Zoe Clark

Governor Gretchen Whitmer made a peace offering to Republicans in her third State of the State address on Wednesday night. That’s as Republicans have ramped up their resistance to her COVID-19 restrictions.

A lot of the dust has settled from Election Day in Michigan, but not all of it.

Michigan Radio's resident political expert Zoe Clark joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to look at what we can learn from the results. 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered the official Democratic Party response to the State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Whitmer delivered her 10-minute rebuttal from the East Lansing High School auditorium packed with invited guests. She says numbers don’t tell the whole story of what’s happening with the US economy. She says that the stock market may be doing well, but workers are not getting fair wages and job security.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday to reject the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census — for now.

The Trump Administration said it wanted to add the question to enforce the Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voters' access to the ballot box. Those who opposed the move feared it would discourage the participation of minorities in elections. 

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is taking legal action to decommission Enbridge's Line 5.

Nessel's office announced Thursday that the attorney general filed a lawsuit asking the Ingham County Circuit Court to find whether Enbridge’s continued operation of Line 5 violates the public trust doctrine, is a common law public nuisance, and whether the pipeline violates the Michigan Environmental Protection Act.

At the Mackinac Policy Conference, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation that changes Michigan’s auto insurance law. And state Attorney General Dana Nessel set a deadline for Gov. Whitmer and Enbridge Energy to take action on the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered her first state of the state address at the State Capitol in Lansing Tuesday. She focused on LGBT rights, infrastructure, and education. Zoe Clark is Michigan Radio’s program director and our resident political junkie. She joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to talk about the speech. 

After eight years on the job, Rick Snyder will soon end his time as Michigan’s governor. On New Year’s Day, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer will be sworn in to take over from the Republican who billed himself as One Tough Nerd.

The proposal to change how Michigan draws the lines for congressional and legislative districts is about to go on the ballot. But, will it stay there?

The question to create an independent commission to handle the job of redistricting is poised to become Proposal 2 on the November ballot. The group that gives the OK to what questions make it on the ballot meets Wednesday.

Update, June 13 at 10:30 a.m.:

The group Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution has filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court and asked the justices to put an immediate hold on the lower court decision that would place the question on the November ballot.

Jennifer Granholm has been out of Michigan's gubernatorial office for over seven years. But, this year, her name is back in the spotlight. 

With Republicans running the show in Lansing for the past eight years, it has been especially hard for GOP gubernatorial candidates to run on the basis of change. This election is expected to be a referendum on Donald Trump and the way Republicans are managing things in Washington D.C., or the legacy of Rick Snyder. 

This year, Libertarians will join Republicans and Democrats with candidates on the August primary ballot in Michigan. This is something that doesn’t happen very often. In fact, the last time a third party qualified to hold a primary in Michigan was 1998.

Democrats like their chances in Election 2018 as they hope President Trump’s unfavorables will help them win the House in November.

But Republicans have their own emblematic figure they are using to paint a dark picture of the ramifications of a “blue wave.”

As much as Democrats expect and hope people are ready to get out and vote against Donald Trump, Republicans think and hope the same may be true for the House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

Do you have a right to have your name counted when you sign a petition? Or, can it be thrown out on a technicality that has nothing to do with you?

There are two recent instances in Michigan where, although signatures on a petition were collected, it’s unclear whether those signatures will actually be counted.

Republican gubernatorial candidates wanted to get next to President Donald Trump this weekend but only one got the presidential shout-out in Washington Township, MI.

“A really great friend of mine, a great attorney general, the next governor of Michigan, Bill Schuette. Where’s Bill? Bill? Where? Alright, wherever the hell he is…”

There is a legal question about whether Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is eligible to run for governor. But one thing that is not a question is the fact that the question is not settled, no matter how much the El-Sayed campaign might want to believe that’s the case.

Update, Friday, April 27 at 10:40 a.m.:

On Thursday, Michigan Board of Canvassers approved the petition to place the marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot.

House Speaker Tom Leonard says he doesn't foresee the Legislature adopting the measure in the next 40 days. 

"There is not much support it in the caucus," he said. "I do not personally support it, so I think this something that ultimately voters are going to have to decide.”

Original story from Monday, April 23:

The fight for the Democratic nod for state attorney general has gotten nasty with less than a week to go before Michigan Democrats decide on a candidate.

Democrats are practically giddy about their prospects for taking control of Congress. They see a blue wave on the horizon, and the next 225 days until November 6th cannot come soon enough for them.

People who remember, remember Republican John Engler as a blunt, pugnacious governor. And, before that, the same as state Senate majority leader.