MIRS Monday Podcast

At least 25 of the 110 state House districts may have competitive elections this fall. Adrian Hemond from Grassroots Midwest looks into those with Kyle Melinn of MIRS News. 

 

Amritha Venkataraman, field director for the Human Rights Campaign, talks about how culture wars are on the 2022 ballot. 

 

And Governor Whitmer has tweeted about abortion 145 times since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade. The MIRS team explores the race to the political middle on this issue.

Donald Trump and a surprise possibility for U.S. Senate in 2024 rise to the top of the MIRS/Michigan Republican Party straw poll this weekend. Hear the official results first here. Kaitlyn Buss, The Detroit News' assistant editorial page editor will break down with us the results and Saturday's GOP convention.

Attorney General nominee Matt DePerno talks about his involvement with voting machines post 2020 election and Dr. Amy Cooter, a sociologist and expert in contemporary U.S. militias discusses the Boogaloo Boys phenomenon.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes gives odds on four congressional races as she breaks down last week's convention, Darci McConnell from the Reproductive Freedom for All campaign pushes back on claims the constitutional amendment is too expansive and extreme to be adopted by voters.

A Democratic state House candidate talks about why Bill G. Schuette isn't a slam dunk in November.

The MIRS team breaks down Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon's running mate pick, both the selection of Shane Hernandez and the timing of the announcement.

And how serious is John James' carpetbagger issue in MI-10?

A high Ultra-MAGA contingent at the Republican state convention in a couple weeks complicates Tudor Dixon's LG pick. What does Dixon's previous film appearances tell us and should Republican lawmakers consider a modest abortion proposal?

 

The MIRS team tackles these subjects while also talking to two likely incoming state representatives for the 2023-2024 session -- Bill G. Schuette and Jason Morgan.

Are Michigan voters looking at the nation's most expansive abortion proposal? John Bursch, vice president of appellate advocacy for the Alliance Defending Freedom, argues why that is the case.

The Michigan Supreme Court justices got a little "sassy" in their opinions in the closing weeks of session in the opinion of Justice Brian Zahra. He talks about that and his re-election effort.

And Chris DeWitt of DeWitt Communications and John Pugh of Truscott Rossman talk about the Attorney General asking for a special prosecutor in the election tabulator theft case and Tudor Dixon's choices for Lieutenant Governor.

 

Why did the James Craig for Governor campaign fail? John Yob, Craig's former senior consultant shares his insights on that, his biggest regret with the Perry Johnson campaign and the odds he gives Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon of being successful in the General Election against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Sen. Ken Horn talks about his new book, "Letters to Heaven," the story about the letters he sent his 2-year-old granddaughter, Zellie, and how he's worked through the grief of her loss.

And Bill Ballenger of the Ballenger Report gives predictions in 11 key primary races this Tuesday.

It's a different story for each Republican gubernatorial candidate and their campaign finance numbers. Craig Mauger of the Detroit News and Simon Schuster of MLive, both former Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN) directors and MIRS reporters, break down the stories behind the numbers.

Rep. Andrew Beeler (R-Port Huron) talks about running in the same district as Rep. Gary Eisen (R-St. Clair), House Republicans coalescing around Rep. Matt Hall as their next leader and more (39:54).

HD-103 candidate Betsy Coffia raises $188,000 in 2022 through more than 1,800 donations in her Traverse City/Leelanau County district. The Democratic County Commissioner talks about her accomplishment, why she wasn't surprised when Roe was overturned and more. (22:25).

Jamie Swafford, the running mate for Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley, shares her background and  answers several questions from the America First questionnaire being circulated by activist Debra El.

 

10th Congressional District candidate Carl Marlinga speaks about his race in Macomb County and the MIRS team talks about the disappearance of the single issue voter and the rise of a voting population that is more politically aware but arguably less educated.

 

Amid Michigan’s unpredictable GOP gubernatorial race, which Republicans are poised to do best?  We’ll ask pollster Steve Mitchell of Mitchell Research and Communications.

Also Jeff Litten of Secure MI Vote weighs in on last week’s debate among those candidates. 

Monday was the signature deadline for Constitutional amendment proposals in Michigan.  MIRS has an update, including news of a record-setting signature count for one proposal.

And in the wake of a new state budget, what’s the outlook for Michigan’s revenue and tax landscape?  We’ll hear from Robert Schneider of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan and Tyler Theile of the Anderson Economic Group.

 

A highly centralized budget-making process produced a record $76 billion Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget by July 1, but not without some transparency issues.

How can seemingly sane individuals dive into conspiracy theories? Robert Saler, an Indiana-based research professor of religion and culture, explores this subject in light of theories of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election and the QAnon phenomenon.

Also, how is "Trucker" Randy Bishop, who got his political start as a Tea Party Republican in 2010 running as a Democrat in 2022? He answers this question and apologizes for comments he made earlier this year on his radio program about how a family should be a "white mom, a white dad and white kids."