Democrat · Michigan's 9th District · 2026
Ray Pooley
Pooley works as a machinist and programmer, following two generations of family members into manufacturing.
Biography
Ray Pooley works as a CNC machinist and raises backyard chickens.1 His family has worked in manufacturing for three generations.1 He grew up near small farms, open fields and a local cider mill, and credits hunters and fishermen in his family with teaching him to care for land, water and air.1
His campaign focuses on manufacturing jobs, healthcare and family farms.1 He supports expanding trade schools, protecting union organizing rights and investing in domestic supply chains, including biofuels and regenerative materials.2 He wants that manufacturing investment to support areas such as farm equipment and renewable energy production.2
Pooley backs a higher minimum wage, lower taxes for working families and closing corporate tax loopholes.2 He also favors limits on the ratio of executive pay to worker pay and greater sharing of company profits with employees.2 For agriculture, he advocates regenerative farming and less concentration of power among large food companies.2
He supports Medicare for All, broader child care services and time off for parents to care for newborns.2 His energy platform favors solar, wind and other domestic clean energy sources, with stronger accountability for pollution.2 He also calls for congressional term limits, restrictions on officials' stock trading and stricter oversight of data centers' effects on communities.2