| Matt Erard | |
|---|---|
| Detroit’s Downtown District Citizens’ District Council | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office May 1, 2011 |
|
| State Secretary of the Socialist Party of Michigan | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office March 12, 2011 |
|
| Chairman of the Socialist Party of Michigan | |
| In office 2001 – March 12, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Unknown |
| Succeeded by | James Arnoldi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 11, 1985 [1] Royal Oak, Michigan, US[1] |
| Political party | Socialist[1] |
| Other political affiliations |
Green[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan[1] |
| Occupation | Telecommunications contractor[1] |
| Website | 2008 State House campaign site 2011 Detroit CDC campaign site |
Matt Erard (January 11, 1985 –) is an American democratic socialist politician on the city of Detroit’s Downtown District Citizens’ District Council [2] and a former candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives' 53rd District. He is also the current State Secretary and former State Chairperson of the Socialist Party of Michigan.
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Erard was born on 11 January 1985 in Royal Oak, Michigan.[1] He has been active in political activities since childhood, going door-to-door and working the polls in support of candidates in the 1992 United States presidential election at the age of seven. In 1997, at the age of twelve, Erard decided that he was a socialist after doing research on various third parties on the internet. At the age 15, Erard became the youngest ever intern at the Detroit office of the American Civil Liberties Union and also joined the Socialist Party.[3]
Erard was the initial founding organizer of the Michigan Third Parties Coalition, which consists of the Michigan state party branches of the Socialist Party, Constitution Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, and the Reform Party.[4][5] Erard was also a founding member of the Washtenaw Reds, a local Washtenaw County, MI political group consisting of members from several different socialist organizations.
In 2006, Erard who at the time was the State Chairperson of the Socialist Party of Michigan ran as a No Party Affiliation candidate (Michigan Secretary of State does not recognize the Socialist Party's ballot status) for the Michigan House of Representative's 53rd District, during which he campaigned under the Socialist Party's nomination and banner.[6] His campaign received 847 votes, meaning 2.51% of the vote.[7] Two years later, he ran as a Green Party candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives 53rd district, during which he campaigned as a dually nominated candidate of both the Socialist Party and Green Party.[8] Erard received 2,199 (4.6%) of the votes,[9] finishing 3rd in a 3 candidate field.[10] In 2011 Erard was elected to a three year term on the City of Detroit Downtown District Citizens District Council in the municipal election held for that office on April 5 of that year.[11]
During the 2008 campaign, Erard stated in a forum for students that he would work to abolish tuition and forgive student loans. He said, "I believe education is a right, not a privilege".[12] On economic issues he stated, "Unlike my Democratic opponent's campaign which is behold to the corporate financial interests that have bankroll it, my campaign is beholden to no one but the working people of the 53rd district. I seek to present the challenge we need to restore Michigan's vitality - one based on breaking the stranglehold of private capital over our state's economy and government and empowering every Michigan resident who works for a living to take control of our own political system, economy, and workplaces."[1]