Jennifer Long, a Libertarian, is running for Michigan’s 77th House District in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She faces Democratic incumbent Emily Dievendorf and Republican Sally Jo Nelton for the two-year seat, according to Michigan’s official candidate list.
The district includes north Lansing and parts of Lansing Township, according to the incumbent’s House website.
Long responded to the Lansing Letter candidate questionnaire on Oct. 1. Unless otherwise noted, the information and responses below come from that questionnaire.
Asked why she is running, Long emphasized accountability to residents.
“I am running for the Michigan House of Representatives because I believe District 77 deserves a representative who listens to the people who live here and answers to them,” she said.
“I am not running because I want a political career. I am running because I believe government should do its job: protect individual rights, provide essential public services, manage taxpayer dollars responsibly, and remain accountable to the people.”
Candidate information
Party: Libertarian.
Long said her political approach centers on individual freedom, essential public services and government accountability.
“I also believe good ideas should not belong to one political party,” she said. “If a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or independent has an idea that will genuinely benefit Michigan residents, I am willing to listen to it.”
Education: Long said she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.
Family and background: Long was born in Louisiana and said most of her family lives in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. She has three sisters and a brother, along with three cousins she considers like siblings.
“Although Michigan is now home, I have never forgotten where I came from or the values my family gave me,” she said.
Experience and public service
Long said she has more than a decade of experience in health care, including pharmaceutical work involving Medicare, Medicaid, commercial insurance and health care providers.
She also described years of nonprofit work helping people experiencing homelessness obtain identification, connect with resources and navigate public systems.
“These experiences taught me to look beyond policy on paper and ask: How will this actually affect the person standing in front of me?” she said.
Long said she has served on the Lansing Township Downtown Development Authority Board for nearly five years. She described that work as experience with local government, community planning, development and budgets.
“Serving at the local level has been one of the most valuable experiences of my career because I have been able to see firsthand how local government works, how decisions affect a community, and how important it is to balance development, budgets, businesses, property owners and residents,” she said.
Long also cited involvement in civic and community organizations, including the Lions Club.
On the issues
Cost of living and taxes: Long identified rising household costs as one of Michigan’s most pressing issues.
“Government cannot solve every economic problem, but it should not make those problems worse,” she said. “I would work to reduce unnecessary taxes, fees, regulations, and bureaucratic costs while demanding greater accountability for how taxpayer dollars are spent.”
Her campaign platform calls for cutting gas taxes, reducing property taxes for homeowners and landlords, reducing cannabis taxation and opposing new taxes that increase residents’ tax burden.
Housing: Long supports reducing zoning and permitting barriers to housing construction.
“I support reducing unnecessary zoning and permitting barriers that make housing more expensive and difficult to build, while respecting property owners and giving communities a meaningful voice in development,” she said.
Budget priorities: Long said the state should focus first on essential responsibilities, including roads, infrastructure, public safety, education and health care.
“Before asking taxpayers for more, government should prove it is using existing resources responsibly,” she said.
She supports evaluating programs for effectiveness, eliminating duplication and reviewing whether subsidies and other spending provide measurable public benefits.
“The goal is neither to spend more nor less automatically, but to ensure government does what it is responsible for, spends only what is necessary, and delivers reasonable return to taxpayers,” she said.
Privacy and civil liberties: Long said she supports stronger protections against government surveillance and access to personal information.
“I would prioritize individual rights and privacy, including stronger safeguards against unnecessary government surveillance, collection of personal data, and warrantless access to private information,” she said.
Accountability to voters: Long said she wants to evaluate legislation independently, explain her votes and remain accessible to constituents.
“If elected, I will read legislation, consider constitutional and financial implications, listen to those affected, and make decisions based on principles I was elected to uphold,” she said.
Long also said she is running her campaign without PAC or special-interest money.
Advice that guides her
Long shared three pieces of advice that have stayed with her:
“Other people’s actions reflect them, not you.”
“Never be the first one to say no to yourself.”
“Never stop. Keep going.”
“I have learned that action creates momentum,” she said. “You do not always feel ready before you begin something difficult.”
This profile draws primarily on Jennifer Long’s responses to the Lansing Letter candidate questionnaire, with additional information from official election records, the Michigan House Democrats website and her campaign platform. Responses have been excerpted and paraphrased; direct quotations retain her wording.
