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MichMash: Michigan US Senate race begins to take shape; State Senator Singh weighs in on the budget process

19 June 2026 at 12:00

In this episode

  • The current status of the Michigan US Democratic Senate race.
  • Will the budget get done by the July 1st deadline?

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Over the past month, Michigan’s U.S. Senate race has emerged as one of the most competitive contests in the country. This week on WDET’s MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben break down the major developments that have shaped the race.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens appear to have pulled ahead of state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. Fellow state Sen. Sam Singh said he still hopes McMorrow can gain ground before the primary election.

“What we are seeing right now is significant investment by outside groups [supporting Dr. El-Sayed and Rep. Stevens]. My understanding is that McMorrow has some independent expenditures that are happening. Now that people are spending real money, I think you’ll begin to see a clear path.”

The Michigan primaries is on August 4th 2026.

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Detroit Evening Report: Mary Waters campaigns for write-in votes

18 June 2026 at 20:35

Detroit Council Member Mary Waters has launched a write-in campaign for Michigan’s 13th congressional district.

Waters said in a statement that the people of Michigan deserve a representative who understands that public service is about delivering results, not chasing headlines. Her campaign focuses on lowering the cost of living, protecting seniors, and bringing critical federal resources back. 

She originally launched a campaign last month but was disqualified for a lack of signatures.  

Additional headlines for Thursday, June 18, 2026

Overdose rates decline

Michigan overdose death rate has declined by 47% since 2021 according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. Preliminary data suggests overdose deaths have continued to decline for the fourth year in a row. 

The department attributes the decline to strategic investments largely funded by opioid settlements prioritizing prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. The efforts include expanding harm reduction sites from 5 to 115 in 2025, and distributing over 1.8 million free naloxone kits, which resulted in nearly 34,000 reported overdose reversals.  

Summer learning program enrollment closes soon

Enrollment for Summer Discovery, a no cost summer learning program, is closing soon. Put on by United Way of Southeastern Michigan and the Ballmer group, Summer Discovery connects students entering kindergarten through 10th grade with learning and enrichment opportunities. Spots are still available at Detroit Public Schools Community District sites, Detroit Police Athletic league, Brilliant Detroit and more.

The program is open to all students across Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne Counties. To apply visit summerdiscoverymi.org

Recall on Orb Funkee squeeze toys

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is urging is families to check their children’s toy boxes for Orb Funkee Monkee squeeze toys. The toy has been recalled because they may be filled with sand contaminated by asbestos.

The recall is for toys purchased from Walmart or Ollie’s Bargain Outlet stores between February 2025 and April 2026. Asbestos comes from minerals that create thin fibers when they crystallize and pose a human health risk when they enter the air. 

As of June 18, the state health department had not received any reports of illness or injuries tied to these toys. 

Metroparks survey

Huron-Clinton Metroparks is asking community members to fill out a survey to provide feedback about some of their parks. That includes the Lake St. Clair, Stoney Creek and Wolcott Mill Metroparks. It’s part of an effort to update their Park Master Plans to guide future projects, investments and facilities improvements. 

The surveys are open until Wednesday, July 15.    

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Eli Savit aims to be Michigan Attorney General

3 June 2026 at 17:17

Eli Savit is the Washtenaw County Prosecutor and the Democratic endorsed candidate for Michigan attorney general.

Savit spoke with WDET’s Russ McNamara about his campaign and the importance of younger voters in this year’s elections.

Listen: Eli Savit talks to Russ McNamara at the Mackinac Policy Conference

The following interview was edited for clarity and length.

McNamara: Take me through the process of the convention this year – it was a little bit wild for Democrats’ sake, but something that was pretty clear was that the people at the convention voting much prefer you over Karen McDonald, the Oakland County prosecutor. Why? And I don’t mean that as an insult.

Savit: I give a lot of credit to our team and to the organizing efforts that we did. We made a conscious effort to speak to people that have felt shut out by not just the party, but by the political process, especially younger people. We had tremendous turnout among youth, among college students. The convention was during finals season, and we didn’t just have kids from U of M come in. We had a group of kids from Northern Michigan University make the drive down in the middle of finals season to be there to cast a vote on a Sunday when you got to go back to school the next day. We had a tremendous surge in youth turnout. The youth in turn organized for us, right? They volunteered for our campaign, they called voters, they came to convention, and they worked for our campaign because they found something to believe in.

I’m tremendously honored that I was the candidate that they saw fit to support in that regard, and I think that’s what we need if we’re going to keep building our party into the future. So, it was a great convention for us, for them, but now we’re focused on moving forward to the general in November.

McNamara: Do you think that enthusiasm by the youth vote can carry over into the general?

Savit: Well, it’s certainly something that we’re hoping remains in the general, but it’s not the only thing that we need to win this race. We need to talk to everybody, we need to talk to all communities, but I will say we’ve seen drop off in youth turnout, not just in Michigan, but across the country in 2024 from even 2022. We need that vote, we need young people in the fold if we are going to win general elections, and that’s something that our campaign has, and it’s momentum that I’m hoping will carry forward, even as we talk to every group in every constituency in the state.

McNamara: Do you think part of the problem in 2024 with the youth vote staying home was the candidates, whereas there wasn’t really a candidate that this younger generation was excited about?

Savit: I think to some extent, but here’s the other thing that has really been crystallized to me over the course of this campaign: I’ve got young staff too, so we spend a lot of time in the car together and have some pretty long conversations, and they’ve emphasized to me, listen, when Donald Trump came down that stairway in 2015, if you are 18 years old, that is your entire political life. You know nothing other than a politics that has been dominated by Donald Trump. It’s baked in. So, running a campaign just on a message of we’re fighting back against the Trump administration. Young people know that what’s going on in D.C. is bad, but they want something more. They want a positive vision. They want to know that the future that they thought was promised to them is going to be secured, and we can’t just talk over and over again about how bad Trump is, because really, for young people, that’s about all they know intuitively in terms of the political landscape here.

So that’s something that’s really been important to me, and we’ve tried to go out and talk to young people and say, okay, what are the issues that concern you, and it’s things like AI. Am I going to have a job after college graduation? Things like, am I ever going to be able to afford a home and start a family? Talk to young people, they want a secured future, and we’ve got to talk about their issues and really listen to what their concerns are, not just hammer home the message over and over again about how bad this administration is.

McNamara: We’re here at Mackinac. I talked with Jim Runestad, the chair of the Michigan Republican Party, yesterday. He thinks you are a gift to Republicans because you do skew progressive, and it plays into the messaging by Republicans that everybody in the Democratic Party right now is a radical leftist. I don’t know if you’re necessarily radical, but you are a leftist.

Savit: I actually would not categorize myself as a leftist. I would not, and I actually don’t think that pinning down what I stand for ideologically makes a lot of sense. Here’s what I stand for, especially in this race. If somebody is screwing over the people of the state of Michigan, whether that’s a criminal on the street, whether it’s your boss who’s stealing from you, whether it’s a corporation who is ripping you off and price gouging you, whether it’s a corporate polluter or whether it’s the President of United States himself, the attorney general needs to be there standing for the people of the state of Michigan.

If you want to put ideological labels on that, go nuts.

But I think that the people of the state of Michigan, when you say, ‘Don’t you want an attorney general who’s going to stand up to the corporation that’s contaminating your local water supply? Don’t you want an attorney general who’s going to stand up to your boss if he’s stealing from you? Don’t you want an attorney general who’s going to actually do something about price gouging?’

They say, yeah, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum. So, I look forward to having that conversation.

McNamara: But you have been supportive of things like bail reform; that’s not even universally adopted in traditionally Democratic spaces. So, is that something that you would like to see? You don’t have that power, but is that something you would continue to advocate for if you get the big office?

Savit: We need to move beyond, just as a policy matter, cash bail system, but that doesn’t mean—I want to be clear about that—that everybody who’s arrested for a crime gets to go free. I want to hold people if they are dangerous pending trial, right? And if you’re not, I don’t think you should be held, but money shouldn’t play a role in this, and here’s the thing that I want to ask people who say bail reform is bad. Why do you think it’s okay that Jeffrey Epstein, the first time that he was arrested, was able to bond his way out of jail and continue to harm people? It didn’t matter what you set that price at. Jeffrey Epstein was going to be able to buy his way out. I think people like Jeffrey Epstein, that are wealthy, that are dangerous, that are going to continue to harm people if they’re released, I think they should remain in jail.

And so, if you’re defending that system, you are essentially defending a two-tiered system of justice in which wealthy people are able to continue to go out and harm people simply because they’re wealthy. And I don’t know why anybody would be comfortable with that.

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Donate today »

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MI GOP Chair: Democrats’ ‘woke’ policies are good for Republicans in 2026 election

2 June 2026 at 14:25

For the past few years, Michigan Republicans have been fractured between the historically small government variety and the Trump fanatics who lean into conspiracy theories.

State GOP conventions have been a flashpoint for controversy and fighting.

“We have had fisticuffs, kicking in the groin—you name it, all videotaped and spread all over the nation,” said Jim Runestad, Michigan Republican Party Chair.

“When I first went to the RNC, they said ‘you’re the groin kickers’ and I was saying, ‘well, this isn’t really a good reputation for a state party to have,’ particularly when people decide where they’re going to put their donations.”

In an interview at the Mackinac Policy Conference, Runestad—who is also a state senator—tells WDET’s Russ McNamara that he feels like the in-fighting has largely stopped.

Listen: MI GOP Chair Sen. Jim Runestad talks to Russ McNamara at the Mackinac Policy Conference

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Russ McNamara: What brought about this change from fighting to relative peace?

Jim Runestad: I said I’m not going to engage in (factional infighting), I won’t tolerate it. We’re going to run a unified party, and the people who want to have drama and fights are going to get thrown out or ostracized. Everybody liked that message. They’d seen what it was like in the past, and it was, it was very unifying. So I’ve been really pleased. That’s what I ran on. This is what I’ve been able to accomplish when I’ve been in front of the convention or the state committee.

McNamara: You’re fairly prolific in getting bills passed through the state legislature. Do you think you brought some of those skills of negotiation to bring everybody together within the Republican party?

Runestad: You’re the first person that I’ve talked to who mentioned that. The last year Republicans were in control (of the state legislature) with the Democrat in control (of the governor’s office), I had the second most number of bills signed into office.

Frankly, I wasn’t exactly the favorite of the majority leader Republican (Mike Shirkey) at the time. That adds to the complication, but a lot of it was reaching out to members of committees, chairs of committees and explaining why this is a good bill.

Sometimes it’d have 20 to 30 people in a meeting, all stakeholders to get them to either yes or neutral. And when a chair sees you have a very complex bill that’s a great idea, and you have no opposition, that’s how you get a bill through. And that’s what I really specialized in doing over the last 10 years in office.

McNamara: You don’t have a lot of control over what happens nationally, but the national perception of the Republican Party, of President Trump, can affect how people vote in the state of Michigan. What are you kind of doing to overcome some of that, because these are the worst poll numbers that we’ve seen for the president since his second term started.

Runestad: A lot of it comes down to the candidates you have running for these particular offices. I’ve never been more excited for what we have in terms of the candidates coming out of our convention. We have just such a great cadre of candidates. Mike Rogers is running by himself, and they’re (Democrats) beating themselves up in their primary. Our primary is going to be a tough one on the gubernatorial side, but we’re going to have a fabulous candidate come out of there.

On the national level, I think what we’re seeing is just a result of price of gas. I believe that that can be reversed relatively quickly.

So I think we’re going to be very, very good going into the November elections. We have fabulous candidates, we’ve raised way more money. If you look at the Democrats, (their) party polling is the lowest it’s ever been in its history, so it’s not like, ‘oh, they have some frustration over gas prices, therefore they love the Democrats’. Oh no. The woke policies that they ran on that were they were destroyed by in 2024 is exactly the same policies they are going run again.

McNamara: Can you explain what you mean by woke policies?

Runestad: I love their policy of having boys playing girls sports, it’s a good one for them. They need to continue running on open borders.

Their Attorney General (candidate and current Washtenaw County Prosecutor) Eli Savit was constantly speaking to the Michigan Senate Judiciary committee when the Democrats are in control. (He was in there) with the most woke leftists, ‘free the criminals’, ‘get the criminals out into society’ as anyone I’ve seen coming through the Judiciary Committee.

I think it’s wonderful that they’re doubling down on those woke policies that I just described. I don’t know how they describe them, but that’s how we describe them.

McNamara: In the race for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat who do you want to face Mike Rogers?

Runestad: Well, Abdul El-Sayed performs the worst in in the polling (head to head vs Rogers), but you know that’s temporary.

I know Haley Stevens was booed by 7,400 people going into the (Democratic) convention. You turn on the TV and all you see is Haley Stevens to try to overcome the negativity within the base of the party, They’re (AIPAC) pumping millions into it.

Listen to the full interview using the media player above.

Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.

WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.

Donate today »

The post MI GOP Chair: Democrats’ ‘woke’ policies are good for Republicans in 2026 election appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

The Metro: Justin Onwenu says state government should protect residents from the ‘insanity’ of national politics

By: Sam Corey
22 May 2026 at 17:01

Life is becoming less affordable for Michiganders. And in Lansing, despite the constraints they face, many believe lawmakers are not doing enough to change that for residents. 

With state Senator Erika Geiss term limited out of her seat, two Democrats are now vying to improve life for residents in parts of Detroit and Downriver.

Justin Onwenu is running as a Democrat for District 1’s state Senate. He spoke about what he wants to change with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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MichMash: Why the MEA is withholding its endorsement; Inside Michigan elections

15 May 2026 at 14:11

In this episode

  • How many years has the Michigan Education Association supported a Democratic candidate for governor?
  • Does the Michigan Bureau of Elections check every signature?

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.


The Democratic gubernatorial race hit some turbulence this week after a key endorser, the Michigan Education Association, did not decide who it will support. This week on WDET’s MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss why the association has withheld its endorsement for now.

The MEA normally backs Democratic candidates. Despite Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson leading in the polls, its hesitation may show that Sheriff Chris Swanson and independent candidate and former Mayor Mike Duggan might have gained some ground. The MEA’s endorsement could shift momentum in favor of whoever it backs.

“Going back to 1982, the MEA has always supported the Democratic candidate for governor. A Duggan endorsement would be a monumental embarrassment for Benson or Swanson if that were to occur,” said Gorchow.

The MEA is the state’s largest employee union, with more than 140,000 teachers and support staff as members, so its endorsement would have a large impact.

Later in the episode, Jonathan Brater, director of the Michigan Bureau of Elections, explained how the government office works in conjunction with the secretary of state, how signatures are approved and more.

There is a different system for reviewing signatures depending on the office a candidate is running for and the number of signatures required. The process is thorough to guarantee the authenticity of signatures.

“My position is a little bit unusual in that it is listed in the state’s statute. It does expressly require that it’s a civil service position as opposed to a political appointee position, so there is a level of separation and protection there,” said Brater.

Brater said there is concern about misinformation surrounding the election process, and he emphasized that voters should get their election information from their local election officials.

 

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Detroit Evening Report: City Council Member Mary Waters enters race for 13th congressional district

22 April 2026 at 20:25

Candidates planning to run in Michigan’s August primary election had until Tuesday at 4 p.m. to file their paperwork with the Secretary of State’s office.  That includes a few new candidates who filed at the last minute.  

Detroit City Councilmember Mary Waters filed to run in the Democratic primary for the 13th Congressional District.  She faces incumbent Shri Thanedar, state Representative Donovan McKinney and realtor John Goci.  

The State Board of Canvassers still has to approve the candidates’ petition signatures before they can appear on the August primary ballot. 

Additional headlines for Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Leland House up for auction 

Downtown Detroit’s Leland House apartment building is up for auction.  The Detroit News reports that bidding for the building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will start next week.  

The Leland House was built in 1927 and served as a luxury hotel for many years, before being turned into an apartment complex.  Tenants were forced out of the building late last year, after the owner declared bankruptcy, and the city declared the building uninhabitable. 

Clean air hearing tonight 

Michigan regulators are holding a public hearing tonight to discuss metro Detroit’s air quality status.  Planet Detroit is reporting that state regulators want to declare that southeast Michigan is meeting federal ozone standards.  If approved, the action could weaken clean air standards in the area.  

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy will hold the virtual meeting at 6 p.m. tonight.  You can call call 855-758-1310 to attend and use code 847 4896 8640  or you can join the meeting on Zoom.  

Pistons Game 2 preview 

The Detroit Pistons will try to rebound from a loss in their first game of the NBA playoffs.  The Orlando Magic beat them Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.  The Pistons brought the best regular season record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference to the playoffs, but that didn’t stop the Magic from taking the first game.  

Cade Cunningham had 39 points in the loss.  Game 2 in the nationally-televised best-of-seven series takes place at Little Caesars Arena tonight at 7 p.m. 

NFL Draft starts Thursday 

The Detroit Lions are making their final preparations for this week’s NFL Draft.  The team has the 17th pick in the first round of the draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh.  

Football analysts suggest the Lions could use that pick to get an offensive lineman, edge rusher or cornerback.  The first round of the NFL draft starts at 8 p.m. Thursday.  The event will be televised live on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Support local journalism.

WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.

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Some Michigan Dems look for inspiration at endorsement convention, others want to change the system

21 April 2026 at 13:57

The progressive wing of the Michigan Democratic Party made its voice heard over the weekend during the party’s endorsement convention.

Democrats gathered in Huntington Place in Detroit Sunday to endorse party candidates for some statewide offices, like attorney general and secretary of state. Party leadership said the convention hit record numbers, and nearly every candidate backed by the party’s progressive wing won their endorsement races.

Campaigns brought drums, photo backdrops, and people in orange jumpsuits and sunglasses to carry billboards, all to stand out from the field.

But the delegates seemed to care most about substance and the issues. Often, those issues involved progressive themes like limiting corporate and outside political spending, providing universal healthcare, and ending U.S. involvement in foreign wars.

Many delegates, like Dearborn Public Schools Board member Adel Mozip, wanted candidates who inspire them.

“We’re looking forward to electing people who are going to be working for the people and not paid for by corporations and interests groups,” Mozip said outside a meeting of the Michigan Democratic Party’s Yemeni Caucus Sunday.

Campaign spending

Around the convention, canvassers gathered petition signatures for a ban on some corporate political spending. Candidates bragged about not taking money from corporate political action committees while speaking to the main crowd and in smaller meetings.

Still, attendees worried party leadership hadn’t gotten the message.

Jessie Hishon and Susan Sylvester, first-time delegates from metro Detroit who attended the party’s Progressive Caucus meeting — which spilled out of a crowded room — said they felt the party didn’t trust progressive candidates enough to win against Republicans.

“I think there are too many people who don’t believe that it can happen,” Hishon said.

Sylvester said her top issue was the influence of outside spending on Michigan campaigns.

“All of the issues are important to me but we have to take the money out of politics so we can have representation in our so-called democracy,” Sylvester said.

Who takes the blame?

Democrats lost in 2024 because of splits within their traditional coalition of moderates, progressives, and racial and ethnic minorities. With Michigan possibly deciding control of Congress this November, party leaders want to change that story.

A few 2028 presidential maybes spoke at a pre-convention event on Saturday, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and New Jersey Senator Corey Booker. He warned Democrats that not voting is what let President Donald Trump retake the White House.

“You let somebody get in office who is locking up our children. You let somebody in office who is taking away our healthcare. You let somebody in office who’s taking away workers’ rights. You let somebody in office who got rid of the Department of Education,” Booker said to a cheering crowd at the Women’s Caucus luncheon.

At the convention, some delegates echoed calls for unity and engagement, even though that often requires listening to dissenters.

Detroiter Michelle Broughton said she’s been coming to Democratic Party conventions for over four decades.

“Our message needs to come across to all of us, whether we’re a young Dem or an old Dem,” Broughton said. “They need to talk about tabletop issues: food, gas, education, affordability, housing.”

But old battle lines remained visible on the convention floor.

Tensions over Palestine-Israel conflict

Progressive U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed received massive applause during his speech that criticized outside spending in Michigan races from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Congresswoman Haley Stevens (D-MI 11), who is running against El-Sayed on a more traditional Democratic platform of affordability and re-shoring American manufacturing, followed and received boos.

In the University of Michigan regents race, incumbent Jordan Acker lost his reelection bid. Acker had faced criticism for his handling of pro-Palestine student protests — a fault line that’s grown increasingly fraught for Democrats in recent years. Amir Makled, a lawyer who represented one of those protestors, beat him.

During parts of the program, some attendees said they noticed some fellow delegates causing a disruption when a proposed resolution in support of Palestinians wasn’t taken up. Videos of the crowd appear to show a handful of convention members yelling at presenters.

Kalamazoo delegates Michelle Zukowski-Serlin and her husband Troy said they felt the jeering and booing of candidates crossed a line.

Both attended the party’s Jewish Caucus meeting. They said delegates at that meeting showed more respect to candidates that opposed support for Israel than supporters of those opponents showed pro-Israel candidates on stage.

“This is a bigger issue and that is mutual respect and acting with diplomacy, I would never boo one of their candidates,” Michelle Zukowski-Serlin said.

Could a primary fix the problems?

While many agreed the Democrats should learn from 2024, not everyone agreed on the lesson. Some want a wholesale change to how the party chooses nominees for statewide office, calling for a switch from party conventions to primary elections.

Oakland University political science professor David Dulio said Michigan is a rarity: most other states do use primaries for those down-ballot races — but there is no cure-all for messy nomination fights.

“I think there’s a temptation to think the grass is always greener and that isn’t always the case,” Dulio said.

States started moving toward primaries in the early 20th century to take power away from party insiders and test candidates’ ability to win elections, Dulio said.

“That has become the dominant form of candidate selection from within a political party, but that doesn’t mean the other options aren’t legitimate or that they can’t work,” said Dulio.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said he believes a primary would be better because it would be open to all voters who choose a Democratic Party ballot.

Making that change would require voters to approve a constitutional amendment.

Michigan Republican Party Chair Jim Runestad said there’s little interest in the idea on his side of the aisle, arguing that convention nominations are less susceptible than primaries to big-money spending by outside interest groups.

Progressive surge

For some convention attendees, the lesson was to work within the current framework: support the Democratic nominees that they mostly agree with, even if the nominee is not their top choice. For others, it was that party leadership needs to get behind candidates who inspire, so voters want to support their nominee.

University of Michigan graduate student Nathan Kim said it’s not enough for the party to choose a “status quo” candidate.

“I think the Michigan Democratic Party and the party in general needs to face consequences. They need to know that they can’t get away with failing over, and over, and over again,” Kim said.

Likewise, Katarina Keating, another Michigan graduate student, said some candidates just aren’t worth supporting, even against Republicans.

“You need to draw the line somewhere. Right? If you’re going to vote for anybody if they’re in the right party, no matter what they’ve done or what they’ve said, what are you doing, what are you really voting for, what are you really trying to change?” Keating said.

At the end of the day, nearly every progressive-backed candidate won a party endorsement.

Both the upcoming August primary election, in which the U.S. Senate race remains close, and the November general election could show whether that support extends broadly outside of the convention walls — or if it’s a sign of progressive strength, just within the party’s base.

Originally posted by Michigan Public Radio.

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The Metro: On the ballot, under the radar. How to be an informed voter this election season

14 April 2026 at 14:37

It’s a big election year in Michigan, with statewide races for Governor, Secretary of State and U.S. Senate. While consequential and highly publicized, those races are just the tip of the iceberg. 

Local elections and ballot measures, like one on zoning for data centers in Augusta, MI, or a measure that codifies a citizenship requirement for voting in the state constitution, make up over 95% of elected offices in the United States, according to Josh Altic from Ballotpedia.

“There are over 500,000 local offices that get very little attention, and don’t get the information that voters need.”

One step people can take is to look up their sample ballot, and continue their research from there. Oftentimes, it’s hard to know each candidate, and to see their track record or what they stand for.

One place to go for that information is Ballotpedia, a non-partisan organization that calls itself the “digital encyclopedia of American politics.” It compiles comprehensive election information for 32 states, and for 100 major U.S. cities. Curating that information requires savvy digital investigation, says Altic.

“We do a lot of looking in the deep, dark crannies of the internet for anything the candidate has said about their campaign priorities and what their issues are.”

So how does Ballotpedia do it, and what have they learned that can make you a more informed voter this election?

Josh Altic  is the Director of Content at Ballotpedia. He joined The Metro to discuss how Ballotpedia finds information on local elections, and what trends are emerging this election cycle.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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The post The Metro: On the ballot, under the radar. How to be an informed voter this election season appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

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