Dave Franklin picks up small business endorsement in 54th District state House race

Dave Franklin

The 54th District includes the city of Ypsilanti and Augusta, Salem, Superior and Ypsilanti townships in Washtenaw County. Click here for a map of the district.

“We are pleased to endorse Dave Franklin in this important House seat," Rob Fowler, the association's president and CEO, said in a statement.

"We believe that he understands the problems and challenges that entrepreneurs face. He is the candidate best positioned to win this race and represents the interests of small business."

Franklin has pledged that creating jobs in Michigan will be his top priority if elected. He said he's honored to pick up the endorsement.

"Small businesses are the cornerstone of our struggling communities," he said. "By providing them with a positive business environment in these difficult times, we will bring about a tremendous economic revival that will protect the jobs we have now and ensure our prosperity for generations to come."

Six Democrats are running in the Aug. 3 primary for a chance to replace current 54th District State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, D-Salem Township, who is term-limited. In addition to Franklin, Lonnie Scott, David Rutledge, Michael White, Bill Riney, and Edison Hubert are on the ballot.

On the Republican ticket, Rodney Nanney and Richard Deitering are facing off. The party nominees will advance to the November general election, where David Palmer is expected to run as an independent.

Franklin, 21, is a 2006 graduate of Milan High School and a self-described "student of the Austrian School of Economics," a school of thought most frequently associated with libertarian views. He has worked as a staff member and book handler with the Google Book Project at the University of Michigan.

He says he has lived in Michigan his entire life and became a permanent resident of Ypsilanti Township about 10 years ago when he moved with his family to property that has been in the family for several decades.

He is a member of and former county coordinator for the Washtenaw County Campaign for Liberty, part of a national political organization founded by Republican Congressman Ron Paul and "inspired by the old Robert Taft wing of the Republican Party."

The group's stated mission is to "promote and defend the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy, by means of educational and political activity."

Click here for a list of candidates running for office in Washtenaw County, as well as links to their websites.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.