Michigan Political Week in Review
The campaign for governor of Michigan continues to generate more negative than positive press. With a race that’s still completely up in the air, featuring seven candidates campaigning for an open seat, it seems like the excitement would be palpable. But recent polling reveals that many voters are still undecided, and most campaign news coverage seems focused on how underwhelmed reporters and pundits are with the seven gentlemen running for governor. The news last week focused on the airing of Democratic candidate Andy Dillon’s first campaign ad, which touted his “hire Michigan first” proposal, but was, in fact, produced by a Chicago-area firm. It’s important to note that all of the candidates running, with the exception of Republican Tom George, have used out-of-state firms on their campaigns.
Democratic candidates Virg Bernero and Dillon met in Grand Rapids last week for their first one-on-one debate. Neither one committed to being for or against the controversial wind farms proposed for Lake Michigan, although Bernero did emphasize the growing importance of renewable energy industries.
The most recent round of polling, conducted by EPIC-MRA for the Detroit Free Press, reveals Attorney General Mike Cox pulling ahead of his Republican opponents, and House Speaker Dillon with the lead over Bernero:
Primary Election Matchup (Dems)
- Now 5/26
A. Dillon 34% 29%
V. Bernero 24 23
Undecided 42 48
Primary Election Matchup (GOPers)
- Now 5/26 3/31 2/25 1/26 10/15
M. Cox 26% 18% 21% 21% 32% 28%
P. Hoekstra 24 30 27 27 25 29
R. Snyder 20 17 15 12 3 3
M. Bouchard 16 16 13 10 16 14
T. George 2 2 3 1 2 2
Other n/a n/a 3 3 n/a n/a
Undecided 12 17 18 26 22 24
State Budget
With less than two weeks until a July 1 deadline, when lawmakers had hoped to have a balanced budget, a compromise seems elusive. Republicans have suggested using a recently-discovered surplus in the School Aid Fund to fill gaps in the budget, but opponents argue that now is not the time to divert funds from public education. And a study of the 48217 ZIP Code in southwestern Detroit, the most polluted area in the state, reveals an even more disturbing budgetary shortfall --- the seriously underfunded Department of Natural Resources and Environment, which is charged with regulating air quality. The DNRE, which has lost 75% of its funding since 2002, deserves serious consideration during this budget balancing process, or else Michigan citizens will be breathing increasingly dirty air.
The Michigan House Democratic Caucus held a series of press conferences on June 14, unveiling a plan to introduce a permanent constitutional ban on Great Lakes drilling for oil and gas. There is a state law banning drilling in the Great Lakes, but in light of the Gulf oil spill, more permanent measures seem prudent.
And From our Nation’s Capital
President Obama addressed the nation on June 15, to discuss the repercussions of the Gulf oil spill, and urge BP to create a fund to pay for the cleanup. The tragedy in the Gulf has given us an urgent reason to acknowledge the indisputable connection between the burning of fossil fuels and global climate change. Unfortunately, the president failed to mention climate change even once during his speech.
-Image courtesy of freep.com
