By Craig Mauger, The Detroit News

Money from some of Michigan’s largest companies and wealthiest business executives secretly flowed to a fundraising account for state Senate Republicans during the early days of the pandemic, according to a trove of court records.

Dick DeVos, husband of then-U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, gave $50,000 to the organization Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, while the Las Vegas-based data center company Switch, which won tax breaks from the Legislature four months earlier, provided $50,000, a prosecutor and an investigator for Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said in open court.

Likewise, J.C. Huizenga, the founder of a charter school management company, gave $25,000, and Edward Levy, the leader of a Dearborn-based road construction company that wanted lawmakers to ease regulations on gravel mining in 2020, chipped in $30,000 for the nonprofit that falls under Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code, according to the Attorney General’s office.

“The account is a non-disclosed and unlimited (c)(4) account so no one will know that you contributed to the account,” wrote Heather Lombardini, a Republican political consultant who worked with Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, in a fundraising pitch to one donor, according to an email read in court on Aug. 8, 2024.

For years, Michigan lawmakers have allowed themselves to collect millions of dollars in contributions through nonprofit organizations that aren’t required to release their donors’ names or the details of how they spend the cash. Residents of the state have rarely gotten information about who’s behind the money and how key officeholders are involved in soliciting it.

But an ongoing criminal case against Lombardini has unlocked bank records and internal emails involving Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility. The group, which worked on behalf of Senate Republicans, raised $8.6 million over a seven-year period from 2014 through 2020, as Republicans set the agenda in the Senate.

The new documents — detailed in court hearings, including one on Wednesday — showed that consultants, along with then-Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, privately promoted the nonprofit to potential donors as a vehicle to move political money without the public’s knowledge. Those who gave secretly were often individuals with direct connections to bills before the state Legislature, according to the records.

In one email exchange with Lombardini in June 2020 — three months into the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan — Rory Lafferty, director of government affairs for the Health Alliance Plan, said the insurer wanted to give $20,000 in corporate money to Senate Republicans. Health Alliance Plan or HAP is a Troy-based health insurance company owned by the Detroit-based Henry Ford Health hospital system.

Lafferty specifically identified the nonprofit Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility as the entity to receive the money after Lombardini floated the idea of tying the cash to a Sept. 8, 2020, fundraising dinner for the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, which is required to disclose its donors.

“We are trying to be sensitive of the optics of our corporate support because both HAP and Henry Ford Health Systems (sic) furloughed some employees due to the COVID crisis,” wrote Lafferty, according to an email previously read in court. “The plan is to bring these folks back when demand for health care picks back up but that’s happening slower than we expected.

“Maybe, we can hold off until we get closer to the dinner before we decide if we can publicly support the event? Maybe, we’ll be bringing back some of the furloughed employees at that time.”

Lafferty then asked Lombardini to forward an invoice for Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility. Lombardini sent Lafferty a $20,000 invoice to record the transaction, according to court records.

Two months earlier, in April 2020, Henry Ford Health had announced that it would furlough 2,800 employees or 9% of its 31,600 workers across its five hospitals. In 2023, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Lafferty to the state’s Public Health Advisory Council, a position he still holds.

In a statement provided Thursday by a public relations firm on behalf of HAP, the health insurer said there was “absolutely nothing improper about this corporate contribution.”

“Further, any contribution to Sen. Shirkey in 2020 was made with strict adherence to campaign finance and nonprofit corporation laws, as were all our other contributions,” the HAP statement said. “Contributions to the senator had no relation to any statements he made or positions he held relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Henry Ford Health had no involvement in the $20,000 contribution, said Lauren Zakalik, a spokeswoman for the hospital system.

‘Other account options’

Shirkey, who left the Senate because of term limits at the end of 2022, didn’t respond to a Thursday request for comment from The News.

Lombardini and Shirkey privately promoted Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility as a way for donors to support a 2020 petition campaign to limit Whitmer’s emergency powers without their names being made public, according to emails read in open court and recorded in a court transcript.

The Unlock Michigan campaign, which launched on June 1, 2020, aimed to repeal a 1945 law that allowed Whitmer to declare an emergency and issue executive orders without the Legislature’s approval. Whitmer’s orders were used to close schools, curtail dining at restaurants and restrict social gatherings, among other measures aimed at limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In one message to potential donors on June 5, Shirkey touted the need to repeal the 1945 Emergency Powers of Governor Act and said the effort would require “significant financial resources.”

The Senate leader also shared with the group of donors a W-9 tax document to help businesses make their contributions to the Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility.

“Attached is the W-9 for the preferred non-disclosed (c)(4) account that we will be using,” wrote Shirkey, adding that checks should be made payable to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility.

In an Aug. 3, 2020, email, Lombardini sought a contribution from Bobby Schostak, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party and whose family has a Livonia-based real estate development company. She attached information about Unlock Michigan.

“Attached but please know this is all disclosed since it is a ballot committee,” Lombardini wrote to Schostak, according to court records. “Let me know if that will be an issue. If yes, I have other account options that are non-disclosed.”

In a similar June 26, 2020, email, Lombardini wrote about the Unlock Michigan campaign, but asked Dan Hibma, owner of Land & Co., which manages rental properties in west Michigan, to give $25,000 to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility.

Lombardini promised Hibma that “no one will know” about his contribution.

“Dan, we appreciate the conversation and consideration,” added Lombardini, referencing that Hibma had also spoken directly with Shirkey on June 26, 2020.

Hibma’s Land & Co. ended up donating $25,000 to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, according to court records. It wasn’t clear in the records whether Schostak contributed.

Hibma is the husband of former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, a Republican whose job included overseeing Michigan’s campaign finance system. He didn’t respond Thursday to a request for comment.

In a July 15, 2020, email to Hibma, Lombardini described his $25,000 contribution to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility as a $25,000 check “for Unlock Michigan,” according to court records.

Mark Brewer, a lawyer and a former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, argued funneling money through a nonprofit to a petition campaign to hide donors’ identities would be illegal.

The records made available in court likely represented the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to lawmakers raising money from donors interested in matters before the state Legislature, he added.

“This practice has got to end,” Brewer said.

‘Mystery money’

Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility shifted about $1.8 million it raised from previously undisclosed donors to Unlock Michigan in 2020. The court records disclose the identities of contributors of $1.2 million that went to the nonprofit in 2020.

At the time, Shirkey was the top Senate Republican and the caucus’s primary fundraiser. He was also one of the most vocal critics of Whitmer’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and her use of unilateral orders to limit public gatherings and shutter businesses.

Lafferty reached out about contributing on behalf of HAP on June 26, 2020, according to court records. Less than two weeks earlier, Shirkey publicly acknowledged on June 15, 2020, that he had defied Whitmer’s stay-at-home emergency orders by getting professional haircuts. On May 6, 2020, Shirkey and then Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, announced the Legislature was suing Whitmer over her emergency orders.

Currently, Chatfield is facing separate criminal charges over allegations he misused money raised by his nonprofit, the Peninsula Fund. He pleaded not guilty.

On Oct. 2, 2020, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that Whitmer’s use of the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act to respond to the pandemic was unconstitutional.

Throughout 2020, Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility was moving money from undisclosed donors to the Unlock Michigan campaign, providing a pathway for people to secretly support the effort to limit Whitmer’s powers and help Shirkey while ensuring the public and the governor wouldn’t know about their involvement.

The Detroit News reported on July 27, 2020, that the campaign to limit Whitmer’s emergency powers was being funded by “mystery money.” Spurred by the reporting, Bob LaBrant, a longtime campaign finance lawyer who previously worked for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and Brewer filed a complaint alleging contributions were being improperly moved through Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility to conceal the identity of donors to Unlock Michigan.

That complaint eventually led to Nessel announcing charges against Lombardini and fellow consultant Sandy Baxter on Feb. 21, 2024. Nessel, a Democrat, said they had been involved in an effort to “evade” the disclosure requirements of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act and then lied about it as state officials investigated.

Transparency in court

Lombardini, a longtime fundraiser for Republican candidates and causes, is now facing felony charges of forgery and uttering and publishing after she signed an affidavit on Sept. 9, 2020, denying that funds had been solicited through Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility to give the dollars to Unlock Michigan, the regulated ballot campaign committee.

She has pleaded not guilty, and the charges remain pending in Ingham County Circuit Court, where Judge Wanda Stokes is considering whether the accusations should proceed to trial. Forgery as well as uttering and publishing are punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Lombardini was originally charged with additional campaign finance violations, but those allegations were knocked down in district court because Judge Kristen Simmons ruled they were not filed quickly enough by prosecutors.

During a Wednesday court hearing in Lansing, Lombardini’s lawyer, Thomas Cranmer, argued that “the truth or falsity” of a single sentence in an affidavit shouldn’t render the entire document false.

“An affidavit with a single false statement is still an affidavit,” Cranmer said. “It’s simply an affidavit with a factual inaccuracy.

“Now, it may not be an ideal state of affairs, but it doesn’t constitute the crime of either uttering and publishing or forgery.”

During that same hearing, Stine Grand, an assistant attorney general, listed the names of donors behind $700,000 in giving to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, including the DeVos family and the Cotton family.

Grand said the donors’ names and contributions had been included on a spreadsheet that Lombardini sent to Shirkey in a 2020 email. The subject line of the message was “Unlock—$$$,” even though the money went to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, according to testimony recorded in court transcripts.

“She directed individuals to contribute to MCFR to fund Unlock,” Grand said Wednesday of Lombardini in court. “She planned and organized with Mike Shirkey and others to fundraise and solicit for Unlock by using MCFR.”

‘Friends asked me’

Five members of west Michigan’s DeVos family combined to give $200,000, and two members of Metro Detroit’s Cotton family donated $300,000 to the Shirkey-led fund. The Cotton family previously ran Meridian Health Plan before selling the Medicaid provider in 2018. Jon Cotton gave $150,000 to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility in 2020, and his brother Sean Cotton gave $150,000, according to the Attorney General’s presentation.

It wasn’t clear in the court records whether all of the donors knew their money would end up going to Unlock Michigan.

In 2020, members of the Cotton family were “vehemently” opposing a bill in the Senate that would have limited the ability of local governments to block gravel mining operations, said former Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, who sponsored the measure meant to ensure there’s aggregate material available to improve the state’s roads.

Hollier introduced his measure in August 2019. It advanced out of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in September 2020, but it never received a vote on the Senate floor, where Shirkey controlled the agenda.

“The Cottons are big Republicans. They’re billionaires. I am not surprised,” Hollier said of the $300,000 in previously undisclosed contributions to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility.

Attempts to reach the Cottons by The News on Thursday were unsuccessful.

Matthew Resch, a public relations consultant who worked on behalf of the Metamora Land Preservation Alliance in opposition to the gravel mining bill, said Thursday that he had no interaction with the Cottons and couldn’t speak to the contributions.

Another donor was Michigan Energy First, a nonprofit group connected to Detroit-based DTE Energy, Michigan’s largest electric utility. Michigan Energy First, which features multiple DTE officials on its board, spent $17.5 million from 2020 through 2023, according to its tax filings.

Michigan Energy First previously reported giving $100,000 to Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility in 2020. But the new court records showed how closely tied the group was to DTE.

On July 9, 2020, Pamela Headley, DTE’s chief of staff for corporate and government affairs, sent Shirkey an email notifying Shirkey of the $100,000 contribution from the seemingly separate nonprofit.

“Friends asked me to let you know that the Michigan Energy First board approved a $100,000 contribution to Michigan Citizen’s (sic) for Fiscal Responsibility,” Headley wrote to the Senate majority leader.

In a stunning announcement Wednesday, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission issued a public complainant detailing 10 counts of infractions against Taylor Judge Joseph Slaven of the 23rd District Court.

Slaven has been on the bench since Jan. 1, 2015.

The counts are:

• False statement regarding recorded conversations

• Use of judicial position to help a candidate

• Inappropriate demeanor and disrespect

• Disrespectful emails

• Disregard of the law with respect to wearing a rob

• Concealing face of Zoom

• Disrespectful behavior regarding security camera

• Interference with Zoom staff

• Knowing driving with expired and obliterated license plate

• False statements to the commission

The following is a brief synopsis of some of the individual counts.

False statements

Slaven had numerous conversations in 2021 and early 2022 with the new chief Judge Victoria Shackelford after she was appointed to the bench. When they met, the complaint said Slaven did not tell her that he was recording their conversation.

When she directly asked if she was being recorded, he told her no — knowing the statement was false, the complaint said.

Helping a candidate

According to the complaint, in 2022 Slaven used his judicial position on numerous occasions to promote Michael Tinney, a candidate for 23rd District Court judge.

During a Law Day celebration at the courthouse, Slaven displayed a vertical sign that spelled Tinney in an acrostic-style display.

The following year when Tinney was considering another run at the seat, during a livestreamed Zoom court session Slaven took the opportunity to talk about his friend, calling him a “really good guy” and thanking him for his outlook on the law and saying he looks forward to doing more community service with him and community activism.

On a separate occasion, Slaven is accused of using courthouse resources to print 160 copies of a document called, “Mike Tinney is a Man of the People” to assist his campaign.

Disrespect

Slaven posted on his Facebook page about a Law Day event in 2022 in which supporters of Shackelford attended. He addressed the event in part by posting, “they are simple minded buffoons!! BC, MG, DW, MF, RH, GT…..smh and shame on them.”

He allegedly said the people with those initials “Iie and twist things.”

The initials were those of all Shackelford’s supporters in attendance at Law Day.

On another occasion during a livestream Zoom hearing, Slaven discovered some show cause hearings had been added to his docket without his permission.

He then stated that the court administrator “thinks she can make my docket better than I can. Good luck with that. She can’t even do her ***damn job.”

On Nov. 20, 2023, during a livestream Zoom hearing, Slaven, referring to Chief Judge Shackelford, reportedly said: “I’m sorry that you can’t handle your docket. I’m sorry you don’t know the law. I’m sorry the court rules seem to be somewhat of a foreign language. The public needs to know that people who are in certain positions are not competent.”

Disrespectful on camera

In April 2024 new security cameras were placed throughout the courthouse. Shortly thereafter, on nine occasions, Slaven allegedly raised his middle finger to make an obscene gesture toward the camera as he walked by it or sometimes used his middle finger to ostentatiously push up his glasses as he walked by the camera.

In a January 16, 2024 Zoom hearing, Slaven said the following in reference to Shackelford during a live Zoom feed between hearings: “We’re going to have a bonfire and taking everything with her name on it and she’s —-ing voted out, gone…I will bring burn barrels.”

Wearing a rob

It is required that a judge wear a black robe when acting in an official capacity in the courtroom.

Slaven was reminded numerous times of the requirement, but continuously did otherwise.

On dates in 2022 that included April 27 and Sept. 12 and 13, Slaven wore a polo shirt with no visible robe during court proceedings on Zoom, the commission alleges.

A Metro Detroiter is jailed in northern Michigan after a police chase crossed the Mackinac Bridge into the Upper Peninsula.

The 27-year-old Northville man was arrested Monday afternoon after a wild ride that alleges a police chase, driving through the gate of a toll booth, and then an attempted carjacking of a vehicle with woman and her child fleeing with the man hanging onto the vehicle.

Shortly after 2 p.m. Monday, May 19, St. Ignace police officers were alerted to a northbound pursuit by Emmet County Sheriff’s deputies.

The Emmet County Sheriff’s Office reported that at 1:52 p.m. deputies had tried to pull over a vehicle for speeding just south of Pellston.

“The operator of the vehicle in question, however, failed to comply with the Deputies’ emergency lights and continued to travel without stopping,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. “The pursuit persisted northwards, extending to the Mackinac Bridge, where the decision was made by Emmet County Sheriff Deputies to terminate the pursuit in the interest of safety.”

The bridge currently has a single lane open in each direction as work is being performed.

St. Ignace police reported that the suspect drove through the gate arm of a toll booth, just north of the bridge, driving northbound on I-75. Officers briefly lost site of the vehicle but quickly found it disabled near the Mackinac Straits Hospital. A Michigan State Police post is located near the toll booths, where a regular-sized car pays a $4 toll.

Police say the suspect, identified as Jack Maibach, 27, then tried to carjack another vehicle that was occupied by a woman and her child, but she “was able to drive away with the suspect clinging to the outside of her vehicle until he fell off.”

A St. Ignace officer and Michigan State Police trooper located Maibach in the parking lot of the Hampton Inn on State Street a short while later.

Police said he “violently resisted arrest” but was taken into custody with the help of a Mackinac County sheriff’s deputy and a Sault Tribal police officer.

He was being held in the Mackinac County Jail on three felony charges: fleeing and eluding, carjacking, and resisting police. Emmett County sheriff’s officials said charges are being considered in that county as well.

Man, 25, struck by two cars, killed on I-75 in Oakland County

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Motorists in Michigan preparing to travel during Memorial Day Weekend are hoping gas prices continue to decrease.

This weekend motorists were paying an average of $3.06 per gallon, which was 6 cents less than this time last month.

“Michigan drivers are seeing lower prices at the pump this week,” said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group in Monday’s report. “If demand stays low, alongside increasing gasoline stocks, motorists could continue to see gas prices decline.”

This price is 6 cents less than this time last month and 59 cents less than this time last year.

Across the state motorists were paying an average of $45 for a full 15-gallon tank of gasoline; a discount of about $12 from 2024’s highest price last July.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased from 9.09 million barrels of oil per day to 8.71. Total domestic gasoline supply slightly increased from 225.5 million barrels to 225.7. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.7 million barrels per day.

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell $1.02 to settle at $58.07 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories decreased by 2 million barrels from the previous week. At 438.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 7% below the five-year average for this time of year.

A weekly comparison of prices showed Metro Detroit’s average daily gas price decreased. Metro Detroit’s current average is $3.09 per gallon, about 8 cents less than last week’s average and 51 cents less than this same time last year.

AAA report on state and metro gas averaged showed:

• Most expensive gas price averages:  Ann Arbor ($3.11), Marquette ($3.10), Metro Detroit ($3.09)• Least expensive gas price averages: Traverse City ($2.94), Jackson ($2.95), Flint ($2.98)

Find local gas prices

According to AAA’s report, daily national, state, and metro gas price averages can be found at Gasprices.aaa.com Motorists can find the lowest gas prices on their smartphone or tablet with the free AAA Mobile app. The app can also be used to map a route, find discounts, book a hotel and access AAA roadside assistance.

Tips to save on gas

• Limit driving time by combining errands.• Use the apps and shop around for best gas prices in your community before you venture onto the roads.• Some retailers charge more per gallon when using a credit card, so consider paying cash. .• Remove excess weight in your vehicle.• Keep to the speed limit. Aggressive acceleration and speeding reduces fuel economy.• Find a savings program. AAA Members who enroll in Shell’s Fuel Rewards program can save 5 cents per gallon when they fill up at Shell.

For more information visit acg.aaa.com/.

Illinois will have its first new senator in a decade after voters in the 2026 midterm elections select someone to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who has held the seat since 1997.

The election is expected to be hotly contested, with statewide officeholders and congressional leaders vying for the treasured post. The winner of the Democratic primary will likely have an advantage given how blue Illinois’ electorate is, but several Republicans also are weighing a run. Durbin’s retirement means U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth will become Illinois’ senior senator.

Here’s a look at the upcoming contest and how we got here.

• US Sen. Dick Durbin’s retirement opens the floodgates for a number of potential successors
• Sign up for The Spin to get the latest reporting and in-depth analysis from the Tribune’s political team

Why is a Senate seat available?

Durbin, whose tenure as one of Illinois’ longest-serving U.S. senators has also been a testament to the power of seniority in the chamber, announced April 23 that he would not seek a sixth term next year. That has started a scramble among potential successors vying for a politically coveted six-year term.

“The decision of whether to run for reelection has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch. So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking reelection at the end of my term,” Durbin said in a video.

With Durbin’s announcement setting off a potential domino effect among Illinois Democratic members of Congress and others angling to run for his Senate seat, he did not endorse a potential successor. Instead, Durbin said the state was “fortunate to have a strong Democratic bench ready to serve. We need them now more than ever.”

Who are the major candidates to throw their hats in the ring?

Juliana Stratton, Democrat

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton wasted little time formally launching her bid for the Senate seat as she became the first major Democrat to enter a race that is expected to attract a large field of contenders.

Stratton announced her plans in a video posted on social media at 5 a.m. April 24, less than 24 hours after Durbin declared he would not run in 2026. The move was designed to position her as an early front-runner.

The decision by Stratton, a former state lawmaker, was not a surprise. The state’s lieutenant governor under Gov. JB Pritzker since 2019, Stratton announced in late January her interest in Durbin’s seat if he decided not to run, and she formed a federal political action committee. As she awaited Durbin’s decision, Stratton also increased her public visibility and moved forward on political hiring.

In her two-minute video, Stratton portrayed herself as an atypical politician who would take a different approach in challenging President Donald Trump in Washington.

“My story isn’t the story of a typical senator. Then again, typical isn’t what we need right now,” Stratton says in the video. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are trying to distract us, to create such a mess that we don’t even know where to start. But in Washington, they’re still doing the same old things they’ve always done. And that old playbook isn’t working.”

• Gov. JB Pritzker endorses Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton for US Senate
• Sen. Tammy Duckworth endorses Juliana Stratton for Dick Durbin’s seat

Robin Kelly, Democrat

South suburban U.S. Rep. Kelly’s announcement on May 6 that she is vying for the Senate seat came about two weeks after Stratton launched her campaign with Pritzker’s backing.

The race for the party’s nomination to replace Durbin, who was an ally of Kelly’s, isn’t the first time the seven-term Democratic congresswoman from Matteson has faced off against a candidate backed by the billionaire governor and his political apparatus.

After working with Durbin in 2021 to defeat a Pritzker-backed candidate and become the first woman and first Black official to chair the Democratic Party of Illinois, Kelly dropped her bid to retain the seat a year later when allies of the governor rallied behind his handpicked state party leader, state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez of Cicero.

“You could say I’ve been an underdog my whole life,” Kelly said in a 2½-minute video announcing her candidacy, referencing her upbringing helping out in her “family’s mom-and-pop grocery store” before putting herself through college at Bradley University in Peoria.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat

Five-term northwest suburban U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi launched his bid May 7, pitching himself as the Democratic “radical commonsense progressive” to take on Trump.

“A president, ignoring the Constitution, out for revenge, acting like a dictator, claiming he’s a king, surrounded by billionaire backers and MAGA extremists, threatening our rights, rigging the rules to line their pockets,” Krishnamoorthi, 51, of Schaumburg says in his nearly 2½-minute video announcement. “Wrecking the economy, they profit and working people pay. It’s insanity. People want to know, at this moment in this time, where is the power to fight back?”

With his bid, Krishnamoorthi injects into the race a mix of moderate policy positions, such as supporting small business initiatives, along with progressivism as one of 19 vice chairs of the Congressional Equality Caucus, a group that promotes equality for all regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Who else might be considering running?

Lauren Underwood, Democrat

A four-term Democrat from Naperville, Underwood had $1.1 million in cash on hand at the start of April, campaign records show. When Durbin announced he was not running for reelection, Underwood called him a “generous and thoughtful leader.”

Underwood represents a west suburban and exurban district that has supported her since she was first elected in 2018. But if she runs for Senate, that would mean the 14th Congressional District seat would be open, and Illinois Republicans would likely target it to steal from Democrats.

Alexi Giannoulias, Democrat

The first-term Secretary of State, who was also previously the state treasurer, ran for Senate in 2010 but lost in a heated battle to Republican Mark Kirk. While Giannoulias has experience running statewide and could be a legitimate contender if he runs for Senate, he is said to be eyeing a potential run for Chicago mayor.

Rahm Emanuel, Democrat

The former Chicago mayor, congressman, ambassador to Japan and chief of staff to President Barack Obama has been looking for a reentry into Democratic politics. But he prefers an executive rather than legislative post and is unlikely to seek Durbin’s seat, those close to him have said.

Darin LaHood, Republican

While the eventual Democratic nominee is expected to have the advantage in a state where party members have held all statewide elected offices since 2019, Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria has acknowledged he is considering a Senate bid.

LaHood, the son of former longtime GOP congressman and Obama transportation secretary Ray LaHood, had nearly $5.9 million in his federal campaign fund as of April 1. One of only three House Republicans in Illinois’ 17-member congressional delegation, LaHood has served since 2015 in Congress and has been a strong supporter of Trump.

Others who have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission stating their interest in running for the Senate seat were Democrats Christopher Alexander Swann, Stanley Leavell and Austin James Mink; Republicans John Goodman, Casimer Chlebek and Douglas Bennett; independent Anthony Smith and Joseph David Schilling.

Who is out?

Michael Frerichs, Democrat

The three-term Democratic state treasurer, Frerichs said May 5 he would not seek the 2026 Democratic nomination to succeed Durbin.

“There is a mess in Washington right now and we need to send someone who will fight for all of us in Illinois, but that person will not be me,” Frerichs wrote in an email to supporters. “I am not willing to travel to Washington, D.C., 30-some weeks a year and spend so many nights away from my children. I don’t want to miss their games, their recitals, or even that many bedtimes.”

Michigan the battleground state that will captivate the nation again in 2026

Democrat Haley Stevens launches bid for U.S. Senate in Michigan

Pete Buttigieg won’t seek US Senate seat in Michigan, leaving door wide open for 2028 run

Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters will not run for reelection, opening a key Senate seat in 2026

Here’s why Gary Peters won’t seek reelection to U.S. Senate

By Candice Williams, The Detroit News

As Michigan prepares for another warm-weather travel season, one thing is increasingly clear: President Donald Trump’s tariffs are sparking backlash that could reduce international visits to the United States — and deepening concerns that the levies may cause domestic travelers to adjust their plans.

The impact of tariffs amid a trade war is already showing up in travel from Canada to Michigan. The number of people crossing into the Great Lakes State from Canada fell 11% in both February and March, with vehicle crossings down 15% in February and 18% in March. Last fiscal year, 14.4 million travelers crossed the Canadian border into Michigan, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Tim Hygh, CEO of Mackinac Island Tourism, said he has heard of several cancellations from one day-trip tour operator based in Canada. Even though tariff-related cancellations may not impact the island’s overnight-stay business, there is concern that it could affect daytime traffic.

“You never want to see an interruption in business or any kind of a loss, especially when you’re only open six months out of the year,” he said. “So there are concerns. It won’t make or break us, but any loss is a concern.”

Dana Orlando, vice president of sales and marketing for Grand Hotel, said overall guest bookings are continuing as usual but the landmark property’s Canadian business has slowed. The hotel continues to focus on catering to a wide demographic, including multi-generational families.

“They love those traditions, and we stay true to those traditions,” she said. “So we’re trying to reach everyone.”

Tourism officials across the state are hoping for a busy summer, despite reduced air travel between the two North American neighbors and economic uncertainty threatening to cloud the outlook for hotels, restaurants and retailers up north. So far, operators say they are cautiously optimistic.

Trevor Tkach, president of Traverse City Tourism, expects more last-minute and budget-conscious travelers this summer, as many people scale back from long-distance or international trips. He described it as “a tale of two travelers” — those who are more conservative but still traveling and more affluent travelers who opt for closer destinations instead of going as far as they have in the past.

“It’s kind of reminding me of COVID, honestly,” he said. “It’s weird to say that. When we couldn’t travel as far, people still wanted to go somewhere. So we saw growth in affluent travelers then, too. Traverse City tends to find a customer one way, whether times are up or down. We end up being a pretty good landing spot because we’re a sought-after destination. We’re lucky in that way.”

Business owners like Bob Sutherland, owner of retailer Cherry Republic, are counting on people continuing their traditional summer trips to northern Michigan. The retailer has several stores in Michigan, including Traverse City, Charlevoix and Glen Arbor, with a new one opening this month in Mackinaw City.

“I think for Cherry Republic, in this time of uncertainty, we are going to be as rock solid, true to our brand, and certain and consistent,” he said. “For our customers coming north … they want that piece of peaceful, beautiful northern Michigan.”

On Mackinac Island, bookings are on par with last year so far, Hygh said. Early May is when many of the businesses at the popular tourist destination reopen to welcome tourists after a winter break.

“When I do a survey of our hotels almost weekly now, especially with the market turbulence at this point, their phone calls are steady,” Hygh said. “So at this point, it looks like it could be a good season, and we’re just grateful that all indications are good so far.”

Brian Bailey, general manager at Chippewa Hotel Waterfront, said Mackinac Island is fairly insulated from upheaval as people seek regional travel.

“People will travel shorter distances and go to a place that they know they can count on and they love,” he said.

Todd Callewaert, president of Island House Hotel, said bookings are up about 4% from the same time last year: “I’m sort of surprised at that. They’re coming in pretty strong. So I’m looking for a pretty good year.”

Canadian tourists are a small part of the hotel’s business, Callewaert said, booking about 60 nights total last year. As of early May, the hotel had booked 35 nights for Canadian residents.

“We’re going to do just fine with Canadians,” he said. “We’ll probably do the same, if not more.”

Staffing up

While some hotels say they are on pace with their summer bookings, most also report being fully or nearly fully staffed to accommodate guests.

Detroit-based immigration attorney Bob Birach estimates that about 20% of workers who staff businesses on Mackinac Island are foreign workers in the country through work visas, such as J1 and H2B.

Hygh on Mackinac Island said he doesn’t anticipate any changes to the J1 or H2B programs.

“Everything was laid in place with the last administration and the current administration has not changed anything, nor have they made any plans into the future,” Hygh said. “So no effect at this point.”

At the Grand Hotel, Orlando said the hotel is fully staffed with more than 700 employees during the peak of the season. About 80% are temporary employees, including foreign workers employed through the H2B program.

“It’s a big workforce for us,” she said. “We have to work with the government every year in order to get those. And you just never know what the number will be. And we’ve been thankful that this year we have everyone that we need.”

Mission Point expects to have all of its workers in place soon, said Leah Anderson, senior marketing and content manager. She said the hotel requests around 150 H2B work visas each year, but due to the nature of the program, there are delays. As of early May, the hotel had 68 H2B workers, she said.

“We expect the remainder to arrive by the end of May, but this does create significant challenges for us in the beginning of the season,” she said.

Promoting a ‘coolcation’

The Upper Peninsula saw $1.6 billion in total visitor spending — 5.5% of Michigan’s total visitor economy — in 2023, according to an economic impact analysis released last week by the Upper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association. Mackinac County, which includes Mackinac Island, led with $309.4 million in visitor spending.

Visitors returning to Mackinac Island will notice some improvements this year. The Grand Hotel has completed renovations, including a new Mackinac Market and the Dorothy Draper Home shop. The Inn at Stonecliffe has updated its kitchen facilities, while Mackinac State Historic Parks is preparing a series of events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mackinac National Park.

New transportation options could also help boost visitation. Starting in May, United Express will begin daily direct flights from Chicago O’Hare to both Chippewa County International Airport and Pellston Airport.

Officials say ferry service to the island has improved as well. Hygh, CEO of Mackinac Island Tourism, said service is back on track following fleet issues last year, and the schedule has increased by 10%. The Arnold Transit brand has returned after a 12-year absence.

Hygh said cooler summer temperatures — 10 to 15 degrees lower than many Southern locations — are being used to promote the island as a “coolcation” destination.

“Mackinac Island is cool,” Hygh said. “Take that any way you want. The St Louises of the world, the Memphises of the world, the high heat, high humidity. We’re really trying to reach out and tell them, don’t go south, come north and get a break. Get out of the heat.”

Mission Point Resort completed a redesign of its fine dining restaurant, Chianti, and added a new Lilac Lounge. “Brighter colors, along the water,” said Mark Ware, CEO of Mission Point. “Really exquisite food.”

Liz Ware, co-owner of Mission Point, said the hotel is seeing a mix of travel behaviors, with some guests making weather-dependent, last-minute plans and others booking early. October and May travel is on the rise, she said, as guests seek more affordable shoulder-season trips.

“Summer is peak season and everyone wants to come to the island,” she said. “It’s going to be a strong season for us. And I think the other thing that people want is the experience. And Mackinac, you get this really great feeling of being able to disconnect and then reconnect with your family and your friends.”

Jeri-Lynn Bailey, spokesperson for Arnold Transit Company, said the company, previously known as Mackinac Island Ferry Company, rebranded back to Arnold Transit after a difficult 2024 that saw major fleet issues. The company invested $6 million in repairs and is now focused on dependable, no-frills service.

“We stripped it down,” Bailey said. “We’re a ferry boat company again — no gimmicks.”

A new ticketless boarding system is launching June 1, and a slower, scenic “classic service” from St. Ignace will offer rides as low as $22.50, $11.50 below a regular adult round-trip.

“It’s like you step back to the pace of Mackinac before you even step on the island,” she said.

The new season starts as Mackinac Island and the ferry companies are in a dispute over ferry operations. Shepler’s Inc. filed a complaint earlier this year alleging the city has overstepped its authority in regulating the company’s fares and schedules for ferries, prices for parking and its business operations.

Mackinac Island has filed a countersuit, saying that it has the right to regulate fees for parking and fares for Shepler’s Inc. and Arnold Transit Company, claiming that the companies’ common ownership, Hoffmann Marine, created a monopoly and eliminated competition.

Jenny Gezella, president of Hoffmann Marine, said she couldn’t discuss the ongoing litigation between the ferry companies and the city. However, she noted the $6 million investment in what is now known as the Arnold Transit ferry fleet. Shepler’s picked up the slack while Arnold Transit’s fleet was out of service.

“Shepler’s … it was hard on their equipment last year,” she said.

Regarding the rebranding of Arnold Transit, Gezella said, “You’re gonna see a whole different look and feel … the yellow star is gone. It’s back to that traditional brand of that green and red, and so lots of enhancements you’re gonna see.”

‘Maximizing our potential’

Tkach of Traverse City Tourism said the city has had ongoing development, a sign of investor confidence. Several new hotels are opening this year, including a Residence Inn on the East Bay side, plus Home2 Suites and Fairfield Inn on U.S. 31 south of the city. The old Fairfield Inn on U.S. 31 just south of the city is being converted into a Spark hotel that is scheduled to open in June. Short-term rental inventory continues to expand, and new downtown condos offer visitors a more urban option.

Traverse City is leaning heavily on its food and wine scene, he added: “As a destination, there’s some strategizing going on, so I think you’ll see more opportunities, maybe just more strategic alignment between growers, the farmers and the vendors. Being a little more deliberate to make sure we’re maximizing our potential with the consumer.”

In several northern Michigan communities, including Traverse City and Glen Arbor, Cherry Republic is fully staffed for the season, Sutherland said. The company — which does about half of its annual business between June and September — will carry 20 new products this summer. Cherry Republic has developed a balanced staffing model that includes J1 visa holders, H2B workers, college students and retirees.

“We provide spaces in an RV park so that we can have camp workers — people that own RVs and drive up here for the summer,” he said. “Usually semi-retired, and they’re terrific workers.”

Sutherland believes the workforce improvements are paying off in customer service. “We’re excited to have enough employees and fresh employees and really rock-solid people to serve our customers,” he said. “It makes a huge difference … to not have an exhausted employee whose lips are too tired to smile.”

In Grand Rapids, a year-round destination, 2025 is pacing ahead of last year in terms of visitors, said Janet Korn, senior vice president with Experience Grand Rapids.

“Through the end of March, (we’re) about 3.4% ahead of last year,” she said. “So currently we’re ahead of what we hope to be for the end of the year. So that’s a ray of optimism.”

Korn said June and July are shaping up to be “really strong” with group business. “That might hold true, because people that are planning to go to their meeting and convention at this point are likely coming,” she said. “Of course, there is all this uncertainty, but we have many reasons to believe that people who are traveling to visit their friends and relatives and coming to the Grand Rapids-Kent County area for tourism are going to come here.”

Korn noted the city’s proximity to major Midwest markets as another advantage: “We’re in this wonderful three-hour drive from Chicago, which is a large market. We’re only a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Indianapolis. And we’re only two, two-and-a-half hours from Metro Detroit,” she said. “We do get a lot of visitors coming from there.”

President Donald Trump’s campaign has released details about a rally scheduled for Tuesday in Macomb County to celebrate the 100th day of his second term.

The campaign said in an email the event will be held at 6 p.m. April 29th at the Sports & Expo Center on the South Campus of Macomb Community College on 12 Mile and Hayes roads in Warren.

Tickets for the rally, which is open to the public, are available here.

Doors are set to open at 1:45 p.m. Remarks by various elected officials will begin at 6 p.m. followed by Trump’s comments, according to the campaign.

Last week, the White House announced Trump’s visit to Michigan, his first since being elected president to a second, nonconsecutive term in office. He won the state of Michigan in both the 2016 and 2024 elections, but lost the state and the election in 2020.

Trump to hold rally in Macomb County to celebrate his first 100 days in office

The past three months have seen the president’s whirlwind approach to covering trade, international alliances and a tariffs program that has led to consumer confidence plummeting, stock markets convulsing and investors losing confidence in the credibility of Trump’s policies.

Since taking office for his second term, the president has been looking to overhaul the federal government as he attempts to cut jobs and agencies, end diversity programs, deport immigrants and launch hefty tariffs that have threatened to upend the global economic order but which he says are needed to force fairer trade deals.

In a news release, organizers said the MCC event is intended to be a “celebration of the most successful and monumental first 100 days of any administration in history.”

Macomb County was one of the southeast Michigan communities where voters favored Trump.

In November 2024, he won Michigan’s 15 electoral college votes, flipping the state again in a victory over Democrat Kamala Harris.

In Macomb, voters chose Trump over Harris, 284,660 votes to 214,977 votes, for a nearly 14-percentage point victory margin.

Trump’s favor in Michigan has wavered over the years, but his supporters have kept the vote counts close. He defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by 10,704 Michigan votes in 2016 and then lost to Democratic nominee Joe Biden by 154,188 Michigan votes four years later.

His speech is expected to touch on tariffs and an an update on Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township. He has said in recent weeks that he was working with Michigan leaders to keep the military installation  “open, strong, thriving” and hinted about the possibility of new fighter jets coming.

Earlier this month, Trump made reference to Selfridge as he was meeting with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the Oval Office. Whitmer and other Michigan officials have long pushed for a new fighter mission to replace the outgoing A-10 squadron at Selfridge.

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