Updates About Elections

Three bits of Michigan election news have come out recently. First, Republican Gubernatorial candidate, Mike Cox, announced he was ending his campaign and endorsing John James. In his press release the former Attorney General claimed President Trump’s endorsement of James all but sealed the GOP primary race, which until then had been a three-way competition.

Next, the Michigan Bureau of Election announced that the Michiganders for Money out of Politics proposal had been recommended for certification by The Board of State Canvassers. The Board then approved the petition proposal by a 3-1 vote after the submitted signature sample passed the review process by a margin of nine signatures.The Board will now decide on the language of the proposal and give the Michigan legislature an opportunity to pass the proposal. If the legislature decides not to pass the proposal then it would be on the ballot and in the hands of the voters in November.

If passed by the electorate the petition would bar certain public utilities and large government contractors from making political contributions.

Lastly, Governor Whitmer made the decision to endorse Congresswoman Haley Stevens’s campaign for U.S. Senate. The endorsement comes a week and a half before the August primary when Democratic voters decide the candidate that will face off against the Republican Mike Rogers in November. Stevens lone opponent is the former public health professional and progressive Abdul El-Sayed who has the backing of national progressive figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The Michigan Primary Election will take place on Tuesday, August 4th.

A day after the July 4 holiday, State Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) announced she was ending her campaign for the U.S. Senate Democratic nomination. Throughout the winter and early spring, the race was widely seen as a three way race, with McMorrow initially leading in some polls, and briefly emerged as the front runner. McMorrow largely plotted herself in between the party establishment and the party’s left-wing. She refused to endorse either of her two opponents, instead saying she will endorse the primary winner.

Her primary opponents, U.S. Representative Haley Stevens (Birmingham), an establishment Democrat, and former public health official and epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed (Ann Arbor), a populist progressive, will now battle for the nomination in what is still expected to be a closely contested primary.

A few days after McMorrow dropped out, Stevens and El-Sayed faced off in their first televised debate. Stevens emphasized her experience, legislative record, and her “workhorse” image. El-Sayed focused on corporate influence and the need for broader political change.

The primary election date is Tuesday, August 4.

President Donald Trump recently announced his endorsement of U.S. Representative John James’s campaign for Governor. Shortly following the endorsement, Michigan’s Republican Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt ended his campaign and endorsed James as well. The other Republican candidates, businessman Perry Johnson and former Attorney General Mike Cox, choose to remain in the race.

James has so far defended his early frontrunner status against the rest of the field, but it remains to be seen if Trump’s endorsement will help with Republican primary voters. The endorsement came as absentee ballots are beginning to reach voters ahead of the August primary. In recent GOP gubernatorial primaries in Georgia and Iowa, voters did not choose the President’s endorsed candidate.

After the endorsement, the James campaign shifted their focus away from his primary competitors, instead attacking likely Democratic opponent and current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, as well as Governor Whitmer. Meanwhile, Cox criticized James’s statewide electability and loyalty to Trump, while Johnson pushed back against Trump’s endorsement.