With all the talk of a projected 2022 Republican Congressional sweep, it has local political wonks wondering what can potentially happen to current congressional folk, especially those who were elected in the Democratic wave of 2018. The increasing buzz in Republican corners is that twice-failed GOP candidate John James of Farmington Hills may finally find his ticket to the big top by running against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, western Oakland an

In early December, Ingham County Circuit Judge Lisa McCormick terminated the personal protection order (PPO) state Rep. Mari Manoogian (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township) had obtained against fellow state Rep. Steven Marino (R-Harrison Township) after a love affair went south, and she alleged he harassed and threatened her with text messages. Manoogian, who said she is not commenting, has said she was afraid of Marino following their breakup, pointing to tex

Back in August, we referenced the writings of Bill Ballenger, former state lawmaker and Michigan dean of political newsletters, when he cryptically noted “personal issues” could gum up the works for then-rumored 2022 GOP gubernatorial candidate Kevin Rinke of Bloomfield Township. Yep, he has finally announced and appears to be making good on his claim that he is willing to spend $10 million of his own wealth to defeat Gretchen Whitmer, as evidenced by a November nearly quarte

Republican gubernatorial contender James Craig has had a rocky start, to say the least. First there was an embarrassing initial announcement on Belle Isle where protesters got as much, if not more, ink than the former police chief. Any follow up public appearances have not ignited much press enthusiasm which is probably why Craig continues to seek the safe haven of FOX tv shows to reach the party base in Michigan. The campaign hit another speed bump in late November, when vet

It’s billed as a friendly meet up – no financial ask, just an introduction to a relatively unknown Republican gubernatorial candidate by a big Oakland County name. That’s what took place pre-holiday at Oakland Hills Country Club, when Lauren Rakolta, first cousin of Ronna (don’t call me Romney) McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, invited local ladies to attend a “get to know you” breakfast or lunch with Tudor Dixon, who is running for the Republican nominati

After coming this close in his race in 2018 to become attorney general, former state Speaker of the House Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt) is doing it all again in 2022. Attorney general and secretary of state candidates from each party are chosen at state party conventions, and not at the primary election, so it’ll be interesting to see if Leonard can prevail among the base of the party, considering it has gone full-on Trump, and the former president has already knighted Kalamazoo att

There is a long – long – history of local political parties staying out of primaries and local non-partisan elections, where their influence could sway a race. Their impact has always been reserved for general elections, where their power and authority is utilized against the other party. This has long been viewed as the appropriate use of influence. Yet – it seems all bets were off in 2021, and not for good. Take, for example, an email from the Oakland County Republican Part

Last month we were forced to eat crow, as the colloquial expression goes, after we sent out to a few thousand followers our email blast of Oakland Confidential in which we chided the Oakland County Republican Party for involving itself in the non-partisan Birmingham election for city commission because they sent out an email recommending four candidates of a seven-person field for voters to consider when casting ballots. An official with the local Democrat club told us that t

In another example of political overreach, state Sen. Jim Runstead (R-White Lake), along with seven other state senators, sent a letter urging the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to withdraw its membership and affiliation from the national organization for its urging of the U.S. Justice Department “to investigate and prosecute parents as ‘domestic terrorists.’” It appears it’s all over parents out-of-control protests at school board meetings over purported teachi