Uncategorized

Question 1): A proposed constitutional amendment to overhaul the way Michigan’s university boards are selected failed in the state House of Representatives this past week. However, there is much more to this story than that, and it is likely to be with us for the next few weeks, or even months. On a 52-54 vote, the […]

QUESTION 1): Does an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) endorsement help or hurt a particular candidate in the August 4 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate? ANSWER 1): It certainly doesn’t seem to be hurting U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI 11) right now, or in her previous runs for Congress. An AIPAC endorsement typically comes […]

Question 1):  As all Michigan political observers know by now, former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan this past Thursday suddenly dropped his independent gubernatorial bid after a 16-month campaign. Why did he pull out, more than five months before the Nov. 3 general election? In a press conference announcing his decision, Duggan said he no longer […]

Question 1): An abundance of polls over the past two weeks with slightly differing results gives us a glimpse into where the two key races for Michigan Governor and the U.S. Senate stand at this point. For example, a new MIRS/Mitchell Research poll shows Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn BENSON holding a double-digit lead over […]

Question 1): Democrat Chedrick Greene (D-Saginaw) won the 35th state Senate District special election last Tuesday by nearly 20% over Republican nominee Jason Tunney. It renews the 20-18 majority Senate Democrats enjoyed in 2023-24. If Tunney had won, the chamber would have been in a 19-19 tie, with the Lieutenant Governor, Garlin Gilchrist II, the […]

WILL THE MID-DECADE REDISTRICTING WARS CONTINUE UNABATED INTO 2030? The recent U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision in Louisiana v Callais may have the drafters of the 2018 ballot proposal Voters Not Politicians (VNP) rethinking the criteria they incorporated into the Michigan Constitution. The amendment placed compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) at the […]

Hard to believe anyone in Michigan cares, given the way the state has treated its own horse racing industry. For the first time in 90 years, pari-mutuel horse racing is virtually extinct in Michigan. Northville Downs, Michigan’s last surviving track, closed its doors after its last standardbred race in early 2024. The property in northwest […]

Time to 86 MEDC? MEDC is the acronym for Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and “86” is restaurant slang meaning to “get rid of something.” Years ago, the hapless TV secret agent Maxwell Smart was Agent 86. Wikipedia says MEDC is “a public-private partnership agency and economic development corporation in the U.S. state of Michigan.” Operating under the slogan “Pure […]

Question 1): Are U.S. Reps. John James (R-CD 10), running for Governor, and Haley Stevens (D-CD 11), running for the U.S. Senate, playing it too safe in their campaigns? Answer 1):) Short answer, Yes. Longer answer, a little more complicated. Frontrunner James has been virtually invisible most of the past year, so much so that […]

EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THE POLITICAL ACRONYM “TACO” MEANS — NOW THERE IS A NEW ONE: BACO Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson shares a trait with President Donald Trump. They both Always Chicken Out (TACO or BACO). Donald Trump imposes high tariffs on an array of goods from foreign nations, and then he backs off […]