Meet
Tabu Gantt II
I’m not a career politician.
I’m a working Michigander who believes government should answer to working families — not corporate boardrooms.
I’ve lived the pressures families are facing right now. Rising costs. Consolidated power. Politicians who hesitate while communities fall behind.
I’m running to change that.
Rooted in Michigan
I’ve spent my life here in Michigan — working, studying, and seeing firsthand what our communities are up against.
From healthcare bills that don’t make sense to housing costs that outpace paychecks, I’ve watched working families get squeezed while corporate power grows stronger.
I didn’t grow up in politics.
I grew up believing hard work should mean something — and that community still matters.
That belief still drives me.
Why I’m Running
I’m running because too many Michigan families are doing everything right — and still falling behind.
Because corporations consolidate power while politicians look for excuses.
Because we need leaders who will confront powerful interests — not accommodate them.
Michigan deserves leadership that delivers real results: lower costs, strong public schools, and communities that feel safe and supported.
And we deserve leaders who remember who they work for.
Made in Michigan
A Michigan Education
I graduated from Stevenson High School and the Utica Center for Math, Science & Technology — the district’s STEM magnet program — as a two-sport varsity student-athlete. Balancing rigorous academics and athletics taught me discipline, teamwork, and how to show up every day ready to work.
At Kettering University, I studied Mechanical Engineering and earned a place on the Dean’s List — building a foundation rooted in practical thinking and real-world problem solving.
I was studying in Flint when the water crisis began — watching a government fail its people in real time. That experience never left me. It's part of why clean water is a core pillar of the Michigan Reform Plan.
I’ve always believed the right approach is simple: face problems head-on and fix them.
Learning the Value of Work
When rising costs made college unaffordable, I stepped away from school and worked landscaping jobs during the day and waited tables at night, to make ends meet.
Those years reinforced something I’ll never forget:
Work has dignity — but too often, our system rewards power instead of effort.
Engineering in the Real World
As a robotics service technician, I worked on factory floors and in high-pressure environments where breakdowns cost time and money — and waiting wasn’t an option. My job was simple: diagnose the problem, fix it, and make the system stronger than before.
That’s how government should work — practical, accountable, and built to deliver results for the people who depend on it
Family & Healthcare Reality
Family Is Why This Is Personal
When my mother suffered a serious car accident, my brothers and I stepped in to help her recover. We learned quickly how complicated — and costly — the healthcare and insurance system can be.
We were navigating paperwork, delays, and bills that made no sense.
That experience exposed something too many Michigan families already know: when crisis hits, the system isn’t built for patients — it’s built for profit.
Families should never have to fight the system when they’re already fighting for someone they love.
Politics can become abstract quickly. Family keeps it real.
My mother was a teacher before I was born and spent years in law enforcement after that. She's been the most active supporter this campaign has from day one — reading everything, showing up everywhere, and pushing me when I needed it. After her accident, she fought her way through a recovery that exposed every crack in a healthcare system that wasn't built for patients — and she came out the other side stronger than before. Watching her do that is part of what put me in this race.
My father has read every word on this website more than once — and he's worked in food service most of my life, the kind of work where you're on your feet all day and the margin for error is someone else's bad review. He's offered more thoughtful feedback on this campaign than almost anyone. He doesn't let me get away with being vague — and nobody I know understands what working families are actually up against better than he does.
My two younger brothers keep me honest. And then there's Bane — my dog, who came to me through a temporary foster home and decided to stay. Best decision that wasn't mine to make.
Michigan Deserves Better.
My story isn't extraordinary — it's Michigan.
It's the family navigating a healthcare system that wasn't built for them. The worker putting in sixty hours a week with nothing extra to show for it. The renter watching costs go up while the paycheck stays flat.
I've lived those pressures. I still do.
I'm not running because it's my turn. I'm running because I've spent the last year building a real plan — eight acts of legislation, published in full, for anyone to read. Not promises. Not just a platform. A governing plan.
Michigan's best days aren't behind us. But they won't come from waiting for someone else to fix things.
I fix broken systems for a living.
That's what I'm going to do in Lansing.
Join the Movement
If you believe government should work for working families — not the well-connected few — add your name. Let’s build something better together.