Livingston Dems to Welcome 7th District Candidate Matt Maasdam, Secretary of State Candidate Adam Hollier

A former Navy SEAL and military aide to President Obama who is running for Congress will speak to Livingston Dems at the party’s November meeting.

Matt Maasdam is one of several candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for 7^th District Congress. He will speak at the party’s Nov. 19 meeting.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Matt joined the Navy shortly after college and became a SEAL, deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, and the Pacific during his 20-year career in the Navy. He was chosen to serve as the lead instructor for “Hell Week” at SEAL training, where he prepared more than a thousand aspiring future SEAL. Later, he attended Harvard’s Kennedy School, where he studied teamwork and leadership.

Under President Obama, Matt was chosen to serve as the president’s military aide. He was responsible for planning and executing the President’s emergency response in any crisis, coordinating with thousands of people across the government to ensure the President’s safety.

He also carried the nuclear football—the briefcase that contains the tools the President would need to respond decisively in the face of a catastrophic threat, including the nuclear codes.

After leaving active duty, Matt went to work for Under Armour, where he helped lead a 2,000-person team and oversaw key parts of the company’s growing online operations. He later founded two e-commerce businesses of his own.

Matt lives in mid-Michigan with his wife, Laura, a veteran naval helicopter pilot he met at survival school in the Navy and their two boys, both avid hockey players.

Also speaking will be Adam Hollier, a former state senator now seeking the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State.

Adam was born and raised in Detroit. where his father was a union firefighter and his mother a social worker. He is married and has two children.

He is a former U.S. Army paratrooper who served as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s director of the Veterans Affairs Agency in 2023. 

The party’s November meeting will be on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. at Re/MAX Platinum Auditorium, 6870 Grand River, between Brighton and Howell. Please park in the back, use the rear entrance, and take the stairs or elevator down to the auditorium. Please be aware that the business locks the door at 7 p.m.

There will be a social time at 6:30 p.m. Signup here for the event https://forms.gle/DKwmpAZgBDPVBFY67

The party’s regular business meeting will follow.