Michigan Dems clash and unite ahead of midterms
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Michigan Democrats are focused on the contentious fall midterms after a record-turnout endorsement convention Sunday reflected both internal divisions and hopes of unity.
Why it matters: Progressive candidates won out in top races during the 7,200-attendee event at Huntington Place, highlighting disagreement on subjects like the war in Gaza, per the News.
- The high attendance is proof of energy and enthusiasm, with Democrats finding common ground fighting for average working families and against President Trump, Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel Jr. tells Axios.
How it works: Party members selected statewide Democratic candidates — excluding governor and U.S. Senate, which are chosen by primary voters — to face off against Republicans in the November election.
- Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist won the secretary of state nomination.
- Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit won attorney general.
- Chief Justice Megan Cavanagh and Justice Noah Hood received endorsements for reelection to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Last month, state Republicans chose Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini for secretary of state and Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd for attorney general.
The big picture: The Democratic convention reflected a wider divide in Michigan and nationally between progressives and moderates, including over the war in Gaza.
- Progressive Caucus-backed candidates like Savit and Gilchrist secured key wins.
- Some pro-Israel candidates, including Senate hopeful U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, received boos, according to the Michigan Chronicle.
Between the lines: There's a looming identity crisis over what the national party's aligned governing vision is — outside of anti-Trump messaging.
- At the same time, Democrats see an opening against Republicans contending with voter dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of the economy and Iran.
What they're saying: "There's a healthy energy around real change … and it's gotten to the point now where they're no longer trusting the party [leadership] to make that change," James Johnson, political director for working class grassroots group Detroit Action, tells Axios.
- "For the midterms, if we really want to have true success as a Democratic Party, the conversation has to broaden. And it has to start speaking to the people the party's taken for granted," including young Black and brown people and working class communities.
Hertel tells Axios: "The Democratic Party has always been a wide coalition. … I think the coalition will come together to defeat what's happening in this country.
- "I think all of us are disgusted by what's happened to the average working family in America. … I'm sure that there are individual issues that divide us, but I think the spirit of who we are as a nation and who we should be fighting for unites us."