Mari Manoogian (born September 3, 1992) is an American politician from

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

who represents the 40th District 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 ...

. 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 ...

, her constituency includes several communities within Oakland County, including

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

Bloomfield Hills Bloomfield Hills is a small city (5.04 sq. miles) in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is approximately northwest of Downtown Detroit. Except a small southern border with the city of Birm ...

, Bloomfield Township, and part of

West Bloomfield Township West Bloomfield Township, officially the Charter Township of West Bloomfield, is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, within the Detroit metropolitan area. It is one of the most expensive places to live in Oakland ...

Early life and education

Manoogian was born in

Birmingham, Michigan Birmingham is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit located along the Woodward Corridor ( M-1). As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,103. History The area comprising what is now the ...

as the eldest daughter of a utility worker and union leader, and a vocational rehabilitation specialist. After graduating from Ernest W. Seaholm High School in 2010, Manoogian began her undergraduate work at Michigan State University's James Madison College. She moved to Washington, D.C. in 2012, and finished her bachelor's degree in international relations and security policy at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

Elliott School of International Affairs The Elliott School of International Affairs (known as the Elliott School or ESIA) is the professional school of international relations, foreign policy, and international development of the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. It is ...

in 2014, and earned a master's degree in global communication and international organizations from the same institution in 2017. Manoogian's family are descendants of survivors of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

. She is a member of St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in

Dearborn Dearborn may refer to: People * Dearborn (surname) ** Henry Dearborn (1751–1829), U.S. Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson, Senior Officer of the U.S. Army during the War of 1812 Places in the United States Forts * Fort Dearborn, ...

Career

During her undergraduate studies, Manoogian interned in the office of Congressman

John Dingell John David Dingell Jr. (July 8, 1926 – February 7, 2019) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955 until 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he holds the record for longest ...

and at the

United States Mission to the United Nations The United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN) serves as the United States' delegation to the United Nations. USUN is responsible for carrying out the nation's participation in the world body. In 1947, the United States Mission was created ...

under Ambassador

Samantha Power Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an American journalist, diplomat and government official who is currently serving as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. She previously served as the 28th ...

. She began work in Washington, D.C. at the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

, first in the Office of English Language Programs and later in the

Office of eDiplomacy The Office of eDiplomacy is an applied technology think tank for the United States Department of State. The Office of eDiplomacy is staffed by Foreign and Civil Service Officers, as well as contract professionals. There are four branches, the ...

, before returning to Michigan and running for office. Manoogian began campaigning for election to the Michigan House of Representatives in August 2017. Receiving the endorsement of national progressive candidate recruitment organization Run for Something, Manoogian won the Democratic primary in August 2018, defeating the 2016 Democratic nominee for the 40th District, Nicole Bedi. During the general election, Manoogian was endorsed by former U.S. President Barack Obama and former 2016 U.S. Presidential Candidate

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

. Manoogian defeated David Wolkinson – former vice chairman of the

Michigan Republican Party The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan, sometimes referred to as MIGOP. Ronald Weiser was elected chairman in 2021. Ronna Romney McDaniel was the chairwoman of the party, having been e ...

and policy director to Governor

Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Snyder previo ...

– by 56.5% to 43.4%, flipping the district for the first time in 22 years. Manoogian was selected as one of seventeen speakers to jointly deliver the

keynote A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

address at the

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates ...

nominating Joe Biden and

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...

Political positions

Manoogian supports repealing the state Senior Pension Tax and expanding investment in renewable energy practices. She has been profiled by national and local news outlets in the lead-up to her election for supporting funding for clean water initiatives in her district. She considers herself a progressive.

Campaigns

2020

2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manoogian, Mari Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives 1992 births 21st-century American women politicians American people of Armenian descent Elliott School of International Affairs alumni Ethnic Armenian politicians Living people People from Birmingham, Michigan Women state legislators in Michigan 21st-century American politicians