Libertarian C. Mia Pettus has launched her campaign for the U.S. House in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, saying she will focus on local economic growth and affordability, strengthening oversight of the federal government, and pushing back against the threat of a surveillance state.
Pettus first announced her candidacy earlier this month in a statement she later provided to Independent Political Report. In it, Pettus said she is entering the race to draw attention to issues she feels are not being appropriately addressed by the political establishment, as well as to offer Michigan voters in the 8th District another choice on the ballot.
“Public office is a public trust,” Pettus stated in an included press release. “I am running to represent the people of Michigan with integrity, transparency, accountability, and fidelity to the Constitution—not to become part of the political establishment.”
Though she didn’t announce her bid until earlier this month, Pettus had already earned the nomination of the Libertarian Party of Michigan at its June 28 state convention in Troy. She is part of a large slate of candidates fielded by Michigan Libertarians this cycle—with 30 earning the party’s support at the state convention alone—and one of seven Libertarians currently running for Congress in the state.
According to her campaign website, Pettus previously worked as a certified police officer in Philadelphia and later as a civilian federal police officer for the Department of Defense. She says those experiences, along with later efforts to challenge government policies and procedures through administrative processes, helped shape her interest in due process, oversight, and the way public institutions exercise their authority.
That background has also influenced her work outside of law enforcement. Pettus publishes PALS Report, shorthand for “Protecting American Liberty Against Surveillance,” an online publication focused on civil liberties and privacy issues, whistleblower retaliation, and what she calls the “weaponization of government.” Since starting the publication, she has specifically written on topics including the impact of Flock cameras, warrantless surveillance at the University of Michigan, and the reach of federal surveillance powers under FISA Section 702.
Those themes are further prevalent in her campaign, which argues that stronger congressional oversight and greater transparency are necessary pieces of rebuilding public trust and protecting individuals from government overreach. Pettus has similarly made opposition to government surveillance and the “surveillance state” a central part of her campaign, particularly where she believes Fourth Amendment protections are being weakened.
On economic issues, Pettus, who says she has experience with developing a business, states she is tying the cost of living to what she sees as a need for stronger domestic production and job growth. Her platform calls for lowering the cost of essential needs and healthcare while advocating for small businesses and expanded manufacturing and skilled-trades work, with the eventual goal of seeing more overseas jobs return to the United States.
“I understand the challenges Michigan families face because I have lived through many of them myself,” her campaign website reads. “From building a business, facing financial hardship, raising a child with a disability, and experiencing the struggles that many hardworking Americans encounter, I know what it means to fight, persevere, and find solutions.”
Pettus also identifies securing the national border, maintaining a prepared military, energy independence, and infrastructure among her campaign priorities, all of which she lists as part of her focus on “securing America’s future.”
As the Libertarian Party of Michigan’s nominee, Pettus will appear on the general election ballot later this year without needing to collect additional petition signatures for ballot access. She will join Democratic incumbent Kristen McDonald Rivet, as well as Republican Tom Smith, Green Party candidate Jim Casha, and Working Class Party candidate Kathy Goodwin.
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