Elections
Progressive group Priorities USA outspending Trump on Facebook in Michigan, other battlegrounds
There’s been a lot of handwringing from liberals that President Donald Trump is outspending his potential 2020 Democratic rivals on Facebook, which many analysts believe was an effective tool for his 2016 victory. Candidates have shelled out $61 million, according to the Wesleyan Media Project, with Trump’s share at $10.1 million. The top-spending Dems are […]
DeVos held in contempt of court, but taxpayers will pay $100K fine
A federal judge this week took the rare step of holding U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in contempt of court over her department’s handling of student debt. The department admitted it still collected on loans for 16,000 students of for-profit Corinthian College, which has been shuttered, despite being ordered not to in May 2018, Politico […]
Sean McCann: Bold, bipartisan action is needed to ensure election security
As we approach the 17th anniversary of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), we have the opportunity to think about the bold bipartisan action in Congress that sought to restore faith in our democracy shaken after the 2000 election. Almost two decades later, we find ourselves with lots of work left to do to further […]
Benson outlines online application process, gives timeline for redistricting commission member selection
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Thursday outlined a newly-launched online application process for citizens interested in a seat on Michigan’s independent redistricting commission. At a news conference in Lansing, Benson and other community leaders detailed the online application and laid out their timeline for the commission’s implementation. “Last fall, millions of Michiganders voted […]
GOP leaders again grouse about Whitmer’s use of executive power in budget process
Over coffee and eggs at an early Thursday morning event, GOP legislators told a politically oriented crowd at Boji Tower in Lansing that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administrative board power should be reined in. Remarks on the budget process, administration board and road funding dominated the conversation at an event hosted by Dome Magazine and Oakland […]
Report: Indicted Ukrainian-American businessman attended 2018 John James event
An associate of President Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani who was arrested this month was in Michigan just before the 2018 election. Both Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas and Giuliani were at a campaign event for GOP U.S. Senate candidate John James in Holland, the Holland Sentinel reports. Parnas was arrested this month along with Igor Fruman […]
GOP leaders, anti-gerrymandering group meet on expanding term limits
A group of Republican leaders, business groups and activists that took on gerrymandering in Michigan have held recent talks aimed at tackling term limits and broader government reform. Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) and House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) are working with Voters Not Politicians (VNP) and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce to […]
Michigan sees smaller salary growth than neighboring states
A decade removed from the Great Recession, Michigan’s growth in earnings still lags that of its neighbors, according to a new analysis. Michigan ranks No. 39 out of 50 states in a 2019 U.S. Earnings Index, putting it behind its Midwestern neighbors and multiple other states, as it experienced a relatively smaller increase in salary […]
U.S. House pays tribute to Cummings: ‘We have lost a warrior’
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sat next to Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) on the floor of the U.S. House a few weeks ago, when Cummings cast what would be his last vote in Congress. The Maryland Democrat “didn’t know it was his last [vote], but it was,” Butterfield said. Cummings’ staff helped […]
U.S. House hamstrings GOP attempt to censure Trump impeachment lead Adam Schiff
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Monday rejected a GOP-led effort to censure California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee. Arizona Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, the new chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was the author of the resolution. The measure, which assailed the Democratic chairman leading the charge […]
Bentivolio is back? Former Santa impersonator/congressman sends 2020 fundraising pitch.
Former U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-Milford), an eccentric Tea Party darling and ex-Santa Claus impersonator, appears to want his old job back representing the 11th District in Southeast Michigan. Bentivolio served one term from 2013 to 2015 before losing a primary to now-former U.S. Rep. Dave Trott (R-Birmingham) and unsuccessfully tried to reclaim the seat […]
It’s official: No gerrymandering reform in Michigan until 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court decided earlier this year that it won’t weigh in on cases of political gerrymandering and it’s now officially tossed Michigan’s case back to a lower court. In a one-sentence order on Monday, the Court effectively overturned a lower court ruling that 34 congressional and state legislative districts had been gerrymandered to […]