A Cooley Law School student running for a seat in the state House of Representatives might find himself learning law while also creating it as the primary elections approach.
Jeffrey Lance Abood, from the Lansing area, is running in the Democratic primary for the 69th District House seat on Aug. 8.
Abood, who has been campaigning by knocking on doors and putting up yard signs, said he wants to give back to the community he grew up in.
"I wanted to make sure that we continued the terrific representation we have had in this district," he said.
The seat was vacated in March when former District Rep. Gretchen Whitmer won a seat in the state Senate.
Both Abood and recent MSU Law School graduate John Knowles, who is running in the Republican primary for the seat, said they must balance their lives between campaigning and school while running for the House seat.
"You've got to set priorities and go in each week with a plan and believe in what you're doing, and understand that public service is calling you," Knowles said.
Knowles will run against John Currie, and Abood will run against Mary Lindemann and Mark Meadows in the primary.
Abood's campaign has specifically targeted both education and economy — issues that are expected to receive a lot of attention in the upcoming election.
There are many students in this area who, once they graduate, move out of the area or even out of state because there aren't jobs here, Abood said.
One of the first initiatives Abood worked on when he signed on to run for the House seat was his clean campaign pledge, which asked that the other candidates refrain from personal attacks, distorting or misrepresenting an opponent's positions or records, and that other campaign staff also abide by these rules and act professionally.
"People are tired of dirty tricks and politics-as-usual," Abood said in a press release. "I promise to run a clean campaign and to talk about the issues that affect Michigan families, not about my opponent's dirty laundry."
Of the five candidates running, only John Knowles has signed the pledge, Abood said. Lindemann said it's good Abood is running for the seat and added she has students working on her own campaign.
"I think it's wonderful that a person that age would run, and I really think it's an honor that he is interested in us and the district," she said.
Other candidates said they felt the race wouldn't be different by running in an election race against someone still in school.
"I think that everyone who wants to run in this race should have an opportunity to do so," Meadows said. "No matter what their age, or if they're in school or out of school, I don't think it has anything to do with running for office."
Staff writer Rebecca McNulty contributed to this report.
