Samuel 'Buzz' Thomas is a politician from the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. He is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Michigan Senate

Michigan Senate

The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. The Senate consists of 38 members, who are elected from constituencies having approximately 212,400 to 263,500 residents....

, representing the 4th District since 2003 and currently serving as the Democratic Floor Leader. His district is completely located in the city of Detroit

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

 and includes portions of northwest, east, central, and southwest Detroit. Previously he was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1997 to 2002.

Early life

Thomas was born in Detroit in 1969 and spent his entire adult life in Detroit. Before becoming an elected official he worked as a homebuilder in metro Detroit, where he was Construction Manager for Parkside Building Company and Avis Tech Park partners, managing both commercial renovations and single-family, residential construction.

Political career

In 1996, one hundred and four years after his great grand uncle, William Webb Ferguson, was the first African-American elected to the Michigan Legislature, Thomas was elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives

Michigan State House of Representatives

The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2000 federal U.S. Census.Members are elected in...

. He represented the 10th district, located in northwest Detroit. He served in the House for six years. In 2002, he was elected by his House colleagues as the House Democratic Leader, one of the youngest members ever elected to that position and only the second African American elected as a House leader.

In 2002 he was elected to the Michigan Senate and re-elected in 2006. In 2007, his colleagues once again elected him to a leadership position, as the Senate Democratic Floor Leader. He is one of the few Michigan legislators to have held leadership positions in both the Michigan House and Senate.

Recognition

Senator Thomas received many recognitions for his service, including being named one of Michigan’s five “Key Technology Leaders” by the Detroit Free Press

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...

, One Of Four Up-And-Coming Leaders by Savoy, “Most Dedicated Detroiter” and “Best Local Politician” by Real Detroit Magazine, "A Rising Star" by both the The Detroit News

The Detroit News

The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...

and Hotline, and an "Under-40 Political 'Buzz' Saw" by the Michigan Front Page. He has received awards and recognition from over two dozen community groups, publications, and organizations.

Committees

Buzz Thomas is the ranking Democrat on the Economic Development and Regulatory Reform Committee. He also serves on the Homeland Security and Emerging Technologies Committee and on the Energy Policy Committee.

Electoral history

• 2006 Election for the Michigan State Senate - 4th District

  Name	Percent
  Buzz Thomas (D)	96%
  Karen Fobbs (R)	4%

• 2002 Election for the Michigan State Senate - 4th District

  Name	Percent
  Buzz Thomas (D)	96%
  Karen Mastney (R)	4%

• 2000 Election for the Michigan State House

  Name	Percent
  Buzz Thomas (D)	97%
  Martin Royster (R)	3%

• 1998 Election for the Michigan State House

  Name	Percent
  Buzz Thomas (D)	96%
  Richard Henry (R)	4%

• 1996 Election for the Michigan State House

  Name	Percent
  Buzz Thomas (D)	96%
  Richard Henry (R)	3%

External links

• Personal site
• Michigan Senate - Buzz Thomas
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Samuel Thomas (MI) profile
• Follow the Money - Samuel Buzz Thomas III
  • 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 1996 campaign contributions
• Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus
• Michigan Liberal - SD04