Weak GOP nominees could give Democrats big down-ballot wins in Michigan
A strong showing by Democratic nominee Gretchen Whitmer could produce long coattails in state races.
Trump always want to be the center of attention, but it may actually be the failures of other Republicans that help turn Michigan blue from top to bottom.
The New York Times notes, “Republican leaders are increasingly worried that their candidates for governor and Senate are in political trouble across Michigan … and that the difficulties could spill into House races that the G.O.P. needs to win in November to keep control of the chamber.”
At the top of the ticket for Democrats are two powerful Democratic women: Gretchen Whitmer, running for governor, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, running for another term in the U.S. Senate. Both hold commanding leads over the men they are running against — Bill Schuette and John James, respectively.
Schuette is a particularly weak candidate, who cannot even get the endorsement of the current unpopular Republican Gov. Rick Snyder.
And in Michigan, trouble for Republicans could spill even further down the ballot.
“With a landslide vote, Democrats could also flip the state legislature; restock their bench with up-and-coming politicians; lock in congressional gains by undoing Republican-led gerrymandering; and pass an initiative making it significantly easier to vote by 2020 in a state that broke Democratic hearts two years ago.”
Democrats need to flip at least nine House seats from red to blue in order to regain control of that chamber.
One of those up-and-coming politicians to help them do it is Mari Manoogian, a 31-year-old former State Department employee who returned to her hometown of Birmingham to run for the Michigan House of Representatives.
Manoogian is running in an open seat previously held by a Republican, in a district that has been trending blue in recent years. With her focus on education and infrastructure, Manoogian hopes to complete the transition to blue in November.
Her opponent, David Wolkinson, is a Trump-supporting Republican who once briefly worked for the unpopular current governor, Snyder.
With a comfortable lead, Whitmer is focusing her efforts on creating a landslide like the Times described.
“I’m trying to pull every Democrat I can across the finish line,” she told the Times. “I don’t want anyone to think that in 18 days they can go and vote for governor and their job is done.”
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