Yousef Rabhi
Democratic candidate for Mayor in Michigan
Ann Arbor Democratic mayoral primary winner?
$31.6K
AUG 5, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Live Odds — Ann Arbor Democratic mayoral primary winner?
Current prediction-market probability for the candidate, updated as market prices change.
100%chance to win
$31.6KAUG 5, 2026Candidate Overview
Key details about the candidate’s background, party, office sought and current campaign.
Current roleFormer State Representative
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyDemocratic Socialist
Age38 years old (Jun 9, 1988)
GenderMale
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LocationMichigan
BackgroundPolitician
EducationUniversity of Michigan — B.S. Environmental Science (2010)
Notable personal detailsYousef D. Rabhi is an Ann Arbor-area politician and former member of the Michigan House of Representatives who represented the 53rd District from 2017 to 2023 and served as Democratic Floor Leader. He previously served on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and has worked in public land stewardship and environmental/outreach roles with the City of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. In 2026, he filed to run in the Democratic primary for Mayor of Ann Arbor.
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Political Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports expanded public investment and city-run services to reduce costs for working-class residents, opposes tax exemptions that favor large data centers, and favors using public funds and policies to support services rather than privatization.
Healthcare
Yousef Rabhi has proposed and promoted a publicly administered single-payer plan (called “MiCare”) to provide comprehensive, universal health coverage for all Michigan residents, including dental, mental health, and prescription drug coverage. He framed healthcare as a human right and has introduced legislation (House Bill 5966) to establish the plan and remove private insurance profit motive.
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Immigration & Border
The candidate supports local protections for immigrants, including measures to limit civil immigration-enforcement activity on county property and to provide county-issued IDs to undocumented residents. He has publicly opposed federal travel bans and condemned aggressive ICE actions, and has worked with immigrant-rights groups on local policy protections.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate supports protecting and expanding abortion access, co-sponsored Michigan House bills (HBs 5542–5548) to repeal a 1931 abortion ban and to affirm reproductive rights including the ability to terminate a pregnancy before viability and to protect abortion when necessary for life/health. He has participated in abortion-rights rallies and said abortion access was a major driver of voter engagement in his area.
Climate & Energy
Supports transitioning Michigan to 100% renewable energy by 2050 and has sponsored legislation and local initiatives to expand clean energy and energy-efficiency financing. Emphasizes renewable energy, climate mitigation, and county-level actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and review high-energy projects for environmental impacts.
Public Safety & Guns
The candidate supports expanded background checks for firearm purchases and emphasizes addressing mental-health funding as part of reducing gun violence. He has also criticized police-caused gun violence and discussed holding officers accountable while treating mental-health intersections with gun policy as important.
Latest News
Yousef Rabhi has won the Ann Arbor Democratic mayoral primary, defeating incumbent Christopher Taylor and becoming the party’s nominee for the November election. He said he won with 18,746 votes, or 55%, and the result ends Taylor’s 12-year run as mayor. In the campaign, Rabhi emphasized affordability, housing, labor support, and a more selective approach to density. He also faced a campaign finance complaint over endorsement mailers, which his campaign said it was reviewing.
‘Take Ann Arbor back for the people.’ Election outcome spells change
Watch Yousef Rabhi’s victory speech in Ann Arbor mayoral race
Housing density is on the ballot in Ann Arbor
State elections bureau provides initial response to Ann Arbor mayoral race complaint
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising