Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode

• How do we currently nominate secretary of state and attorney general?
• Reactions to this new proposal

Johnson says that having voters choose secretary of state and attorney general nominees allows for better representation for both the Democratic and Republican parties, as opposed to party conventions which are dominated by “insiders and special interests.”

“Anytime you have more people involved, you get a better reflection of society,” said Johnson. “It’s time to move forward and present this choice to the people of Michigan.”

The other two states that don’t use voters to nominate these roles are South Dakota and Indiana.

Johnson said roles that he and his group may focus on next includes Michigan Supreme Court seats and university trustees.

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An important state senate race for Michigan’s 35th Senate District was decided Tuesday, and it could have huge implications for the November midterm elections. This week on WDET’s weekly series, MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what how the race was decided. They are joined by Alvin “AJ” Jones from WCMU Public Radio to break it all down.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode

• What were the campaign strategies for Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney?
• Why did it take so long to call this special election?
• What could this race signal for the 2026 midterm elections?

Jones also pointed to the focus on the race being a reason why Greene won this special election. “The two candidates had very different strategies. Tunny’s campaign really hammered in local issues—talking about reading levels and tax cuts. Greene’s focused on national issues of affordability.” 

Both Greene and Tunney will face off again in the 2026 November midterm elections. 

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• MichMash: The 2026-27 fiscal year budget process is outpacing last year
• The Metro: Trust in elections is declining. A Michigan Republican clerk blames politics
• 4 living ex-Michigan governors make case for civility in politics