Leslie N. Love (born July 8, 1971) is an American politician and government official. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Love served in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from 2014 to 2020. Love represented the 10th District, which encompasses parts of northwest

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

and

Redford Township Redford, officially the Charter Township of Redford, is a charter township in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township shares its eastern border with the city of Detroit. The population was 49,504 at the 2020 census. History S ...

. After leaving the state legislature, Love was appointed by Governor

Gretchen Whitmer Gretchen Esther Whitmer (born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 a ...

to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, becoming the first African-American to serve on the commission. She is currently a candidate to represent

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

in the 2024 election.

Education

Love attended

Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detr ...

and graduated from Thomas M. Cooley High School. She received a bachelor's degree from

Siena Heights University Siena Heights University (SHU) is a private Roman Catholic university in Adrian, Michigan. It was founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1919. History The institution was founded for women in 1919 as St. Joseph's College by the Adrian Domini ...

and master's degrees from

Marygrove College Marygrove College was a private Roman Catholic graduate college in Detroit, Michigan, affiliated with the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It announced its closure on December 17, 2019, at end of the fall semester. History Th ...

and

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

. She lives in Detroit.

Early career

In 1998, she worked as the campaign assistant for California Assemblywoman Marguerite Archie-Hudson and for California Governor

Gray Davis Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...

as a field organizer. Love previously worked as the director of theater operations at Marygrove College and served as an adjunct professor for

and the

Wayne County Community College District Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) is a public community college district with its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. It was founded in 1967 and has six campuses: Eastern, Downtown, Downriver, Northwest, Western, and University Squar ...

Political career

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, Love ran for the

and was elected. She served in the body until she was term-limited in 2020. Love went on to be appointed to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission by Governor

. Upon her appointment, she became the first African-American to serve on the board. Love additionally served assistant deputy director in the

Michigan Department of Transportation The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate ...

's (MDOT) Metro-Region. In 2023, Love announced she would run in the 2024 election for U.S. Senate. If elected, Love would be the first

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

Senator from Michigan.

References

External links

*
Re-election Site

Leslie Love at ballotpedia.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Leslie N. 1971 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Politicians from Detroit African-American state legislators in Michigan African-American women in politics Siena Heights University alumni Marygrove College alumni Wayne State University alumni Women state legislators in Michigan 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women