For Michigan Democrats, an emphatic yes. For Republicans? Not so much — at least so far. The state’s Democrats began holding a special spring endorsement convention in election years, which hadn’t previously been required by statute or party rules, in 2018. It gave the endorsement winners for top offices like Secretary of State, Attorney General, […] The post POLITICAL PARTY ENDORSEMENT CONVENTIONS: DO THEY WORK? appeared first on The Ballenger Report.| The Ballenger Report
Not bad at all, as it turns out. Last Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-26 budget that was thought to be slightly lower than years past. Robert Schneider of the non-partisan Citizens Research Council points out that, above all, this year’s budget produced clearer, fairer, and more robust road funding — […] The post HOW BAD IS MICHIGAN’S FY 2026 STATE BUDGET? appeared first on The Ballenger Report.| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): Yes, Virginia, there was a Michigan government shutdown last Wednesday, no matter how much Gretchen Whitmer denies it. However, it lasted just a few hours, and its immediate impact was so inconsequential as to be unnoticeable. Then, at the 14th hour, the Michigan Legislature approved a week-long ‘continuation budget’ for the 2024-25 fiscal […]| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): The Michigan Republican Party’s 35th Biennial Mackinac Leadership Conference wrapped up a week ago. GOP state Chairman Jim RUNESTAD (R-White Lake) reported that 1,250 people paid for credentials to this year’s policy conference, a significant improvement from two years ago when attendance was scant. Former Chair Kristina KARAMO nearly bankrupted the party at the […] The post AFTER MACKINAC, WHITHER MICHIGAN REPUBLICANS? appeared first on The Ballenger Report.| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): What might we anticipate will be the public’s reaction if there is a state government shutdown on October 1 because Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature fail to reach a deal on the FY 2025-26 budget? Answer 1): Disgust, but resignation. After all, the electorate has seen this movie before, albeit rarely, and […]| The Ballenger Report
The Ballenger Report will present you with forecasts of national, state, and local races, including judicial contests.| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): Should Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, now running for governor in 2026 as an Independent, once again shock Michigan’s political world by appearing on Mackinac Island in the midst of next week-end’s state GOP’ biennial leadership conference? Answer 1): It would be a bold move, but probably not. First, it would provide the Michigan Democratic […] The post SHOULD DUGGAN CRASH MICHIGAN GOP’S MACKINAC CONCLAVE? appeared first on The Ballenger Report.| The Ballenger Report
And now for something completely different — not about Michigan politics but about the current campaign for Mayor of New York City. The voters’ verdict in the November general election may reverberate far beyond Gotham, and that includes Michigan. The following article by two women journalists is worth the read … How Zohran Mamdani Achieved […] The post CAN FAR LEFT GOVERN? NEW YORK WILL TELL US SOON appeared first on The Ballenger Report.| The Ballenger Report
Mike Duggan is riding high right now. The Detroit mayor has picked up a lot of momentum since he rocked the Michigan political world by announcing early this year that he would run for governor in 2026 not as a Democrat (which he always was) but as an Independent. Just last week, his appearance on […]| The Ballenger Report
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, or MEDC, has been in the news for an alleged scandal. A probe by the Attorney General focuses on Fay Beydoun, a Metro Detroit businesswoman active in Democratic politics, for allegedly misusing a $20 million state grant, administered by the MEDC. And the real question is: Why didn’t this happen […] The post IS MICHIGAN’S MEDC A COLOSSAL BOONDOGGLE? appeared first on The Ballenger Report.| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): Lansing has been abuzz about the $20 million Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant awarded to former MEDC board member Fay Beydoun in 2022. Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office has been investigating Beydoun, a Governor Gretchen Whitmer donor, for embezzlement, to the point of raiding the MEDC for records. Yipes! Is this the end of the […]| The Ballenger Report
Why the Almanac of American Politics remains the most important read amid today’s fractured political climate. Despite a polarized nation, the 2026 edition continues to offer trusted, comprehensive data and profiles, from local districts to Washington insiders, including an essential Michigan chapter. For more than five decades, the Almanac of American Politics has set the […]| The Ballenger Report
SEE BELOW FOR LIST OF ‘SECRET’ DONORS’ WHO SUPPORTED EFFORT TO THWART GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER DURING PANDEMIC “NO ONE WILL KNOW” EMAILS DISCLOSE ‘DARK MONEY’ FUNDING BEHIND ‘UNLOCK MICHIGAN’ The COVID cacophony of 2020-2021 may have ended, but the discordant melody lingers on. Republican state lawmakers opposed to the way Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unilaterally assumed […]| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): Right now, groups backing half a dozen statewide ballot initiatives are preparing to collect petition signatures to qualify for the 2026 general election. The six proposals are 1) Invest In MI Kids aka “Tax the Rich,” which would sock those earning $500,000 or more annually with an additional 5% income tax; 2) Demanding […]| The Ballenger Report
WHY CAN’T CONGRESS OPERATE LIKE THE MICHIGAN LEGISLATURE? It’s difficult to give the Michigan Legislature credit for mastering the art of lawmaking. After all, the six public acts Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed into law so far this year is the fewest number of signed bills at this point in any year since 1940, the […]| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): Now that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has been signed into law, has the messaging for the two major parties changed? And what are the implications for the Republican Party and its candidates, since they “own” this legislation? Could Medicaid cuts be a voter turnout driver for Michigan Democrats in 2026? […]| The Ballenger Report
When it comes to Michigan business organizations lobbying politicians and public policy makers in the state capital in Lansing, it’s an open question as to how effective they really are. For starters, MIRS newsletter reported last week that, for the 10th straight survey, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce received the most votes from “insiders” when […]| The Ballenger Report
The irrepressible Bob LaBrant, a retired attorney living in Perry, Michigan, has ben puzzling over the question of whether Donald Trump can run for a third term as President of the United States. LaBrant has decided that we should look to the “Qatar 747” gift airplane for the answer: “HOW CAN TRUMP RUN FOR A […]| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has hit a rough patch in her nascent campaign to be the state’s next governor. Her bungling of the official campaign finance/transparency website forced the passage of emergency legislation to extend the deadline for officials to report, and she’s been roundly criticized, even by members of her […]| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): What should we make of University of Michigan President Santa ONO leaving for the same job at the University of Florida after less than three years in Ann Arbor? Answer 1): It looks like 1-800-CALL SAM is more than just a bloviating law firm. As one of the four Democratic regents who were […]| The Ballenger Report
Hard to believe anyone in Michigan does, given the way the state has treated its own horse racing industry. For the first time in 90 years, pari-mutuel horse racing is defunct in Michigan, at least for the time being. Northville Downs, Michigan’s last surviving track, closed its doors after its last standardbred race early last […]| The Ballenger Report
Question 1): The administration of President Donald J. Trump seems hell-bent on dismantling the U.S. Dept. of Education — in fact, abolishing it, with the help of a Republican-held Congress. Trump’s newly-appointed Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, is on board. Aside from whether it’s a good idea, how did it ever come to this? Answer 1): […]| The Ballenger Report
MICHIGAN’S EX-LAWMAKERS DON’T NEED TO BECOME LOBBYISTS. THERE IS ANOTHER PATH TO PROSPERITY The Michigan Legislature is looking once again at instituting a ‘reform’ that has never seen the light of day — ending the ‘revolving door.’ The state House of Representatives has sent to the state Senate a bill to prohibit state legislators […]| The Ballenger Report