun safety and abortion access

One of the ways that Harrold argued that Tisdel doesn’t represent the community’s values is with gun safety legislation since Rochester Hills was rocked in June after a gunman shot nine people at a splash pad on a Saturday afternoon.

In March 2023, Tisdel voted against a bill for universal criminal background checks on gun purchasers that passed the Democratic-led House in a 56-53 vote. It was the first gun regulation bill to move through the Michigan House after the February 2023 mass shooting at Michigan State University that killed three students and wounded five others. It also came after the November 2021 Oxford High School shooting that killed four students.

“For my opponent to then vote against gun safety measures such as universal background checks and red flag laws, that didn’t make sense,” Harrold said.

But Tisdel was one of five Republicans to vote for legislation with safe storage requirements for firearms to prevent minors from accessing them. In his first term, Tisdel led a bipartisan effort to encourage firearm safety and responsible storage by offering tax credits for safety training expenses and equipment, and providing criminal and civil defense protections for gun owners safely storing firearms.

Tisdel said he voted against the expanded background check based on federal data that a small percentage of convicts buy guns from a federally licensed dealer.

“How much does it cost to squeeze the last percent of a problem out of anything, and is that the best use of our resources?” he said. “My answer to that is no.”

Harrold has also come after Tisdel on abortion. After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to revoke the longstanding Roe v. Wade ruling that required national abortion access, the issue of abortion was sent back to the states. Michigan voters in November 2022 voted to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, striking down a 1931 state law banning the procedure.

After the statewide vote, Democrats moved legislation to take the 1931 ban off the books even though the constitutional amendment trumped the 90-year-old law.

Tisdel voted against rescinding the 1931 law because he said “without 1931 on the books, there’s no such thing as an illegal abortion in Michigan. If the 1931 bill was still on the books, could it somehow or another be applied? Very low probability. Very low probability is higher than zero probability. That was my sole reason for voting against it.”

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation to repeal the 1931 ban in April 2023.

Tisdel also voted against pro-choice legislation in November 2023 that still passed and was signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer later that month.

Tisdel stresses that there needs to be legislation that explains the viability of a pregnancy. In September 2023, he introduced House Bill 5012 that states: “An abortion shall not be performed on a pregnant individual if the fetus the pregnant individual is carrying reaches fetal viability” unless a medical professional — defined as a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist, maternal fetal medicine specialist or a psychiatrist — says “the abortion is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.”

“All I’m asking is that the state reintroduce a recognition of the potentiality for human life,” he said.

Harrold backs giving women access to “comprehensive reproductive health, regardless of their economic status” and will “fight any attempts that threaten these fundamental rights,” according to his campaign website.

Tisdel, Harrold seek changes

In September, Tisdel introduced a bill that calls for local school boards to create policies for smartphone use based on grade level.

It calls for banning cellphones on school grounds for K-5 students, sets some restrictions for 6-8 pupils and prohibits grade 9-12 students from using them on school grounds during class.

He also has another bill that prohibits minors from consenting to online contracts.

More:K-12 students should lock up cellphones, Michigan voters say in new poll

“We don’t allow minors to consent to contracts anywhere else. Why would we allow it online,” Tisdel said.

On his website, Harrold said he wants to work on legislation that ensures the preservation of the Great Lakes and local waterways. He also is “committed to addressing the challenge of climate change” and, if elected, would promote renewable energy efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Harrold also favors more gun control measures.

The Democrat said restrictions are needed on bump stocks, which can be attached to a semiautomatic rifle for it to fire faster. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a ban on bump stocks, which was enacted during the Trump administration. State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, in June introduced a bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale and possession of bump stocks in Michigan.

“I’m a legal firearm carrier myself,” Harrold said. “I believe in the Second Amendment. I also believe that we must keep our children safe in schools and our community safe, and I’m going to fight for that once in Lansing.”