Michigan Democrats currently have a trifecta in state government — with control of the state House of Representatives, Senate and governor’s office. But as November approaches, questions about whether Democrats can maintain their two-seat Majority in the House loom. On this episode of MichMash, host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben and Zach Gorchow analyze which state House races could potentially tip the scale.

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In this episode:

• Different strategies for winning votes
• Michigan Democrat’s trifecta in state government
• Top House races likely to flip

As Michigan House Democrats work to maintain their 56-54 majority, campaign ads are working overtime to help Republicans win back enough seats to gain control.

While TV and radio ads are effective, they can also be costly, and Gorchow and Kasben shared how one of the strategies to win votes could be good ole door-to-door petitioning.

“If you are a really aggressive door-to-door candidate, you can go to every registered voter’s house two to three times during the course of an election cycle. That’s free. You don’t have to spend a million dollars on television for that,” said Gorchow. “You just need a good pair of shoes. And it’s really effective.”

When the legislature and the governor are controlled by the same party we’ve seen large changes to gun laws, abortion rights, etc. Some Democrats are sharing fears that if they lose the trifecta in state government, all the legislative work they’ve done will go to waste. However, many Republicans criticize that agenda as steamrolling rather than working for bipartisan solutions in legislation.

Whoever wins control, Kasben says, it “completely changes the landscape for the next two years.”

The general election is Nov. 5, 2024.

More from WDET:

• What’s shaping Michigan’s Latino electorate ahead of the elections
• State leaders fight election misinformation with new Democracy Defense Project branch
• How do we navigate the modern political climate peacefully?

More from Gongwer:

• Some stability, some movement in top 10 House races likely to flip

A group of former state GOP politicians, staffers and consultants announced Thursday that they are endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for President.

Many members of the group are well-known in state GOP circles and say they hope to move enough other Republicans to vote Democratic to make a difference in the swing state of Michigan.  

Former Congressman Dave Trott, who represented southeast Michigan in the U.S. House from 2015 to 2019, said Republican nominee Donald Trump was a disappointment as president and poses a danger if returned to the White House.

“He’s emotionally, intellectually, psychologically and, of course, morally unfit to be president,” Trott said during an online news conference.

Trott said he voted for Trump in 2016 but then for President Joe Biden four years later. Trott said the Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election result confirmed his judgment.

“Now Trump is more dangerous than ever,” Trott said. “He promised to be a dictator on day one. He’s called for the termination of our Constitution. Let me repeat, a candidate for president in this country has called for terminating our Constitution.”

Trott was referring to a December 2022 post on his social media site Truth Social complaining about the outcome of the 2020 election.

“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Trump said. Trump later tried to walk it back, but did not remove the post.

Members of the Michigan Republicans for Harris group say their differences with the Democratic nominee are minimal compared their fears about a second Trump presidency.

Long-time GOP strategist and advisor Bill Nowling said Trump mismanaged the economy and foreign policy when he was in office and on January 6th showed he is a threat to a stable democracy.

“We’ve been down this road before,” said Nowling. “We know where it ends. It ends in tyranny. It ends in protests. It ends in mobs taking over our illustrious capitol.”

The announcement of the Republican group’s support for Harris coincided with Trump’s campaign visit to Saginaw. The region is considered key to winning the battleground state of Michigan.               

Trump’s Michigan campaign spokesperson dismissed the announcement.

“Former Rep. Trott hasn’t been a Republican for years, and frankly no one cares what he says,” said Victoria LaCivita in an email. “Michigan families are worried about paying their bills, putting food on the table, and saving for their kids’ college tuition.

Any ‘Republican’ campaigning for another four years of unfettered illegal immigration and rising prices under Kamala Harris is neither Republican nor worth listening to.”

Michigan Republicans and Democrats exchanged barbs Monday over Chinese investment in the U.S. — and in Michigan in particular.

Michigan Republicans accused prominent state Democrats of providing a “safe zone” for companies fronting for the Chinese Communist party.

The criticism is tied to recent projects involving companies planning manufacturing investments in Michigan.

The main criticism involves a planned electric vehicle battery plant near Big Rapids. The company behind the project, Gotion, is a U.S.-based subsidiary of a Chinese company. The articles of association of the parent company say it must “carry out party activities in accordance with the constitution of the Communist party of China,” but a spokesperson for the company has said there’s distance between the Chinese government and the company’s business decisions.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former congressman Mike Rogers accused his Democratic opponent, Representative Elissa Slotkin, of playing a role in attracting the project to west Michigan.

“I can tell you as a member of Congress for those seven terms, never once — never once — did I see an elected official sign a non-disclosure agreement for any issue, let alone a company that is tied to the communist party of China,” said Rogers.

A spokesman for Democratic Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin called Rogers’ allegations a “false attack,” insisting Slotkin has never signed any agreement involving a project connected to the Chinese government.

Slotkin has introduced legislation giving the federal government additional authority to investigate Chinese-backed business dealings in the United States.

Democrats counter that Republicans are trying to distract from Rogers’ own history of working with U.S. companies that have partnered with Chinese businesses.

Rogers worked as a security advisor for AT&T and a risk analyst for Nokia (a Finnish company) while those companies had loose ties to the Chinese telecom company Huawei.

Rogers has defended his business dealings since leaving Congress, insisting his record shows he has long fought against Chinese intellectual property theft and other threats to the U.S.

Rogers and Slotkin are running to succeed retiring U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.

Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat could prove pivotal for deciding which party will control the Senate.