Michigan Political Week in Review

The past week, and weekend, was certainly a lively one for Michigan politics. The Democrats took over the Supreme Court in a quiet coup and the Republicans selected their statewide slate in a noisy convention.  

 

Michigan LCV was present at both party conventions this weekend and is happy to now peel off the collected stickers, recycle the pieces of campaign literature, and present your Political Week in Review:

 

On Wednesday, Rick Snyder named State Rep. Brian Calley (House District 87, Portland) as his choice for Lieutenant Governor. Usually, that is enough and the nominee's pick for LG is then just anointed at the convention. Much to the surprise of the GOP party leaders, however, the Tea Party offered up Bill Cooper --- a defeated candidate in the primary for the second congressional district --- as its choice. The GOP leaders running the convention did not even have ballots prepared for such an eventuality.

 

The noise from the Tea Party delegates in protest to the proposed just-raise-your-hands style of voting drowned out the "ayes" in support of Calley. So, after multiple rushed huddles of convention leaders, Cooper was pushed into lending his support to Calley and withdrew his name from consideration.  Again, the Tea Party was not pleased, but Snyder was able leave Breslin Center with his preferred candidate.

 

Roughly 80 miles away, the Democratic nominee for Governor, Mayor Virg Bernero, had a far easier time in announcing his choice for Lieutenant Governor, Mayor Brenda Lawrence of Southfield.  The Democrats' convention was more lightly attended (and far less contentious) than the Republicans' due in large part to the fact that their races for Attorney General and Secretary of State were decided months ago for David Leyton and Jocelyn Benson, respectively.  

 

The Republicans chose Bill Schuette for their Attorney General nominee and Ruth Johnson for Secretary of State. Both of those ballots also were very close; the Secretary of State vote required multiple ballots.

 

The Democrats scored a major, and unexpected, political victory when Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth “Betty” Weaver resigned. This gave Gov. Jennifer Granholm the opportunity to appoint Appeals Court Judge Alton Davis to fill the empty seat. This appointment gives Democrats a majority on the court for the first time in 11 years and also gives Judge Davis the valuable "incumbent" label on the non-partisan section of the ballot in November. Perhaps most importantly, if the Democrats are still holding the Supreme Court after the dust settles on Election Day, it will serve as a potential bulwark for them for any challenges resulting from the inevitably contentious redistricting process.  

A couple other interesting endorsements in the governor's race occurred in the midst of all the chaos, too. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing endorsed Bernero on Wednesday, saying that he believes Bernero has the commitment and “experienced leadership” to help move Michigan forward. In the primary, Bing supported Andy Dillon.

 

Mitt Romney, a Republican candidate in the 2008 presidential election, also has announced his endorsement of Rick Snyder. Romney stated that "Rick will promote pro-growth policies that will put people back to work and get Michigan back on the right track."

  

Coming up next...

For this coming week, look for Democrats to begin touting their "Two-Mayor Ticket" as they attempt to chip away at Snyder's 22-point lead in the latest Free Press poll. On the other side, the Snyder campaign will continue its focus on "reinventing Michigan" and enjoying its healthy lead in the polls. Until that trend should reverse, it is unlikely that the Snyder team will be forced to engage in much mudslinging.

 

Of course, here at Michigan LCV, we are remaining busy, too. Stay tuned for our next round of endorsements as well as an impressive new tool for all Michigan voters to track what their gubernatorial candidates are saying (or not saying) about the major environmental issues facing our state today and in the future.

 

Until next week,

 

Ryan Werder

Political Director, Michigan League of Conservation Voters

 

Photo Credit: Ryan Werder