Democratic state Rep. Joe Tate made history Thursday after he was selected to lead the Michigan House of Representatives in the upcoming 102nd Legislature as the first Black person ever to do so.
Tate, D-Detroit, is additionally not only the first Black lawmaker to become speaker of the House but the first Black lawmaker to ever oversee either of Michigan’s legislative chambers.
Following the vote, Tate told reporters that Michiganders could expect forward motion on issues like health care, gun safety regulations, transparency in the legislature, education and worker’s right’s.
“First and foremost, we’re going to get started immediately,” he said. “I think you saw the message that we talked about, our values, over the campaign trail for most of the year. ... So, there won’t be any surprises, because we’ve been talking about Democratic values for years.”
Tate was first elected to state office in 2018 after garnering 73% percent of the vote in the 2nd House district. He was overwhelmingly reelected under new maps to Michigan’s 10th House district with 68.4% of the vote to his Republican opponent’s 31.6%.
Tate previously was an offensive lineman in the NFL, splitting time between the Jacksonville Jaguars, the St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons over his two years in the league. Following his pro football career, Tate enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy.
He also possesses a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Planning from the University of Michigan, as well as a Master of Science in Kinesiology from Michigan State University. Tate first graduated from MSU in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy.
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