for
State
Senate
ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Mark Yonkman
WHERE I COME FROM
I come from a family of farmers who homesteaded Michigan beginning in the 1870s. That homesteading culture was about early mornings, hard work, strong handshakes, taking the primary role in educating your children, and keeping your word. I was raised to believe that you don’t complain, you show up, and you pitch in. The goal for all of us was to leave things better than we found them.
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I’m a farmer, a corporate attorney, a pilot, a banker, a foster parent, a mentor, a neighbor, and someone who understands that when our land, our small businesses, and our families thrive, our communities thrive. I know what it means to plan ahead, weather tough seasons, and make decisions that affect not just today, but generations to come.
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Where I come from, people help each other without being asked. We value common sense over politics and honesty over headlines. That’s the mindset I’ll bring with me to Lansing: listening, working hard, bringing a lifetime of experience to the Legislature, and standing up for the people of Michigan’s 36th District.​
A THRIVING CAREER
I’ve built my career the same way I’ve built my life, through hard work, responsibility, and showing up every day ready to get the job done. Nothing was handed to me. I started on a family farm with an outhouse and a hand pump for water. I learned early that success comes from persistence, smart decisions, and treating people fairly.
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As a farmer and business-minded problem solver, I’ve spent years balancing risk, managing costs, and planning for the long term. I understand what it takes to run an operation, meet payroll, and adapt when conditions change. As a foster provider and parent of two black daughters, I have experienced the challenges that voters of all types face every day. Those experiences have shaped how I approach challenges, with practical solutions and a steady hand.
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My career has taught me that real progress doesn’t come from talk, it comes from doing. I will propose and address actual policy proposals. I will give actual examples of what I have done when talking about particular issues. I will not resort to platitudes. And I will not criticize unless I have my own policy proposal that I think is a better approach.
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Even before running, I have written numerous articles on issues we need to address, I have written a book attempting to bridge the urban-rural divide, and I have lobbied extensively in Lansing and Washington on issues that challenge Agriculture.
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I also embrace running as a Democrat because it will make me a better politician. I will understand my 16 counties better than any other politician. For me to win, I will need to earn it. I am striving to set a new example of what a Democrat can be.
MISSION STATEMENT
Ensuring that Michigan is Ready for What Comes Next
Our State is facing an uncertain future with the likelihood of supply chain disruptions, targeted terrorist attacks, and war, both limited and broad. The Covid epidemic was a warning shot across the bow, and we need to do a better job of learning from its lessons.
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At the same time, our State is now ranked 44th in education, despite being 22nd in spending, and we are experiencing a shortage of skilled young people with the training necessary to fill the jobs that are available in Michigan. Mississippi, meanwhile, went from 48th in the nation to 16th, while still ranking 4th from the bottom in spending (44th).
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I’m running for State Senate to bring common sense, rural values, and accountability back to Lansing. Our next legislature needs to ensure that our educational system is working, that we are giving farms the tools they need to thrive, and that we are sometimes just getting out of their way.
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We need to ensure that our electrical and communications infrastructure is strong and resilient and can meet the needs of farming, EVs, industry, data centers, and an increase in population.
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My mission is to protect our rural way of life, support farmers and small businesses, and ensure that Michigan’s future is built on opportunity, responsibility, and respect for those who do the work. At the same time, we need to remain committed to protecting our streams, rivers, and lakes and ensuring that we are doing everything we can to replenish our aquifers. Government should be practical, transparent, ecologically sound, and focused on results that strengthen farms, businesses, families, and local communities.
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I’m running to be a steady, independent voice for Michigan’s 36th District, guided by experience, grounded in service, and committed to leaving our state stronger for the next generation.
Background
Education
Escola Galileu, Uberlândia, Brazil - Rotary Exchange Student: 1976-77
B.A., Kalamazoo College, 1982. Senior Thesis: Uberlândia: A Study on Voting and Political Behavior. Uberlândia, Brazil,
January - March 1982. Research in Brazil on the political process
University of Strasbourg, France, 1980 -1981
J.D., Wayne State University Law School, 1985, Detroit, MI.
Senior Associate Editor of Wayne Law Review.
Honors: Cum Laude, Order of the Coif, Bronze Key Award, Am Jur Book Award in Contracts
Work Experience
Current owner of Yonkman Schoolhouse Farms, LLC. Our farm engages in the regenerative grazing of 24 head of
cattle.
Congressional Aid to Congressman Guy VanderJagt, 1980
Law Clerk, General Motors Corporation 1983-1984
Summer Associate, Warner Norcross, Grand Rapids, MI 1984
Associate, Pepper Hamilton 1984-1991
Senior Vice President, General Counsel - Corporate Finance – Comerica Bank 1991-2004
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary – M&T Bank 2004-2009
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal & Regulatory Officer and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer – CoBank, ACB 2009-2011
General Counsel & Secretary – National Bank Holdings, Inc. 2011-2013
Author, Reclaim the Rural Vote and WIN in 2024 - A Democratic Operative's Handbook, 2024.
Moderator for various political debates
Licensed private pilot
Civic and Charitable Contributions
Member of the Wexford County Farm Bureau Board and Chair of the Policy Development Committee and Member of the Endorsement Committee
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Member of the Board of Review for Boon Township, Michigan
Volunteer Legal Work: I recently helped our Boon Township volunteer fire department by drafting the policies that MIOSHA was demanding in order to not shut down the department.
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Licensed Foster Home – City of Detroit.
Mentorship: While at M&T Bank, our CEO engaged in an initiative to see if a business could turn around the lowest performing school in Buffalo, NY (Westminster Community School). Our Chairman paid to recruit Dr. Yvonne Hargrave to run the school, but otherwise, we devoted time, but not money, to mentoring each of the students, and I was one of those mentors. Within 3 years, we moved the school from the lowest performer to the top performer (apart from the Honors school) in the Buffalo school system. That school was later turned into the Westminster Community Charter School, which has 400 K-8 students. The initiative itself grew into the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood.
Co-Founder of Law School Yes We Can – a long-term mentor program to prepare college students from diverse backgrounds to become highly qualified applicants for admission to the nation’s law schools with a long-term goal of achieving fairness in the judicial system.
Member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, Denver CO 2009-2014
Vice Chair and Member of the Board of Directors of the Burchfield Penney Art Center
Member of the Board of Directors of Buffalo Preparatory. This organization funded tuition at private high schools for inner-city students