Car Guy Don Ufford Makes His Closing Case: He Will Stand Up to Trump and Fight for Fairness
Oakland County, Michigan — With five days until the August 4 Democratic primary in Michigan's 11th Congressional District, Don Ufford is closing his campaign with a simple case: Democrats need new leaders with the backbone to stand up to Donald Trump. Don is a car guy, not a career politician, who will bring that leadership to Washington and answer to Michiganders, not corporations.
Ufford grew up on a family farm where everyone was expected to work. He was the first in his family to graduate from college. Don worked his way into the middle class with a job at Ford Motor Company, and rose to lead global vehicle engineering, where he re-designed the Ford Mustang and F-150. Along the way he spent years as a Scout Leader and as a mentor for FIRST Robotics, teaching kids the same lessons the farm taught him about responsibility and showing up for other people.
Don has always had a passion for serving others and giving back to his community. That’s what led him to serve in the federal government. Ufford worked in the Department of Commerce on the CHIPS and Science Act, and later on in the Biden White House working on the electric vehicle transition.
“My life is a Michigan story,” said Don Ufford. “If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to get ahead. That’s what this fight for fairness is all about. I’m running because the system is rigged right now, and working people are falling behind. I’m not a career politician, I’m an engineer, a builder, and a dad, and I’m running to stand up to Trump, rebuild our economy and democracy, and make life more fair for working people.”
Ufford’s campaign is built on the following principles.
Build good jobs in Michigan. Ufford will fight to bring good-paying jobs back to Michigan and make things here again, including the cars, batteries, and clean energy technology of the future. As an engineer who helped open a Michigan plant and later worked in the federal government to secure more than $50 million for Michigan worker training, he has spent his career doing exactly what he is now promising to do in Congress: build it in Michigan, and lower costs for the families who live here.
Protect our healthcare. For Ufford, healthcare is personal. His wife, Rebecca, relies on the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with pre-existing conditions. He has watched what it means for his own family to have that security, and what it would mean to lose it. Don is running to achieve Medicare for All, so that Michigan families can always count on quality, affordable healthcare.
Bring down costs and get money out of politics. Ufford is running to lower the everyday costs squeezing Michigan families, from healthcare and prescriptions, to housing and utility bills. He believes those costs stay high because too many politicians answer to the corporations driving them up, so he built his campaign on a promise no one else in the race can make: he was the first candidate to refuse every dollar from corporate PACs, utility PACs, and AIPAC. He signed End Citizens United's Unrig Washington pledge and earned the group's endorsement.
Defend our freedoms. Ufford believes defending people's freedoms means standing up to anyone who threatens them, including Donald Trump. He has been clear that he will abolish ICE, that he will immediately work to end Trump’s disastrous war of choice in Iran, and that he will always put the freedoms and security of Michigan families first.
"I grew up on a farm where we didn't have much, and I was the first in my family to go to college. I've spent my life building things and solving problems, not running for office," said Don Ufford. "I'm a car guy, not a career politician, and I'm running because I think Washington has forgotten who it works for. I want to build good jobs here in Michigan, protect the healthcare my own family counts on, defend our freedoms, and get lower costs across the board. I don't owe anybody anything except the people of Oakland County, and that is exactly how I will serve."
Ufford is asking voters across the district to make their voices heard by August 4.
About Don Ufford
Don Ufford is a former Ford engineer and business leader who lives in Bloomfield Township. He rose through the ranks at Ford Motor Company to become Director of Global Vehicle Engineering, where he helped lead development of the Ford Escape and new models of the Mustang and F-150. In 2020, Don joined the federal government to strengthen American manufacturing, economic growth, and create jobs of the future. While serving at the Department of Commerce - NIST and the White House Made in America Office, he fought to secure more than $50 million for Michigan workforce training and the Battery Workforce Initiative.
Don has spent decades giving back to his community, serving as a Scout Leader for 40 years, mentoring STEM students through First Robotics, and supporting local small businesses. He and his wife Rebecca live with their dog, Newton. They have two grown children — their son, a West Point graduate serving in the U.S. Army, and their daughter, who is in medical school. Don is running to build good jobs in Michigan, protect our healthcare, lower costs, and defend our freedoms. He rejects all Corporate PAC money and all AIPAC money.
Learn more at www.ufford4michigan.com. Watch the campaign’s launch video here. Follow Don on social media: Facebook | Instagram | X | Bluesky.
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