U.S. Senate Hopeful Mallory McMorrow Has a Husband Who's a Journalist

When Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow announced plans to run for the U.S. Senate, she rocketed from state politician to national figure. With Democrats chomping at the bit over the chance to take back control of Congress in the 2026 midterms, every candidate is vital to their cause.

But who is Mallory McMorrow? For one, she has a husband who is both a journalist and political activist, having been involved in campaigns beyond his wife's. Here's what we know about their life together and how they both believe it's possible to maintain parenthood and a fulfilling career.

Mallory has served in the Michigan state Senate since 2019. Born in the Whitehouse section of the Readington Township in New Jersey, she was raised Catholic and spent her years active in her local parish.

But when Mallory's parents later divorced, their priest chided her mother for "not living up to the church's expectations" (via ReligionNews). The way her mom was treated may have shaped Mallory's later views on marriage and expectations for women.

Mallory graduated from Notre Dame in 2008, and from there worked for companies such as Mattel and Gawker. Presumably, that's where she met journalist Ray Wert, former head of Gawker's content sales department and editor of Jalopnik, an automotive blog.

They tied the knot in June 2017 in Detroit and share one daughter, Noa, who was born in 2021 (via Deadline).

Ray has contributed to major publications such as The New York Times, Popular Mechanics, and Cat Fancy among others. Additionally, he occasionally appears on CNBC to give his opinion on On the Money. He's known for his straightforward demeanor and occasional sarcastic wit.

With both Ray and Mallory having increasingly demanding schedules, it's easy to see why one might wonder how they have time to manage their careers while raising a younger daughter.

The duo addressed that in an article with CrainsDetroit, sharing their opinions on how women specifically could have a career while being the mothers they hoped to be.

In the article, they shared that their unique schedules and cross-time-zones lives have allowed them to be present for their child and hire a nanny to fill the gaps when they're both involved with career events.

But they acknowledged that many moms, especially single moms, don't have that luxury. In the article, the duo stated, "For so many people, it's actually impossible. Not surprisingly, Michigan's birth rate has dropped to its lowest point since 1944, the second-steepest drop in the nation."

They continued, "On top of that, thanks to the pandemic, we've seen a record number of women leave the workforce, with national media outlets coining the trend 'she-cession' as 30 years of economic progress for women evaporated this past year. The pandemic didn't create the challenges, but it certainly cemented the fact that for too many women and families, the choice is binary: kids or career. Not both."

They then suggested, "It doesn't have to be this way. To reverse this trend, Michigan and our country should provide government-backed paid family and medical leave, expanded access to quality childcare, and increased financial support or tax breaks for families for childcare."

Both Mallory and Ray also championed flexibility in hours worked and providing a work system "to support families."

This sort of family-first narrative makes Mallory a serious contender for the national stage, a plan upon which many Democrats pinned their hopes for 2026.