In The News
Northern Michigan’s last Democrat in Lansing has a warning for her party
In January, Rep. Betsy Coffia will become the last Democrat representing northern Michigan in the state Legislature. Her next northernmost colleague is Rep. Amos O’Neal, with a district 120 miles away in Saginaw.
Coffia won a tough campaign in the Nov. 5 election in which Republicans won the White House and flipped the state House — and she’s now pleading with her party to take a long, hard look at their losses.
In an interview with Bridge, Coffia made clear she doesn’t have all the answers, but has been deeply frustrated by what she described as rigidity and a lack of reflection by Democratic party leaders
“It is much easier to do a generic, one-size-fits-all campaign and just throw a lot of money at something,” Coffia said. “I think that was part of what went wrong here. This is not about my fellow candidates. … I’m talking about the people above them who are controlling the money and controlling the strategy.”
With President-elect Donald Trump’s win in Michigan, Republicans flipped four state House districts and won control of the chamber, despite a significant financial disadvantage against Democrats, who raised much more money.
“The narrative of, like, ‘We just have to outraise them and we’ll win.’ Well, clearly, that didn’t play out,” Coffia said. “That’s where I’m saying, ‘How are we spending this money? Are we listening to the candidates who are actually in the trenches telling us how to how we should be spending it?’”
Coffia credited her reelection to her emphasis on a strong base of motivated volunteers and a campaign tailored to her constituents. While eschewing corporate PAC contributions, she was one of Democrats’ top fundraisers and used the cash to get her message out to voters.
Has Michigan governor race begun? Duggan spurs speculation. Here's who might run
With the dust barely settled on the 2024 election, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Wednesday he won’t run for a fourth term in 2025, accelerating speculation about a possible 2026 gubernatorial run.
Duggan is just one in a long list of candidates already positioning themselves for potential runs to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including some of Michigan’s most senior elected officials in both major political parties.
In a press event announcing he won’t seek reelection in Detroit, Duggan focused his comments on his tenure leading Michigan’s largest city, adding, “I’ll talk about my future some weeks in the future.”
But the mayor also touted a story his political team has already begun to share statewide, highlighting his efforts to tear down abandoned homes, build recreation centers and attract talent.
“I really believe Michigan’s greatest export is not cars right now, it’s our young people,” Duggan said. “And the city of Detroit is taking the lead in creating a community where the young talent wants to stay.”
AG Nessel Files Brief to Dismiss Frivolous Election Lawsuit Targeting Military and Overseas Voters
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 16, 2024
Media Contact: Danny Wimmer
LANSING – In response to a lawsuit challenging the rights of military and overseas voters, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed briefs today (PDF) and Monday in the Michigan Court of Claims urging the dismissal of the case (PDF). The lawsuit was filed earlier this month by the Michigan Republican Party, Republican National Committee, and Chesterfield Township Clerk Cindy Berry against defendants Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Director of Elections Jonathan Brater.
The Plaintiffs are contesting the Secretary’s instructions that permit spouses or dependents of Michigan military or overseas voters to vote in the State’s elections based on the residency of the military or overseas voter. Ignoring a 1996 statute that expressly permits this practice, plaintiffs argue the Secretary’s instructions violate the Michigan Constitution, a claim refuted by the Attorney General in the briefs.
“The Michigan Republican Party and Republican National Committee’s baseless lawsuit, filed mere weeks before the election, is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise the families of military and overseas voters,” Nessel said. “Challenging a decades-old statute in this frivolous manner is both irresponsible and abusive. Their actions are a clear attempt to sow doubt about the integrity of the election and suppress the legitimate votes of American citizens. This conduct is unacceptable and warrants sanctions. The Court must dismiss this lawsuit to send a clear message that attempts to undermine our electoral system cannot and will not be tolerated.”
Attorney General Nessel further argues that the Plaintiffs’ claims are barred because they failed to file a timely notice of intent to sue under the Michigan Court of Claims Act. Even if their claims were not time-barred, the Attorney General contends the doctrine of laches applies, as the Plaintiffs have unreasonably delayed for years in challenging these longstanding instructions and laws, causing prejudice to both the Secretary of State and voters. Additionally, she maintains that the Plaintiffs lack standing and that the Secretary’s instructions are consistent with state and federal law.
The Attorney General also requested the Court impose sanctions, asserting the complaint is frivolous, devoid of legal merit, and brought for improper purposes.
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Fact-checking the Michigan economy: Prices up. So are wages. What’s true?
Everything you need to know about absentee ballots
The November general election is about 40 days away but voting season in Michigan is upon us beginning this week. Starting Thursday, local clerks will begin sending out absentee ballots to the 1.8 million residents who have so far requested them, the Secretary of State confirmed to Bridge Michigan.
So, now what? Is it still possible to request an absentee ballot? And how long do I have to turn it in?
Bridge Michigan is answering these questions as part of our Elections FAQ series, which includes a weekly live video show and written responses. Submit your own question here.
Here’s what voters need to know about absentee ballots.
Who is eligible to vote absentee?
All Michigan voters can request an absentee ballot without needing to provide a reason. Before the passage of Proposal 3 in 2018, which gave every voter the option to cast a “no-reason” absentee ballot, absentee ballots were reserved for elderly residents, service people and those who disclosed to the state that they were traveling.
How do I request an absentee ballot?
Michigan voters can fill out an application at their local clerk’s office or online to receive an absentee ballot. When you fill out an application, you can also ask to be put on a permanent absentee ballot list so that your local clerk will send you an absentee ballot for every election without you having to resubmit an application.
Michigan GOP walks fine line on absentee voting, as Trump sends mixed messages
In February, Donald Trump was unequivocal about absentee voting, telling supporters at a Waterford Township rally that it is “totally corrupt” and should be eliminated to “secure our elections.”
Months later, a rally at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena, featured a video of him telling supporters that “absentee voting, early voting and Election Day voting are all good options.”
Trump has since sent mixed messages. He has asked supporters to vote through whatever method they chose, but also told a crowd last month in Pennsylvania that “we want to get rid of mail-in voting.”
His about-face mirrors that of the Republican Party, which is making a push to encourage absentee voting while also suing Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over her guidance to local clerks about the ballots.
It’s a delicate two-step perhaps made more difficult by Republicans’ own mistrust of mail-in voting, hardened by years of Trump’s rhetoric and false claims of widespread electoral fraud in 2020.
“We will be out, actively encouraging people to go vote early,” Michigan Republican Party chair Pete Hoekstra told Bridge Michigan.
Trump wants to abolish the Department of Education. Is Michigan ready?
DETROIT — Donald Trump is promising to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education if he is reelected, and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is on board with closing the department she led for four years.
But with Michigan students continuing to struggle on national and state assessments, “the solution is not that simple,” according to Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers, a Trump-endorsed Republican whose campaign said he does not support abolishing the department.
“Eliminating the Department of Education does not solve the crisis we are seeing today in public schools across the country,” Rogers told Bridge Michigan in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat running against Rogers, also opposes eliminating the Department of Education, according to her campaign.
Those positions from Michigan’s leading candidates for U.S. Senate point to the challenges Trump would face if he attempts to eliminate the department, which is responsible for distributing school funding, administering federal student loan programs and enforcing students’ civil rights protections.
Closing the department or shifting core functions to other areas of the federal government would require approval in Congress, where legislation to “terminate” the department has been repeatedly introduced but has failed to advance.
Still, Trump has made clear he’ll try to eliminate the DOE, which then-President Ronald Reagan first proposed in 1982.The official Republican Party platform that Trump backed in July, as adopted by national convention delegates, directs GOP lawmakers to aid him.
“We are going to close the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and send it back to the states, where it belongs, and let the states run our educational system as it should be run,” the platform states.
Trump has not said whether he would move DOE functions to other departments or simply eliminate them.
Fact focus: The false, misleading claims made at Trump and Harris debate
In their first and perhaps only debate, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris described the state of the country in starkly different terms. As the two traded jabs, some old false and misleading claims emerged along with some new ones.
Here’s a look at false and misleading claims made by the candidates.
Trump falsely touts his economy
TRUMP: “I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country. … They’ve destroyed the economy.”
THE FACTS: This is an exaggeration. The economy grew much faster under Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan than it did under Trump. The broadest measure of economic growth, gross domestic product, rose 4% a year for four straight years under Clinton. The fastest growth under Trump was 3% in 2018. The economy shrank 2.2% in 2020, at the end of Trump’s presidency. And
a higher proportion of American adults had jobs under Clinton than under Trump. During the Biden-Harris administration, the economy expanded 5.8% in 2021, though much of that reflected a bounce-back from COVID.
Inflation has trekked down
TRUMP: “They had the highest inflation perhaps in the history of our country, because I’ve never seen a worse period of time.”
THE FACTS: While praising the strength of the economy under his presidency, Donald Trump misstated the inflation rate under Biden. Inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 after rising steadily in the first 17 months of Biden’s presidency from a low of 0.1% in May 2020. It’s now seeing a downward trend. The most
recent data shows that as of July it had fallen to 2.9%. Other historical periods have seen higher inflation, which hit more than 14% in 1980, according to the Federal Reserve.
Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025
HARRIS: “What you’re going to hear tonight is a detailed and dangerous plan called Project 2025 that the former president intends on implementing if he were elected again.”
THE FACTS: Trump has said he doesn’t know about Project 2025, a controversial blueprint for another Republican presidential administration.
The plan was written up by many of his former aides and allies, but Trump has never said he’ll implement the roughly 900-page guide if he’s elected again. On the contrary, he has said it’s not related to his campaign.
Trump’s taxing and spending plan examined
HARRIS: “What the Wharton School has said is Donald Trump’s plan would actually explode the deficit.”
THE TRUTH: The Penn-Wharton Budget Model did find that Trump’s tax and spending plans would significantly expand the deficit by $5.8 trillion over ten years. But it also found that Harris’ plans would increase the deficit by $1.2 trillion over the same period.
Harris’ record on fracking examined
TRUMP: “If she won the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on Day 1.”
THE FACTS: Trump’s statement ignores the fact that without a law approved by Congress, a president can only ban fracking on federal lands.
The federal government owns about 2% of Pennsylvania’s total land, and it is not clear how much of that is suitable for oil or gas drilling.
Republicans have criticized Harris for “flip-flopping” on the issue, noting that
Harris said in the 2020 campaign that she opposed fracking, a drilling technique that is widely used in Pennsylvania and other states.
Harris has since said repeatedly that she won’t ban fracking if elected, and she reiterated that in Tuesday’s debate.
Trump misrepresents crime statistics
TRUMP, criticizing the Biden administration: “Crime is through the roof.”
THE FACTS: In fact, FBI data has shown a downward trend in violent crime since a coronavirus pandemic spike. Violent crime surged during the pandemic, with homicides increasing nearly 30% between in 2020 over the previous year — the largest one-year jump since the FBI began keeping records
Violent crime was down 6% in the last three months of 2023 compared with the same period the year before, according to FBI data released in March. Murders were down 13%. New FBI statistics released in June show the overall violent crime rate declined 15% in the first three months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. One expert has cautioned, however, that those 2024 figures are
preliminary and may overstate the actual reduction in crime.
Trump endorses false rumor about immigrants eating pets
TRUMP: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats… They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
THE FACTS: There’s no evidence to support the claim, which Trump and his campaign have used to argue immigrants are committing crimes at a higher rate than others.
Authorities in Ohio have said there are no credible or detailed reports to support Trump’s claim.
Jobs created under the Biden administration
“TRUMP: “Just like their number of 818,000 jobs that they said they created turned out to be a fraud.”
THE FACTS: This is a mischaracterization of the government’s process of counting jobs. Every year the Labor Department issues a revision of the number of jobs added in a 12-month period from April through March in the previous
year. The adjustment is made because the government’s initial job counts are based on surveys of businesses. The revision is then based on actual job counts from unemployment insurance files that are compiled later. The revision is compiled by career government employees with little involvement by politically appointed officials.
Trump repeats false claims immigrants that noncitizens are being sought to vote
TRUMP: “A lot of these illegal immigrants coming in, they’re trying to get them to vote. They can’t even speak English. They don’t even know what country they’re in practically and these people are trying to get them to vote, and that’s why they’re allowing them to come into our country.”
THE FACTS: In recent months, Trump and other Republicans have been repeating the baseless claim that Democrats want migrants to come into the country illegally so they will vote.
There’s no evidence for this, nor is there any evidence that noncitizens illegally vote in significant numbers in this country.
Voting by people who are not U.S. citizens already is illegal in federal elections. It
can be punishable by fines, prison time and even deportation. While noncitizens have cast ballots, studies show it’s incredibly rare, and states regularly audit their voter lists to remove ineligible voters from the rolls.
Trump’s comments suggest that not speaking English is somehow prohibitive for voting in the U.S. — and that’s also not the case. In fact, the Voting Rights Act requires certain states to provide election materials in other languages depending on the voting-age population’s needs.
Associated Press writers Melissa Goldin, David Klepper, Ali Swenson, Matthew Daly and Chris Rugaber contributed to this story.
On abortion, some Michigan candidate claims conflict with records
Harris, Trump brace for intense sprint to Election Day
In a Michigan toss-up race, inflation has some voters ‘looking for a change’
Mike Rogers vows to fight drug war, but urged opioid access in Congress
In Michigan, Donald Trump predicts ‘destruction and death’ under Democrats
UAW Files Federal Labor Charges Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk for Attempting to Intimidate and Threaten Workers
Kilpatrick speaking to GOP
Trump falsely claims ‘fake’ Harris crowd in Detroit
Officers in Jan. 6 Capitol riots to campaign for Harris
Detroit lawyer: My friend, JD Vance, ditched beliefs for ‘money and power’
Is US more divided than ever? You may be surprised: Tips to ease tensions
New York Times editorial board calls Donald Trump 'unfit to lead,' urges voters to reject reelection bid
What is Project 2025? And what would it mean for Michigan?
As Biden reassures Democrats, cracks emerge in Michigan’s united front
Farm union endorses Slotkin for U.S. Senate
Whitmer endorses in key congressional primary
Michigan GOP went to war with itself. Can it rebuild to win for Donald Trump?
Government transparency is woeful in Michigan. Lawmakers vow change (again)
Bridge elections FAQ: Are Republicans running as fake Democrats?
Michigan 2020 election cases delayed as Biden-Trump rematch looms
Donald Trump guilty on all counts: Michigan reacts. He’s still on ballot
Eight congressional candidates booted from Michigan primary ballot
Michigan governor run? Duggan, Benson, Gilchrist spur speculation
Biden has installed the most non-White judges of any president
Dems allege forgery, fraud on GOP petitions for Michigan U.S. Senate seat
Michigan Democrats are asking state elections officials to investigate the nominating petitions of several top Republican U.S. Senate candidates, alleging evidence of the kind of fraud and potential forgery that disqualified several gubernatorial candidates two years ago.
In a Friday letter to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers, attorneys for the Michigan Democratic Party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee asked election officials to investigate nominating petitions submitted by Republican U.S. Senate candidates Mike Rogers, Sandy Pensler and Justin Amash, as well as former candidate Peter Meijer.
The request claims that the candidates’ submissions appear to be “infected” with potentially fraudulent signatures, pointing to instances of petition sheets that appeared to be filled out by only one person, voters’ names appearing across multiple petitions in different handwriting and mismatches in petition circulator handwriting as evidence that the petitions warrant further review.
Joe Biden comes to Detroit as Black voter apathy imperils re-election
When President Joe Biden comes to Detroit Sunday, he’ll be visiting a state he can’t afford to lose to court Black voters who may be key to his re-election odds.
National polls suggest former President Donald Trump is making inroads with Black voters, particularly men, making Biden’s latest trip to Detroit an important one, according to experts.
The Democratic incumbent can point to some policies that have been important for the community, including student loan forgiveness and marijuana reclassification, but he’s failed to convince some voters to look past other woes, said Adolph Mongo, a longtime Detroit political consultant.
“People aren’t looking at (those policies) because they go to the grocery store and the food is sky-high, you’ve got crime out of control, the Republicans have hijacked the border narrative,” Mongo said.
How far Trump would go
Time Magazine, Eric Cortellessa, April 30, 2024 7:00 AM EDT
Donald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice.
We’ve been talking for more than an hour on April 12 at his fever-dream palace in Palm Beach. Aides lurk around the perimeter of a gilded dining room overlooking the manicured lawn. When one nudges me to wrap up the interview, I bring up the many former Cabinet officials who refuse to endorse Trump this time. Some have publicly warned that he poses a danger to the Republic. Why should voters trust you, I ask, when some of the people who observed you most closely do not?
As always, Trump punches back, denigrating his former top advisers. But beneath the typical torrent of invective, there is a larger lesson he has taken away. “I let them quit because I have a heart. I don’t want to embarrass anybody,” Trump says. “I don’t think I’ll do that again. From now on, I’ll fire.”
Trump warns of tax hikes, EV doom in Michigan rally. Here are the facts
FREELAND — Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden on taxes, electric vehicles, immigration and more on Wednesday during his latest campaign rally in Michigan’s swing region of Saginaw County.
“It’s a disaster if Joe Biden wins this election — the middle class loses,” the former president and presumed Republican nominee told a crowd of thousands outside an airport hangar. “But if Trump wins, the middle class wins.”
Trump led off his Michigan speech with concerns about the future of tax cuts he signed in the White House, many of which are set to expire in 2025.
Biden won’t extend the law, he said, suggesting that would result in a tax hike of almost $2,000 for individuals earning $75,000 a year, and roughly $3,000 for a family of four earning $165,000.
2024 Michigan elections: Whitmer calls 'baloney' on Trump abortion stance
Voters “cannot trust anything that Donald Trump says when it comes to abortion,” Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer claimed during a Flint roundtable this week, panning recent comments Trump made on the subject as “baloney.”
Whitmer’s critique came the same day Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, rallied at MBS International Airport in Michigan’s highly competitive Saginaw County. As part of that stop, Trump thanked the U.S. Supreme Court “for the wisdom and the courage” to overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 court decision which previously established precedent for abortion access.
Trump has long danced around the topic of enacting a federal abortion ban, recently telling Time Magazine that there “will never be that chance” as it’s unlikely the move has enough votes to clear the U.S. Senate. Last month, he said states should decide the issue.
Michigan ‘fake elector’ takes on top Democrat in bid for state House
Michele Lundgren knows she’s a long-shot candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives.
She’s a Republican living in the Democratic stronghold of Detroit, and a political newcomer with little name recognition. She’s also challenging one of the most powerful Democrats in the state — and fighting felony charges for allegedly trying to help overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss.
But the 74-year-old Cass Corridor resident says she’s serious about taking on House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, telling Bridge Michigan she feels strongly about representing the party she believes in.
“I’m a novice, and I don’t have any real background in political science or politics,” she said. “But when somebody steps up and says, ‘We’ve got no one else,’ I make an effort to try to learn as much as I can and represent our party and our district as best as possible.”
Trump an 'unindicted co-conspirator' in Michigan electors case, investigator says
LANSING — Former President Donald Trump and several associates are considered “unindicted co-conspirators” in the plot to overturn Michigan’s 2020 presidential election, a state investigator testified in court Wednesday.
The testimony from Howard Shock, an investigator with the Michigan Department of Attorney General, came on the sixth and final day of a preliminary exam for some of the so-called fake electors accused of forging documents to suggest Trump won Michigan despite his 154,188-vote loss to President Joe Biden.
Other unindicted co-conspirators in the case include former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis and several Michigan Republicans, Shock said in testimony.
Who’s running for Congress in Michigan? 6 incumbents face primary challengers
LANSING — Michigan’s 13 congressional seats are each up for grabs this fall, and control the U.S. House may be at stake.
Open seats in the state’s 7th and 8th Districts are expected to be among the most competitive in the country and draw big spending from national groups.
Those Flint- and Lansing-area swing seats are currently held by Democrats who aren’t seeking re-election to their posts: Dan Kildee, who is stepping down, and Elissa Slotkin, who is running for the U.S. Senate instead.
Elsewhere, two first-term representatives are defending their seats in competitive districts: Rep. John James, R-Farmington Hills, in the Macomb County-based 10th and Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, in the west Michigan 3rd.
Republicans control the U.S. House, but upcoming elections will decide all 435 seats. In Michigan, Democrats currently hold seven congressional seats, and Republicans hold six.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes Michigan ballot, seen as spoiler to Biden, Trump
Michigan voters will see at least one other big “name” on the ballot this November in the race for president.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an environmental lawyer and son of former U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, has made the ballot as the presidential nominee of the Natural Law Party, one of five minor parties Michigan allows on the ballot.
Michigan is the most prominent state where Kennedy has made the ballot, and he is the most prominent candidate for the Natural Law banner since Ralph Nader in 2008.
Michigan Democrats win special elections to regain full control of state government
Mai Xiong won the special election in the 13th District, which covers Warren and part of Detroit, while Peter Herzberg won in the 25th District, which contains the cities of Wayne and Westland. Both candidates were favorites in the heavily Democratic districts.
Newspaper Editor Tells Readers He Must Say Truth About Trump, Even If It Offends
HUFFPOST
Chris Quinn of the The Plain Dealer in Cleveland had some thoughtful and candid words for readers upset about the critical coverage of Trump.
The editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland told readers that critical coverage of Donald Trump is necessary, despite whatever objections they may have.
“The north star here is truth,” Chris Quinn wrote in a letter from the editor on Saturday. “We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information.”