The Story Of The Midterm Elections, In One Very Important Campaign

My new article takes a close look at Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is 'fighting like hell' to stop Trump-following, MAGA Republicans from taking over the state

Abortion rights

Control of public schools

The future of democracy

It’s all at stake in Michigan, in a campaign that says a lot about how MAGA Republicans want to transform America and, maybe, the kind of Democrat who can stop them.

That Democrat is Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She's the focus of my new article that just posted this weekend.

It is based on reporting that spanned three months. I attended rallies and small roundtables.  I spoke to people who have worked with Whitmer and watched her, those who love her and those who hate her.  And I had a series of conversations with her directly. 

But the article draws on more than that, because (as many of you know) Michigan happens to be where I live.  I’ve followed and been writing about Whitmer ever since she first ran for governor four years ago.  I’ve also followed MAGA's capture of the state party -- how they took over, whom they've nominated to run this year, what they plan to do if they win.

It’s a truly breathtaking agenda that could make abortion illegal, send public money into parochial schools and put the state’s ballot machinery in the hands of Trump supporters still convinced he was the real winner in 2020.  As for the candidates themselves, they are — to quote one elder GOP statesman — the "the most unqualified state-level ticket in recent Michigan history." 

But the Republicans running in Michigan are operating in a favorable political environment, thanks to the same factors helping Republicans all over the country: inflation and pandemic fatigue.  Their closing argument is about alleged “indoctrination” in the schools by “radical sex and gender activists,” tapping into anxiety over LGBTQ-related issues and anger that has already led to a series of heated school board meetings here.  

If it works and GOP gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon wins, I think it's safe to say we'll be hearing a lot more of that in the near future.

But first they have to get past Whitmer. 

My article looks closely at her record, at what seemed to go right and what seem to go wrong. It examines her ideas about how government should work, who has influenced her and how she operates, and at the causes and values that matter to her most. At the top of the list is reproductive rights, for which she has been fighting fiercely since even before the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade.

This election feels like a window into everything that's happening in American politics right now.  I also think the Michigan election will have national implications, no matter the outcome.  One reason is that Whitmer probably has a future in national politics, as a candidate for higher office — if she wants one and, more immediately, if she wins.

Can she? I don’t know. She has a small, stable lead in the polls. But as pollsters will tell you, and as they have told me, declining response rates to surveys make this year’s public opinion modeling even less reliable than usual.

In short, anything can happen.

Here is the URL https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gretchen-whitmer-michigan-midterm-elections_n_6362f7a8e4b0ab7c772ec904

Thank you for reading!