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THE COLD SHOULDER
Another Michigan Democratic congressman not feeling the love from his fellow congressman – nor his party – is Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Highland Park), who introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegeseth –charging Hegseth with “Murder and Conspiracy to Murder, and for Reckless and Unlawful Mishandling of Classified Information.” “Pete Hegseth is uniquely unqualified to serve as Secretary of Defense,” Thanedar said in the release


STRONG START
There’s a new player in the race for Secretary of State. Democrat Suzanna Shkreli of Birmingham, who until recently was the Michigan Lottery Commissioner as well as a former Director of Juvenile Justice Reform in DHHS, announced she is running to replace Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson , who is term-limited and running for governor. Shkreli joins a crowded field, where she’ll tussle with Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum , former state Senator Adam Hollier and Assistant Mich


PIE IN THE SKY
Former Congressman and Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers – who had the field all to himself since he announced his reprise run – is getting some company on the campaign trail. After Republicans shooed away legit contenders (ie, Congressman Bill Huizenga , who represents southwest Michigan, who was convinced by party leaders, including President Trump , to let Rogers have it to himself), Michigan GOP co-chair Bernadette Smith resigned in early November and announced


PRIMARY DATE CHANGE
For decades state lawmakers in Lansing have complained that the short time between an early August primary and then an early November general election is simply not sufficient and local municipal clerks have tended to agree with that position. So months ago some Republicans in the legislature proposed in a bill to move the primary election to either May or June, followed by a November general election, starting in the 2026 election year. But weeks ago the powers in Lansing sa
GROWING FIELD
When U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens announced for the U.S. Senate this year, and state Senator Jeremy Moss ( D-Southfield) announced for her House seat, some political observers speculated that his entry into the Democratic primary would not necessarily clear the field of other contenders but would limit the number of candidates for this congressional district that includes most of Oakland County. Lots of luck with that theory. First came attorney Aisha Farooqi , Stu Baker of Aubu


JOHN ‘WALDO’ JAMES
Republican gubernatorial candidate John James skipped most of the earlier annual gathering at Mackinac Island and in October was a ‘no show’ at the Grand Rapids GOP debate, the first of three sponsored by the state Republican Party. Although the second term member of Congress is doing well in polling and campaign contributions, his campaign reportedly has issued a statement that James will not be attending any primary debates until the field is more “set.” His failure to app


POLL PUSHERS
Polling for the governor’s race for ‘26 is beginning to reveal the haves-and-have-nots as both money and backers coalesce behind certain candidates – and are leaving others out in the winter cold. What is coming into clearer focus is that outgoing Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan , long a Democrat but running as an independent for governor, could play the spoiler for Democrats – and potentially win the contest, if you believe the bucketful of endorsements he is carting around, from


FUNDRAISING BLOWBACK
Former Michigan GOP Party co-chairman Jeff Sakwa has been feeling the heat from both political parties over a fundraiser he hosted for independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan . “I’ve been getting shit from both sides – from people who are not in my inner circle – but I’m getting money from people on both sides who are excited about his candidacy and I’ve never had an easier time raising money,” Sakwa said. “The excitement is through the roof. I’ve even gotten call f


THE FIRST STING
Speaking of Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow , those following closely the race for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Gary Peters (D-Michigan)), who is retiring next year, may have been given in mid-October a sneak peak of one issue likely to be tossed around once the two candidates have cleared phase one of their campaigns. NBC News did an interview with both candidates and picked up on McMorrow’s campaign theme for diversifying business in Michigan, in which she touts th


SLOTKIN IN 2028?
Here’s a question we are hearing on a regular basis nowadays. Michigan U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D) seems to be everywhere lately, or as writers from Politico Playbook said, she grabbed the spotlight as the Democrat’s person to give the party response to Donald Trump after the joint session of Congress early this year and she never left the limelight. She has been active legislatively of late but is also traversing the country attempting to figure out how to rebuild the


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