Army Veteran. Small-Business Owner. Husband & Father.
My name is Hassan Nehme, and this community is home to me.
I grew up in the Dearborn area, and my story is probably a little different than what people expect from somebody running for office. I didn’t spend my whole life planning on becoming a politician. I’ve been an Army medic, worked in healthcare, worked in the automotive industry, spent time in corporate America, started businesses, had to start over, and eventually found my way into politics because I felt like people from our community needed to be in the rooms where decisions were being made.
My father came here from South Lebanon after growing up around war. My mother came from rural Missouri, from a family with generations of American military service. I grew up with both sides of that story — what it means for somebody to come to America looking for a better life, and a very strong sense of service to this country.
I followed that path myself and joined the United States Army. I served as a medic, and part of my time in the military included clinical work at Brooke Army Medical Center. That experience stayed with me. When somebody is depending on you, you don’t get to ask what political party they belong to or where they came from. You have a job to do, and you do it.
After leaving the Army, I went into the automotive business — first at a dealership, later with Subaru of America. I learned a lot, but I always had the goal of building something of my own. Eventually I took the risk, left the corporate side, and started a used-car and performance automotive business in Missouri while pursuing a larger dealership opportunity.
Then I came home for a visit. My younger brother and sister talked to me about how much I had missed while I was away. That conversation hit me harder than I expected. I had spent years building a career, but I was doing it farther and farther away from the people who mattered most to me. So I left everything and came home. I started over in Michigan and built Printworks Industries.
Running a small business changes the way you look at a lot of things politicians talk about. Taxes aren’t theoretical when you’re the one writing the check. Regulations aren’t just words on paper when you have a customer waiting. When insurance goes up, equipment breaks, a vendor is late, or cash flow gets tight, you still have to figure out how to keep everything moving. That experience is a big reason affordability and small business matter so much to me.
Over the years I became more involved in politics and community issues. I served as a Republican precinct delegate, worked in district Republican leadership, and later served as Vice Chair of Coalitions for the Michigan Republican Party. In 2024, I served as an alternate delegate from Michigan to the Republican National Convention.
I’m a conservative Republican. I’m also a Muslim American and an Arab American. I’ve never believed those things have to conflict with each other. I’ve spoken up when I thought Republicans were wrong, especially when Muslims or Arab Americans were treated like they were somehow less American — and I’ll believe the same thing no matter who is involved. The Constitution belongs to everybody.
A mosque deserves the same protection as a church. A church deserves the same protection as a synagogue. And someone who doesn’t practice a religion at all has the same constitutional rights as someone who does.
Today I’m also a husband and a father, and that has changed the way I look at a lot of issues. Housing prices matter differently when you’re trying to buy a home for your own family. Schools matter differently when you start thinking about where your child will sit in a classroom. The cost of groceries, insurance, utilities, childcare and healthcare becomes a lot more real when you’re responsible for more than yourself.
I’m running for State Representative because I think government needs to get back to doing the basics well. People should be able to afford to live in the communities they helped build. Parents should have confidence in their schools. Young people should have real paths into college, skilled trades, careers, military service or entrepreneurship. Small businesses should have a chance to grow without constantly fighting unnecessary bureaucracy. And when people pay taxes for roads, sewers and infrastructure, they should actually see results.
I’m a Republican, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But I also don’t believe the job of a State Representative is to work for a political party.
West Dearborn and nearly all of Dearborn Heights.