An Instagram account that appears to belong to the wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers recently reposted a video portraying Muslims as resistant to assimilation and suggesting many view terrorism as a legitimate form of resistance.
The post Mike Rogers’ wife appears to join the anti-Muslim fear campaign ahead of Dearborn hate rally appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
A Highland Park activist with a track record of knocking candidates off the ballot is trying to do the same to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor.
The post Lawsuit seeks to remove Jocelyn Benson from Michigan governor’s race appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
Republicans are using false claims, guilt by association, and anti-Muslim rhetoric to portray Abdul El-Sayed as a dangerous extremist in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race.
The post The smear campaign against Abdul El-Sayed is built on lies, Islamophobia and hate appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
In this episode
The progressive wing of the Democratic party made some noise in the recent primaries. What has been the key to their success so far? This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow chat with Chris Gilmer-Hill, one of the progressives who won his race.
Gilmer-Hill shares why he feels like he was able to win.
Gilmer-Hill attributes his win against incumbent Democratic state Rep. Helena Scott greatly to the Democratic Socialist of America and the engine they put behind his campaign. Especially being that without them he lost by a large margin two years ago.
“DSA is the biggest difference. Two years ago I filed because I disagreed with a lot of what our incumbent was doing and I didn’t think it was right for her to run unopposed but I didn’t have DSA or a whole movement of folks behind me. I wasn’t expecting to win. Actually at the time 27% was a lot more than what I was expecting so I saw an opening for the future. But that opening wouldn’t have been something we could’ve use to win without an army of DSA members”
Gilmer-Hill is running for the 8th state House District.
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The post MichMash: Michigan Progressives push past the primaries appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
U.S. Rep. Max Miller, a Republican from Ohio, is accused of holding a gun to his ex-wife’s head, burning her with hot water, and injuring their 2-year-old daughter, allegations that have prompted several fellow Republicans to call for his resignation.
The post John James and Tom Barrett are keeping campaign cash from a Republican accused of burning his ex-wife and holding a gun to her head appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers has made rooting out government fraud a centerpiece of his campaign. But some of the people helping finance his return to Washington have their own histories with fraud.
The post Mike Rogers attacks waste and fraud while taking money from donors linked to both appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
In this episode
The 2026 Michigan primaries not only affected the state but may also have national implications. This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben break down the results and what they may forecast for the midterm elections. They are joined by Associated Press reporter Joey Cappelletti.
The biggest story coming out of the primaries is Abdul El-Sayed defeating U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat. After winning by less than 1 percentage point, El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers in the general election. El-Sayed represents the progressive, Democratic Socialists of America wing of the party. Cappelletti says the results in November could make or break the momentum the DSA has gained with El-Sayed’s victory.
“We’ve seen the progressive wing have victories in deep-blue cities before. But this is really the first time that we saw it on this level in a swing state like Michigan. Michigan does prefer, at least in the past, more moderate, pragmatic candidates. What happened [during the primaries] was big for the movement, but it will not matter if they don’t win in November.”
The midterm elections will be held Nov. 3, 2026.
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The post MichMash: A review of the 2026 Michigan primary results appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
Ever since President Donald Trump won a second term, Democrats have been arguing with each other about the same two questions: What is this party for, and who gets to lead it?
The insurgents have been winning across the country. But the big question is whether economic populist candidates, who run on platforms aimed at minimizing the influence of big money, can win in Michigan. Progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed won the Senate Democratic primary, and Donovan McKinney beat sitting Congressmember Shri Thanedar. But important races still haven’t been called, and the general election may not be easy for all the progressive candidates.
Branden Snyder is the state director of the Working Families Party. His group endorsed economic populist candidates up and down the ballot. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand.
Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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The post The Metro: Has economic populism come to Michigan? appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
Michigan voters went to the polls Tuesday to select candidates who will meet in the general election in November.
Congressman John James won the Republican primary for governor. He had a tough competitor in businessman Perry Johnson. Johnson ran a steady flight of television commercials, at times portraying James as a “DEI candidate.” During the course of the Republican primary, James made few appearances in the city of Detroit.
During his victory speech Tuesday night, James laid out his plans if he’s elected Senator. “We’re going to cut taxes. We’re going to lower your energy bills. We’re going to protect Medicaid for those who need it, while stopping fraud and abuse from those who would steal from it.”
James will face Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the November general election. Benson easily beat Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary.
During a speech to supporters in Detroit Tuesday night, she said she’ll work for Michigan voters if she’s elected governor in November. “Who do you want Michigan’s leaders to work for? The people or the powerful? Well, you all know who I work for. I will work for all of you and every Michigander in this state. Not the highest bidder. Not corporate interests. Not Donald Trump. You.”
Benson is a Detroit resident.
In the most watched contest of the night, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.
In a speech to supporters in Detroit Wednesday morning, El-Sayed took aim at Republican Mike Rogers – who El-Sayed will face in the general election: “And so, Mike, and I know you’re listening, Mike. We are coming for you.”
With more than 60-million dollars in outside spending, the race is the most expensive U.S. Senate primary in history. El-Sayed beat Stevens by less than a percentage point.
-Reporting by Russ McNamara
Detroiters watched two Democratic primaries for Congress yesterday. Representative Rashida Tlaib easily defeated former state representative Shanelle Jackson and Inkster Mayor Byron Nolan in the 12th Congressional District.
State Representative Donavan McKinney defeated incumbent Congressman Shri Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th District primary. Results show Mckinney won just over half the vote.
McKinney says its time for a new style of politics, because it’s impossible for representatives to serve two masters. “You can’t serve the working people and the corporations at the same time. You have to pick one, and so I think the people are calling for petter and I thing they’re calling our legislators and our Congress to do things for them and not on behalf of the few, but on behalf of the many.”
McKinney also supported ending federal aid to Israel. He says Congress should focus more on domestic needs. Thanedar was seeking his third term in the U.S. House.
-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley
Incumbent Wayne County Executive Warren Evans easily won his primary race to win the right to run for another term as the Democratic candidate in November.
Proposal S, which provides additional revenue for the Detroit Public Schools Community District passed overwhelmingly, as did the Wayne County Public Transportation Millage. That measure will keep communities from being able to opt OUT of the SMART bus system.
Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
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DETROIT (AP) — Abdul El-Sayed has won Michigan’s Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, defeating U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in a massive victory for the party’s progressive wing in a battleground state.
The real test of El-Sayed’s and progressives’ strength will now come in a November matchup against Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman who ran unopposed for the GOP nomination. The seat is pivotal to Democrats’ chances of flipping the Senate and El-Sayed will face the challenge of uniting a divided Democratic base after a bruising primary.
The race remained tight throughout Tuesday night, with a winner not declared until early Wednesday. In his final remarks at a primary night party before the race was called, El-Sayed said “tomorrow we begin to mend fences.”
El-Sayed’s campaign said Stevens called to concede Wednesday.
El-Sayed’s win represents a significant shift for the Democratic Party; in 2018 he lost the gubernatorial primary to now-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by 21 percentage points.
El-Sayed, a former health official, campaigned on “Medicare for All,” halting military aid to Israel and campaign finance reform. He had support from progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who framed the race as a grassroots-focused movement and a broader fight against the establishment and big-money spending.
Stevens, a more moderate candidate, was backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and tens of millions in outside spending, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s largest outlay ever in a single race.
Now comes the more difficult challenge for Democrats: uniting the party to defeat Rogers, for whom Republicans have already reserved large sums of money ahead of the general election. Democrats consider the seat a must-win if they are to flip control of the Senate this year.
Early Tuesday evening, El-Sayed’s supporters in Detroit’s Majestic Theatre cheered at the first batches of votes, before mellowing. Hours later Stevens’ previously subdued partygoers roared as she narrowed the margin.
“Whatever happens tonight,” El-Sayed told a thinned but still energetic crowd, “we have a responsibility to ensure that we unite, unite to make sure that Mike Rogers never sees the inside of the U.S. Senate.”
El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, campaigned on “Medicare for All,” campaign finance reform and ending military aid to Israel.
Stevens, a four-term congresswoman, focused on manufacturing and the economy. She stressed her past victories in tough races, saying she would be best positioned to beat Rogers.
Stevens benefited from tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, including the largest investment in a race ever from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates.
The race will help decide which party controls the chamber in the last two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Those stakes have added heat to the rivalry, with moderates arguing that El-Sayed would have a harder time than Stevens against a Republican in the general election.
Stevens won election to Congress in 2018 after serving as chief of staff to President Barack Obama’s auto task force, which helped oversee the federal rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Her campaign and allied groups have repeatedly highlighted that experience.
El-Sayed cast himself as the anti-establishment candidate and argued that Democrats need to reject corporate influence and embrace a more progressive agenda.
While the candidate has said he is not a democratic socialist, he found support from some of the group’s members. That included Melat Kiros, who recently beat a longtime incumbent in a Democratic primary for a Denver-based House seat and was at El-Sayed’s watch party. Also there was Hasan Piker, a progressive and controversial influencer online.
The candidates’ differences were clear to some voters.
Kenneth Woodside, 87, of West Bloomfield, said he voted for El-Sayed over Stevens because “the nation is ready for someone who wants to take some more action rather than on the road we are now, which is on the road to an oligarchy and authoritarianism.”
Nessa Fuller, 51, of Birmingham, said she voted for Stevens because she will “fight to get the right things done, and she’ll work with other people, which is really important to me.”
National groups poured unprecedented sums into the race, making it one of the country’s biggest tests of outside spending.
Groups backing Stevens spent more than $50 million, led by more than $30 million from AIPAC and its affiliates.
The spending thrust Israel policy into the center of the race even though the ads never mentioned it. While El-Sayed called for ending military aid to Israel, Stevens maintained strong support for the relationship.
Israel became a contentious issue within the Democratic Party amid a war in Gaza that killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in its retaliatory offensive after about 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken in attacks by the militant group Hamas.
In a heavily Democratic district representing Detroit, the 13th, Rep. Shri Thanedar looked to fend off a primary challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who argued that the city should once again have a Black representative in Congress.
After Thanedar won election in 2022, Detroit had no Black representation in Congress for the first time since the early 1950s.
Story written by Joey Cappelletti, Jacqueline Ganun and Jesse Bedayn at the Associated Press.
The post Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan Senate primary in major victory for Democrats’ progressive wing appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
The polls are open in Michigan today. And by tonight, most of us will have done the thing we’re told is our civic duty, or we won’t have. In the last August primary, less than a quarter of Michigan voters turned out.
So here’s the question: if you voted this morning or you dropped your ballot off at a dropbox last week, have you done your part?
Eric Liu has spent years cultivating the answer to this question. He was a White House speechwriter for Bill Clinton and later Clinton’s deputy domestic policy adviser. He co-founded Citizen University in Seattle. It runs something called Civic Saturdays, a gathering built like a church service, with singing, and readings, and a sermon.
His forthcoming book is “Live Like a Citizen: 8 Ways to Change Your Mindset and Our Country”. He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss what it means to be a good citizen after the voting booth closes.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org.
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Aug. 4 is voting day for the Michigan primary. WDET will be working hard to keep you up-to-date on races and results that will determine the ballot come November.
Our journalists are monitoring local and national races, with special attention to the Democratic U.S. senate primary and the races for Michigan’s gubernatorial candidates. We’re also following U.S. House races, with a focus on districts 12 and 13.
Follow along to see election results as they are announced. Polls close at 8 p.m.
The post Michigan primary coverage continues appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
Michigan Democrats sent an unmistakable message Tuesday: They are tired of wealthy donors, corporate interests, party insiders, and outside groups deciding which candidates are acceptable.
The post Michigan progressives showed establishment Democrats the door appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
A section of Detroit spanning parts of Midtown, Corktown, and Southwest Detroit could soon be represented by an unusually powerful collection of progressive elected officials, from City Hall and the Michigan Legislature to both chambers of Congress.
The post This section of Detroit could soon have one of America’s most progressive delegations appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) celebrated the completion of a $40 million stormwater development on Detroit’s westside Thursday.
The Far West Detroit Stormwater Improvement Project is the department’s largest green stormwater infrastructure plan.
DWSD Deputy Director Sam Smalley says the new system will push more than 100 million gallons of water to the Rouge River.
“This this feature provides filtering and settling, so there are actually water quality standards for the stormwater that we discharge, so it’s cleaner water faster. So we either slow the water down or better yet get it out of the system altogether.”
The sewer network will move stormwater through to two new detention basins in Rouge Park for filtering and slow down water before discharging it into the Rouge River.
Smalley says the new infrastructure will make the 1,200 homes nearby more resilient to weather related basement flooding.
Detroit health care and education leader Iris Taylor has died. She was 74.
A lifelong city resident, Taylor worked in health care for 45 years, serving as CEO of Detroit Receiving Hospital. She also helped shape the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as the health department’s head of nursing.
Taylor was also a member and former president of the Detroit school board. Mayor Mary Sheffield calls Taylor one of the city’s most dedicated and impactful servant leaders.
Residents in Detroit’s Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood are complaining about drivers parking in bike lanes on Grand River.
Bike lanes were installed on Grand River between Woodward and McNichols in 2019.
The road falls under the Michigan Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction. However, the state says the city is responsible for maintaining bike lanes.
Detroit Police say they are planning to deploy officers in the neighborhood next week to ticket anyone parked illegally.
The Michigan Department of State reports a turnout rate of 11.3% of all active registered voters who have already cast their ballot a week ahead of the primary election.
More than 800,000 residents have voted with a mail in or absentee ballot and over 30,000 cast their ballot at an early voting site. Compared to the same time in 2022, the number of mail ballot requests have increased 58.8%.
Early voting will continue through Sunday. Mail in ballots must be received by clerks no later than 8 p.m. on election night, Tuesday, Aug. 4.
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A powerful collection of corporate interests, developers, utility-linked organizations, pro-Israel political donors, Republican backers, and secretive nonprofits is pouring money into a closely watched Democratic state Senate primary in Detroit and Downriver.
The post This Democratic Detroit Senate primary has attracted utilities, developers, Republican backers, Zionists, and plenty of dark money appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
WDET is gathering Metro Detroiters’ views of the current political landscape as part of our Citizen Vox project.
That includes Detroiter George Thompson, who we caught up with at a Midtown QLINE streetcar stop.
He says he knows citizens are supposed to have the ultimate political power: their vote.
But Thompson says he fears the typical resident has little say in what government does.
Listen: Detroiter says high prices limit the chance to pursue the American Dream
Interview edited for length and clarity.
George Thompson: Because a lot of times decisions are made from behind closed doors, where people are not allowed to go in to hear what’s going on, or pass on their opinion and try to persuade. It’s all about whoever got the political movements to make the money to give to the politicians to do the decisions that they want them to do. It’s big business. So, basically, whoever’s got the money can run it. Whoever got the money, the connections and know the people within the circle, they got the power to make whatever happens in this country happen.
Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: Whoever is elected to any of the offices in play, senate, governor, etc., what issues would you like to see them tackle that would be particularly important to you?
GT: Anything dealing with human rights, man, and human welfare. Giving people an opportunity to live the American dream, work hard and fulfill their dreams, hopes, and desires. A man’s home is his castle. So a man needs a place to stay. He needs to be working somewhere so he can take care of the place, raise a family to be productive citizens of this country, and live the American dream that was set for us when the founding fathers founded this country.
But right now it ain’t about that. Because if you look around, you see people who are hungry, people who are struggling, gas prices are out of control. People can’t really enjoy life like they should be. You take a pay check in one hand and it goes out the other. Inflation’s going up, but the checks ain’t going up along with it. So we’re going through some hard times right now. And it seems that nobody is really trying to help to fulfill that for us.
QK: When you talk about helping with the American dream, is there anything in particular that you’d like to see? Lowering prices somehow, trying to get more affordable housing, things like that?
GT: One thing is, before we help other countries, man, we got to make sure our country is up to par. Because we got issues and problems that we need to address seriously to help our country be strong enough so that we can be able to help others. How are we gonna help somebody with a flat tire and we got four flat tires?
There are people out here who don’t want to work, I understand that. But people who are looking for something, help them find enough minimum wage to attain some of the things that they desire in life. Shoot, I remember when rent prices were like $450. Now it’s double and triple that for the same place.
We are still making $14, $12, $10 an hour. And they think that’s supposed to be enough to attain a nice decent apartment or a roof over our head for our family. But it’s not. We struggling, man. And it’s hard. Gas prices are going up. There’s more problems now than ever. Everything just went crazy, man. It makes no sense. You give us something, then you triple up everything else to get the money back. And that’s not right. Not right at all.
The post Citizen Vox: Detroiter says high prices limit the chance to pursue the American Dream appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
A union representing hundreds of Wayne County sheriff’s deputies has endorsed Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate, giving the progressive Democrat an answer to opponents who have sought to portray him as hostile to law enforcement.
The post So much for ‘anti-cop:’ Sheriff’s deputies line up behind El-Sayed appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.
Democratic voters in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District have a choice in the 2026 primary election: re-elect incumbent Rashida Tlaib or pick someone new.
Tlaib is seeking her fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She’ll have to defeat two challengers whose names appear on the August ballot. One is former state lawmaker Shanelle Jackson of Detroit. The other is Inkster Mayor Byron Nolen.
WDET’s Pat Batcheller asked the candidates why they’re running. Tlaib says she loves her constituents and wants to keep serving them.
“They want somebody that’s unbought and unapologetic,” she says. “Getting people through everyday challenges and issues is as important as any bill I could ever pass because it changed lives immediately.”
Tlaib was born and raised in Detroit, the eldest of 14 children whose ancestors are Palestinian.
“I was always protecting my siblings and even my mother as I would translate for her at the cashier counter,” she says.
Tlaib put herself through law school, worked at the Sugar Law Center, and served in the Michigan House of Representatives for six years. She became interested in politics as an aide to her legislative predecessor, Steve Tobocman.
“He said, ‘I’ll teach you how to kill a bill,'” she recalls. “When he was term-limited out, he asked me to run.”
As a state lawmaker, and then as a congresswoman, Tlaib has been outspoken on many issues, such as immigration. Many of her constituents are immigrants who live in southwest Detroit, where she grew up. She also represents Dearborn, which has a large Arab American and Muslim population. Tlaib has criticized the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants regardless of their legal status. She wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We’re getting complaints over and over that they’re deporting U.S. citizens,” she says. “We can have a comprehensive, very humane, and fair immigration system without this aggressive, very violent, militarized agency.”
Tlaib has been Washington’s most vocal critic of Israel and its war in Gaza, which has killed thousands of Palestinians. Israel says it’s defending itself from terrorist groups such as Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 people in Israel on October 7, 2023.
Tlaib has voted against giving financial aid or weapons to Israel. And she doesn’t apologize for it.
“More of my colleagues are joining in now,” she says. “We’re talking about over 100 now who also support ending the funding.”
Tlaib’s primary opponents say she spends too much time focusing on Israel and foreign policy than she does working for her constituents. One challenger, former state lawmaker Shanelle Jackson, called Tlaib ineffective, saying Congress has only passed one of her bills in eight years.
Tlaib says that’s not true. She says the House passed several bills she sponsored, including a federal water assistance program.
“I was able to get $1.1 billion to help families get their water turned back on,” she says. “And $68 million back to the district through the community-funded projects from the Boys and Girls Clubs for home repair.”
Tlaib agrees with Jackson and her other challenger, Inkster Mayor Byron Nolen, that affordability is a big issue in the 12th district. But she says it’s about more than just the cost of gasoline, food, and housing—it’s greed.
“The big banks, the corporations, the industries, all of them are extracting from our federal government and pulling all these resources away,” she says. “It’s all profit-driven, and it leaves a lot our families in survivor mode.”
Tlaib blames President Trump for much of the nation’s problems. He is one of Tlaib’s biggest critics. If House Democrats regain the majority in the 2026 midterm elections, Tlaib says she won’t back down during his final two years in office. And she resists her opponents’ calls to compromise with Republicans.
“How do you compromise with a fascist government that thinks my neighbors’ votes should count or that polluting their communities is OK?” she asks. “I push back no matter how unpopular it is.”
Whoever wins the primary election will likely win the general election in November because the 12th district is a Democratic stronghold. Voting ends on August 4.
Meet the other candidates for the 12th Congressional District:
The post Rashida Tlaib seeks fifth term in Congress appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
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