Dear Subscriber,
Like me, you might look at this week’s convergence of the Iowa Democratic caucus, the State of the Union address, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s response, and think, “Oh, boy, I’m not sure I’m ready for this.”
MLive’s political reporters look at the beginning of the presidential race and say, “This is getting good!”
Michigan clearly is showing signs of being a “must-win” state – just as in 2016, when a margin of 10,700 votes threw the state to Donald Trump.
“I can't stress enough how important it is that Trump chose to come to Battle Creek on the night he was impeached,” said Malachi Barrett, an MLive reporter who covers how national politics impact Michigan. “He wanted to make sure Michigan voters would stay with him on the worst night of his political career. That really says something about how coveted the people in our state will be.”
Just as candidates listen to voters, we listen to readers. We have always provided breaking news and issues coverage, reported on poll results, covered debates and published online and print voter guides.
But after the 2016 election showed us how critical Michigan voters are in the national equation, we realized we needed more firepower. So last year, we added Barrett to a Public Interest politics team that has Emily Lawler as lead reporter on the Whitmer administration, and reporter Lauren Gibbons covering the Legislature.
Lawler’s expertise with Whitmer’s political backstory paid dividends this week, when U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chose the governor to respond to the State of the Union address by Trump.
“Whitmer is seen as a blueprint for the kind of politician who can win a key state like Michigan,” Lawler said. “In 2018, she focused on dinner-table issues like roads, drinking water and education … that’s a direction Democrats are embracing on a national level right now.“
Our political team is going to be busy as money, candidates, campaign staffers and national media pour into Michigan, first in advance of the state primary on March 10, and then on to November. Here are some topics our national election reporters are looking at:
Lawler: - Urban/rural divide: “From which programs were hurt by the governor’s initial budget vetoes last year to what the 2016 results map looks like when you separate rural and urban areas. “
- What women decide: “I’m interested in the weight we saw women bring to the mid-terms in 2018, where they’re headed in 2020 and what’s motivating them as they head to the polls.”
- Iowa-like problems: “Michigan has a lot of new voting rules because of Proposal 3 of 2018, which expanded voting access, and some ... worry could delay results. Turnout is typically pretty high in presidential years, so this will put the new law to the test.”
Barrett: - Bernie Sanders: “He's raised more money than anyone in the race who's not a billionaire and is talking about the same economic issues that helped elect Trump. … People may trust his authenticity and consistency even if they don't agree with his entire agenda.“
- 2020 vs. 2016: “I'm interested to see what people who either sat out or voted third party do in Michigan, whether any candidates can rebuild Obama's winning coalition, and find out if Trump has grown his support here after the surprise win in 2016.“
- Turnout: “I do think people are going to be more engaged in the process than ever before. With the adoption of Prop 3, we should expect turnout to be especially high.”
Covering elections is a responsibility we take seriously, and it’s gratifying for professional journalists to know their work is consequential.
“I've seen too many of the same old stories of voters in a diner,” Barrett said. “We can't let people who don't know the state as well as we do drive the narrative about what's happening here. We're in the best position to understand what people in the state are looking for.” |
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Sincerely,
John Hiner
Vice President of Content for MLive Media Group
Share your thoughts with him at editor@mlive.com |
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