Ian Conyers facts for kids

Conyers participating in peace rally to address gun violence in the City of Detroit. March 2016

Ian Kyle Conyers (born October 28, 1988) is an American politician and businessman. He served as a state senator for the 4th District in Michigan. He was a member of the Michigan Senate for one term.

While in the State Senate, Conyers worked on several important committees. These included committees for Economic Development & International Investment, Energy & Technology, and Banking & Financial Services. He also served as the minority vice chair for the Transportation Committee.

Early Life and Education

Ian Conyers was born in 1988. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan. His family has lived in Detroit for a long time. His great-grandfather, John Conyers Sr., moved there from Georgia. This move was part of the Great Migration. His grandfather, William Conyers, was the younger brother of Congressman John Conyers. John Conyers served in Congress for a very long time.

Ian Conyers went to University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. After high school, he studied at Georgetown University. He earned a bachelor's degree in government. While at Georgetown, he played football. He also joined the Kappa Chi chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Later, he earned a master's degree from Georgetown. This degree was in urban and regional planning. During his time in Washington, D.C., he helped with a big project. This project was the Anacostia waterfront redevelopment.

Political Career

Becoming a State Senator

In 2016, Ian Conyers decided to run for political office. On January 27, 2016, he first planned to run for the Michigan's 3rd State House District.

However, on April 13, 2016, he changed his plans. He decided to run for the Michigan's 4th State Senate District instead. This seat was open because the previous senator had left office. In the primary election, Conyers competed against nine other candidates. He won with 34.52% of the votes. In the main election, he won against Republican Keith Franklin. He received 76.55% of the votes.

Conyers took office in November 2016. He was 28 years old at the time. This made him the youngest state senator in Michigan's history up to that point. His term as state senator ended on December 31, 2018.

Running for Congress in 2018

In 2018, there was an election for a special seat in Congress. This seat became open when his great-uncle, Congressman John Conyers, retired. Ian Conyers announced that he would run for this position.

His great-uncle had supported his son, John Conyers III, for the seat. However, John Conyers III did not gather enough signatures to be on the ballot. Ian Conyers then formally announced his own plan to run for the 13th Congressional District.

The election for this seat was unique. It was a "double primary." This meant there were two elections at the same time. One election was to finish the remaining time of the previous term. The second election was for the full term from 2018 to 2020. Brenda Jones won the election for the partial term. Rashida Tlaib won the election for the full term by a small number of votes.