Michigan Republican urges fiscal frugality after 37 years in military-industrial complex

Lisa Trombley is a Republican candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives advocating for fiscal frugality and less government, despite spending decades in the defense contracting business contributing to multi-billion deals with the federal government.

According to Trombley’s LinkedIn page, she spent 26 years in numerous leadership positions for Lockheed Martin and over two years as the chief operating officer of Technica Corporation. During her time with Lockheed Martin (1993-2015), Trombley was part of an estimated $633.15 billion in sales to the U.S. government, according to the company’s annual reports.

During a radio interview with Justin Barclay on Aug. 13, Trombley likened herself with the principles of fiscal frugality and living within your means.

“You know, fiscal sanity, local government, individual rights, you know, living within your budget, living within your means,” Trombley said. “I don’t think those are conservative principals, I think that’s just plain old common sense.”

Trombley also championed “salt-of-the-earth, Midwest values” despite 37 years in Washington D.C. running large programs for the federal government.

“Up here, we are, you know good, traditional, salt-of-the-earth, Midwest values, not extreme in either direction.”

Trombley is seeking to flip Michigan’s 103^rd District seat, which is currently held by Rep. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City). During a debate with her opponent earlier this month, Trombley accidentally used the phrase “Northern Virginia” instead of Northern Michigan before admitting to spending “too many years” in Virginia.

Trombley did not respond to an email request for comment, but she did admit that people may think she was “part of the problem” when complaining about government expansion on ”The Ron Jolly Show” last November.

“It has expanded, and I think, really, that the government shouldn’t have any control that the people don’t– you know, any power that the people don’t ultimately have,” Trombley said. “I think that’s kinda one of the basic Constitutional premises, and there has been growth. Government is not always the solution. I know people may say, from my perspective, I may have been part of the problem, but we– there is a need for government, but there’s also a place where government needs not to weigh in.”

Coffia is seeking her second term in the Michigan legislature after winning the 103^rd District seat by 765 votes in 2022.