Isaac Robinson (politician)

William Isaac Robinson[1] (August 21, 1975 – March 29, 2020) was an American attorney and politician who served in the Michigan House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party from 2019 to 2020.

Isaac Robinson
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 4th district
In office
January 9, 2019 – March 29, 2020
Preceded byRose Mary Robinson
Succeeded byAbraham Aiyash
Personal details
Born
William Isaac Robinson

(1975-08-21)August 21, 1975
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMarch 29, 2020(2020-03-29) (aged 44)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
MotherRose Mary Robinson
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (BGS)
Northwestern University (JD)

Early life and education

William Isaac Robinson was born on August 21, 1975 in Lansing, Michigan to Rose Mary Robinson, an activist and politician.[2] In 1998, Robinson earned a Bachelor of General Studies from the University of Michigan and Juris Doctor from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 2001.[3]

Career

Robinson became a law clerk for United Automobile Workers. In 2003, Robinson became a political director of Michigan Teamsters Joint Council #43 until 2010. In 2012, Robinson started his own law firm.[4]

Politics

Robinson's mother represented the 4th district in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. After his mother was prohibited from seeking a fourth term due to term limits, Isaac was part of a crowded field in the Democratic primary to replace her. He won the Democratic primary against thirteen other candidates and easily won in the Democratic-majority district in the general election.[5][6][7][3][8]

In February 2020, he endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination for the 2020 presidential election.[9] Robinson also served as vice chair for Sanders' Michigan campaign in the Democratic primary.[10] He was a member of the Detroit chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.[11]

While in the House of Representatives, Robinson served on the Tax Policy, Commerce and Tourism, and Regulatory Reform committees.[4] During the coronavirus pandemic Robinson supported legislation that would temporarily suspend evictions, foreclosures, and shutting off utilities for ninety days and drafted legislation that would have removed waiting periods for unemployment benefits.[12]

Death

On March 29, 2020, Robinson was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital due to breathing problems and later died. Robinson's death is suspected of being caused by COVID-19 infection. He was 44 years old.[4][13][14][15] Following his death, he was praised by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel, Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, Michigan House Minority Leader Christine Greig, and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.[16][17]

Robinson was succeeded as representative by Abraham Aiyash.

Electoral history
Isaac Robinson electoral history
2018 Michigan House of Representatives 4th district Democratic primary[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Isaac Robinson 2,381 21.23%
Democratic Saad Almasmari 1,765 15.74%
Democratic Michele Oberholtzer 1,750 15.60%
Democratic Rico Razo 1,115 9.94%
Democratic Syed Rob 953 8.50%
Democratic Myya Jones 877 7.82%
Democratic Diane McMillan 657 5.86%
Democratic Jeffrey Nolish 560 4.99%
Democratic Matt Friedrichs 324 2.89%
Democratic Christopher Collins 297 2.65%
Democratic Ernest T. Little 236 2.10%
Democratic MD Rabbi Alam 162 1.44%
Democratic Derek Boston 71 0.63%
Democratic Justin Jessop 68 0.61%
Total votes '11,217' '100.00%'
2018 Michigan House of Representatives 4th district election[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Isaac Robinson 20,209 94.58% +2.71%
Republican Howard Weathington 1,159 5.42% +0.24%
Total votes '21,368' '100.00%'

See also
  • List of Democratic Socialists of America who have held office in the United States

References
  1. "Michigan Committee Statement of Organization". Michigan Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  2. "Isaac Robinson of Detroit, Michigan Obituary". March 31, 2020. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020.
  3. "Representative Isaac Robinson's Biography". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. "State Rep. Isaac Robinson dies of suspected coronavirus infection". Crain's Detroit Business. March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  5. Ken Haddad (August 7, 2018). "Michigan Primary Election Results for State House District 4 on Aug. 7, 2018". ClickonDetroit.com. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  6. "2018 Michigan election results". Michigan Department of State. November 26, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  7. "2018 Michigan Election Results". mielections.us. November 6, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  8. "Isaac Robinson". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  9. Craig Mauger (February 27, 2020). "Michigan House Democratic floor leader backs Sanders". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  10. Beth LeBlanc and Craig Mauger (March 29, 2020). "Democratic Detroit lawmaker Isaac Robinson dead at 44; COVID-19 suspected". The Detroit News.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  11. Democratic Socialists of America Greater Detroit Newsletter, September 2010
  12. "Michigan Democrats to propose safety net for employees affected by coronavirus closures". March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on March 30, 2020.
  13. "State Rep Isaac Robinson dead at 44; mom suspects COVID-19". seattlepi.com. March 30, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  14. EDT, Christina Zhao On 3/29/20 at 11:06 PM (March 29, 2020). "Michigan state Rep. Isaac Robinson dies from suspected coronavirus infection in Detroit". Newsweek. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  15. "State Rep. Isaac Robinson dead at 44; mom suspects COVID-19". SFGate.com. March 30, 2020.
  16. "State Rep. Isaac Robinson dies of suspected COVID-19 infection". March 30, 2020. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020.
  17. "Community mourns the loss of Isaac Robinson, a fearless advocate and friend". March 31, 2020. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020.
  18. "MI State House 004 - D Primary". August 27, 2018.
  19. "MI State House 004". March 29, 2020.
Political offices
Preceded by
Rose Mary Robinson		 Michigan Representatives
4th District
2019–2020		 Succeeded by
Vacant
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