By Elena Durnbaugh
Assistant Editor
Posted: September 11, 2023 9:20 AM

Rep. Jason Morgan lives every day to the fullest.

The Democrat from Ann Arbor takes phone calls, holds meetings with stakeholders, works on legislation, and in between, spends time with his fiancé.

Morgan, 33, said his drive comes from a deeply held belief that government can and should do good for people, but also, the knowledge that life is short.

When he was 14, Morgan was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, a rare neuromuscular disease that causes progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time.

"It's something that I, even today, flinch a little bit about talking about because it's so deeply personal," he said. "But it's also the entire reason that I work in government and politics … the reason I'm here is because I have never known how long I will have to live and have always wanted to make sure that I spend every minute of every day doing something to help people and to make the world a better place."

Morgan is aware that his reasoning can come across as overly earnest.

"It sounds so cheesy, but it's so real for me," he said. "I do live with a disease that could strongly impact my health at any moment. I am generally very positive, and upbeat and cheery, and it's very hard to sound upbeat and cheery when you're talking about a potentially terminal illness."

Knowing his time is limited gives Morgan an immense sense of purpose.

"The way I've always looked at my diagnosis is that this was ultimately a really amazing gift," he said. "To make sure that I'm making the most of every day of my life, and that is something that so few people ever get…that drive to be able to wake up every day and take on new challenges and push harder than you pushed the day before."

When Morgan decided to run for the House in the summer of 2021, he never thought he'd get the chance to be part of the majority, especially not a majority trifecta.

"It was my expectation that I could really push in the areas I wanted to push in, focus on constituent services and be a strong voice for the Washtenaw County, Oakland, Wayne area," he said. "The really exciting thing has been that we get to do a lot of very big things that I didn't expect to have the votes to work."

Morgan's been in and around political office since he was 17, starting work in the office of U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak in 2010. He went on to work for U.S. Congressman John Dingell, U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and U.S. Congresswoman Haley Stevens.

Prior to running for the House, he served on the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. He also taught at Washtenaw Community College.

"It was just sort of an unexpected journey for me," Morgan said. "I never anticipated going into politics when I was a kid, but I've been very happy with the work that I've been able to do."

Ultimately, Morgan believes that government exists to do good things, but that optimism can feel counter-cultural in Lansing.

"The system that we have in Lansing is far less pure and good than I would like it to be," he said. "So much of our state government and the way that our legislature operates – and has operated for decades – is focused on power and money and the influence of those two things."

People get caught up in the horse race of politics, whether that be raising the most money, passing the most bills or getting the most news coverage, and what's best for Michigan residents gets lost in the shuffle, Morgan said.

"What matters at the end of the day is, 'Are we helping people, and are we doing the most to help people?'" he said. "If we're not, then I get really mad because that's what we're here to do."

That leaves Morgan feeling conflicted, he said, because although he's excited about what the Legislature has been able to do so far this term, he feels like they should be doing more.

"I do think we're passing major things that are going to help people, but I'm also frustrated that we're not moving even more with the unique opportunity we have with a Democratic trifecta," he said.

On bad days, it's easy to wonder if he's actually making a difference, Morgan said.

"I have very much wondered whether we are actually able to move the needle enough to help people to make the stress and frustrations of this job worth it," he said. "I see the challenges systemically of how we operate as a government, and I understand it all very well … but to feel it myself has been both discouraging and encouraging."

Morgan said it's discouraging because he sees how much work the system truly needs, but it's encouraging to find colleagues who share his values.

"I think there's a lot of hope, especially in the freshman class – both the Republican and Democratic side," he said. "If you look at where there may be divides in our caucuses, a lot of it does seem to stem from the half of the Legislature that is new and the number of folks who've been around for a while. A lot of the new folks have come in with this idea that we should do good things for the right reasons and understand what those political consequences may be but not let them stop us from doing the right things."

Morgan balances his desire to do more with an appreciation of what is being accomplished.

"Even if it means everything doesn't get done," he said. "This is worth doing the work because we're moving forward in a positive direction and doing positive things for people that have needed to be done for decades."

The Legislature is currently working to undo policies that were harmful to many Michigan residents, Morgan said.

"You saw labor rights being rolled back, LGBTQ rights not being able to advance, rollbacks on reproductive health decisions, education funding continuing to be under-invested in," he said. "All of these this were just devastating to our state."

But those policies became law over the course of decades, Morgan said, so they can't be unwound in six months.

"The challenging part is that I operate with a mindset of potentially limited time, and so I have this sense of urgency for myself," he said. "I have to level-set with myself to say 'It's OK if we don't get everything done immediately. We're still moving in a positive direction at a pretty good pace. And it's worth it.'"

This fall will be busy for Morgan, but not just because of the legislative calendar. In October, Morgan will be getting married.

His fiancé, who works in the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, helps keep Morgan grounded and balanced while he continues to push for change.

"As busy as I am, I also still feel like it's all balanced pretty well," he said. "And my fiancé is both extremely understanding, while also gently nudging me when I'm working too much."

Although 2024 looms on the horizon, Morgan is focused on what's immediately ahead of him.

"I'm really focused on trying to make sure that the things that we do this fall are as thorough and comprehensive as we can make them," he said.

During the next few months, Morgan said he hopes to start work on more complicated policy issues that aren't as headline grabbing, such as affordable housing, transit and environmental concerns.

"Heavier, meatier public policy questions that involve so many different facets of state government bureaucracy," he said.

Above all, Morgan wants people to understand why he does the work that he does.

"I have found, on some occasions, that colleagues will be confused about how stubborn I am about good government–as if you can't be hopeful and optimistic in this work and also be pragmatic and realistic," he said. "I firmly believe in constantly being a voice for being the best that we can be with a firm understanding of the realities of working in politics at the same time. But somebody has to be that bright light … otherwise, there's no chance at all."