Jim Townsend (born 1965/1966) represented the 26th district in the Michigan House of Representatives from January 2011 until January 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is the director of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy in Detroit, Michigan.

Townsend earned a B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina in 1988. He earned a dual MBA/MPP from the University of Michigan in 1997.^[1] In 2016, he earned a JD from Wayne State University Law School.^[2]

Townsend was first elected to the state house in 2010. In explaining his reelection bid, Townsend stated, "I am running because the promise of a middle class life in Michigan is being broken for too many of our people. We need a state government that will stand up to special interests and invest in the public goods like education that are crucial to creating good-paying jobs for our people."^[1]

In 2013, Townsend introduced legislation that called for universal background checks for gun buyers.^[3] He has worked for Ford, and helped found the Michigan suburbs alliance.^[1]

In November 2019, Townsend was appointed director of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy at Wayne State University Law School.^[4]