Michigan Political Week in Review: Oct. 18 - 25
This will be the last Political Week in Review before the election. We’re that close. Personally, I’m writing from Grand Rapids, where Michigan LCV is on the road knocking doors for our candidates in the Northern and Western parts of our state. Included in this PWIR you’ll find:
- Snyder, Bernero, and their different Detroit experiences
- Jocelyn Benson carrying the top of the ticket for Dems
- A quick note on the Supreme Court campaign
- Congressional race recap
- State-level race trends and traps
Many races have changed and many are the same. As voters feel the crush of ads, mailers, and canvassers, it’s clear that it's decision time.
Governor’s Race:
The polling is the same now as it was back in August; Snyder is still 20 points up on Bernero. That doesn’t mean that the two aren’t still hitting the campaign trail hard, though.
Recently, Rick gained the endorsements of The Detroit News, Lansing State Journal, and Detroit Free Press. The Freep in its endorsement of Snyder, however, included a disturbing quote that read, in part that he, “favors more coal plants for Michigan and would like to apply his quick permitting to them.” This, of course, flies in the face of the reality that Michigan is not in need of any more baseload energy production at this time, and especially not coal.
Issues like this one raised by the Free Press exemplify the need to continue pressing Snyder, and all candidates, on key conservation questions. Please continue to check our Candidate Tracker for frequent updates during these final days.
Both the candidates also spent time in Detroit last week. Snyder caught up with Governor Milliken for lunch to talk about a range of issues, including the importance of core cities in Michigan’s revival. You can certainly argue with his policies, but you can’t argue with his choice of restaurants: Slow’s is phenomenal (I recommend the beef brisket with a side of their mac and cheese).
Bernero, for his part, had less company during his trip to Detroit. He participated in a “debate” between himself and a notecard with Snyder’s name on it. The debate was organized by roughly 100 members of the clergy, though the takeaway was more about who wasn’t in attendance that what was under discussion.
This race is looking more and more like the only possible top-of-the-ticket win for the Democrats this year. The latest poll has Jocelyn Benson up eight points over Republican Ruth Johnson in the important 15th Congressional District, which will be a key area for Benson. However, even there - with its relatively high Democratic identification - 19 percent of voters are still undecided. The fight for those kinds of undecideds is being fought over the air, with Jocelyn introducing herself with an ad released this week and with Johnson on the attack. The other method is relying on party-wide ground game efforts.
No major updates here, this week. Only this: Another reminder to all readers of the deep importance of voting in the non-partisan section of the ballot for Supreme Court ... and to vote for Michigan LCV-endorsed Justice Alton Thomas Davis.
Michigan is home to some of the most contentious races in the nation and they’ve only grown tighter in these final weeks.
Mark Schauer, who is in a fight against Tim “Dirty Dozen” Walberg, looks to finally be pulling ahead. His packed rally with Bill Clinton Sunday night allowed him to tout many of his accomplishments over the past two years. It was exciting to hear Clinton talk so much about clean energy jobs. He reminded a fired-up crowd that the United States is now home to 30 advanced battery factories, 17 of which are in Michigan. That means thousands of jobs with the potential for thousands more. That is why we need to return Mark Schauer to Congress.
The two other races to watch for upsets are the 1st and the 3rd; Gary McDowell and Pat Miles, respectively. Gary is within three points of his Tea Party opponent and Pat is within striking distance of Justin Amash, an extreme candidate with a 0% on our Scorecard. Amash represents a dramatic departure from the more centrist approach to conservation issues that retiring Congressman Vern Ehlers embodied and is far cry from the kind of elected official that the Grand Rapids area deserves.
The conventional wisdom at this point is that the State Senate will remain in Republican control. The fate of the State House, however, is still in question and may come down to one or two seats. I have mentioned it in past PWIRs, but many of these races will turn on the efficacy of the campaigns get-out-the-vote efforts: how many voters have they contacted, identified, and followed-up with. The answers to these questions will determine the next decade of Michigan’s politics.
In the North, the safety of the Great Lakes via the protection of groundwater continues to be twisted by opponents. In Southeast Michigan, John Pastor’s fines from his paving over of wetlands continue to go unpaid. On the West side of the state, farmland preservation remains an issue that faces tough resistance from major developers despite its bipartisan appeal.
The future of these questions, and a host of others on topics related to conservation or otherwise, depend on your vote on Nov. 2. Please find your polling location here and your sample ballot here so you can be prepared when you step into the voting booth.
Every vote counts, so please talk to your neighbors, friends, and family about the importance of making their voice heard. Regardless of party or ideology, the health of Michigan’s economy and environment will be determined in just over a week. Join us in ensuring that the decision we make is one of which we can proud.
Until next time,
Ryan Werder, Political Director
