Michigan Dem claims trans primary opponent violated law by not running under deadnamehttps://www.advocate.com/news/michigan-dem-claims-trans-primary-opponent-violated-law-by-not-running-under-deadname 🔗Quispe López (1 May 2026)
A Democratic Congressional candidate in Michigan filed a complaint against his transgender opponent alleging that she violated state campaign law by not using her deadname on her application to run in the August primary election.
Frank Liberati, a former member of the Michigan House who represented the state's 13th District from 2015 to 2021, alleges that Joanna Whaley, a trans woman and fellow Democrat running for the same District 2 seat, did not list her legal name on her when she filed to run for office. His complaint to the Wayne County Clerk's office, first reported by the Michigan Advance on April 30, referenced a name change petition for Whaley from 2023 that was dismissed.
However, Whaley has indeed since legally changed her name, returning to the court after the 2023 petition to complete the process. According to the Michigan Advance, those court records were sealed for Whaley's safety due to her increasing visibility as a public figure.
Jay Kaplan, an LGBTQ+ rights attorney for the ACLU of Michigan, also told the publication that because Whaley has used the name Joanna for over five years, she would be covered under "common law name changes" anyway, allowing her to legally list her current name on the ballot.
Michigan campaign law states that those who have changed their name must list both their current name and old name on the ballot, if required by the affidavit of identity for the election. The common law name change is an exception to this rule, however, meaning that Whaley would not be in violation of the campaign name law under that reading...
