In this episode: 

• What are some of the key races to watch during the midterms?
• Which politicians might face a tough race?
• MichMash bids farewell to our most featured guest.

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

Control of the Michigan Legislature is on the line in this year’s midterm elections. As part of WDET’s weekly series, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss 10 races they believe could flip from one party to another. They are joined by Gongwer Assistant Editor Elena Durnbaugh, who covers the state House.

One of the topics heading into this election is whether the national political environment will affect local results. Durnbaugh says that if it does, local politicians will need to respond accordingly.

“…the national environment, where we have a situation where we have a Republican president who is deeply unpopular. It’s a midterm. People are looking for change that means that if you’re a Republican in a seat, you’re going to have to work harder to keep it.”

Durnbaugh said politicians’ voting records and what they have done while in control of the Legislature could also push voters one way or another.

The November general election is Nov. 3, 2026.

More from WDET:

• How voters view vaccines could influence midterm elections
• Detroit Evening Report: Trump wants federal oversight of midterm elections, continues to deny 2020 results
• MI GOP Chair: Democrats’ ‘woke’ policies are good for Republicans in 2026 election

In this episode 

• What makes this gubernatorial race different from previous ones?
• Which candidates are drawing the most attention to their campaigns, and what could they do to win?
• How do sports and politics reflect each other?

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

With only a couple of months left until the midterms, Michigan’s gubernatorial candidates are trying to build support in their bids to become the state’s next governor. This week on WDET’s MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss how this race for governor differs from previous ones.

They are joined by Andrea Bitely, founder of the public relations firm Bitely Communications.

The race drawing the most attention in Michigan so far is the U.S. Senate race between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers. As for the gubernatorial race between Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and U.S. Rep. John James, Bitely says it isn’t garnering the same level of attention.

“The gubernatorial race is potentially the most boring gubernatorial race in the history of gubernatorial races.”

Bitely continued by saying that after Mayor Mike Duggan dropped out, the race lost some of its interest for her.

“I think it got a lot more boring on May 21st [2026]. But maybe that’s just the the Duggan campaign staffer in me coming out.”

May 21 was the day Duggan dropped out of the race for governor.

Bitely concluded that to draw more attention to the gubernatorial race and their respective campaigns, the candidates need more rallies and events, along with a resounding message that sticks with voters.

The midterm elections are Nov. 3.

More from WDET:

• MichMash: Abdul El-Sayed makes his case for the Michigan US Senate seat
• MichMash: Live from Lansing
• MichMash: Why Mike Duggan dropped out, plus court ruling could affect funding

Tomorrow marks 25 years since the twin towers came down. That day, before people mourned, they were in shock.

What came next reshaped this country. The Patriot Act. Two wars. Here at home, a registration program fingerprinted, photographed and questioned more than 80,000 men and boys largely from Muslim-majority countries. It didn’t produce a single terrorism conviction.

Meanwhile, reported hate crimes against Muslims jumped seventeenfold in one year. They have never returned to where they were.

Almost none of that machinery was ever dismantled. So, we’re wondering how has American politics changed — and how hasn’t it — since September of 2001.

Ali Harb is a freelance journalist based in Washington D.C. He covers American politics, U.S. foreign policy, and politics in the Middle East. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Is money corrupting Michigan’s politics?

According to a Politico poll, 72% of Americans say there’s too much money in politics. Respondents said special interest spending leads to corruption that should be restricted. 

In Michigan, a local campaign believes residents can have a stronger, more representative democracy if political spending by some big-time actors is limited.

The Michiganders for Money Out of Politics measure, which is now on the November ballot, would change some aspects of how money gets into the hands of politicians and political candidates. 

Voters decide Nov. 3, though opponents have asked the Michigan Supreme Court to block it.

Sean McBrearty is the executive committee co-chair for the Michiganders for Money out of Politics campaign.  He spoke with producer and host Robyn Vincent about what happens if the ballot measure passes.

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.

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Detroit voters created a board of civilian commissioners in 1974 with the power to investigate their own police department. Eleven members. Its own staff of investigators.

Since May, those investigators can no longer pull body camera video themselves. The cops can edit the footage and decide what’s relevant. 

Victoria Camille represents District Seven on the oversight board. She’s circulating a petition to get that access back. And Thursday afternoon, she was prepared to vote on whether Detroiters can still speak to her board from home.

Commissioner Camille spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about what the police oversight board can actually do to hold cops accountable and whether some of its power has weakened.

Editor’s Note: After this segment aired, the motion to limit public comment options to solely in-person attendees was rescinded. 

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Since the pandemic, Michigan schools have faced a persistent problem: Students are not showing up enough to class. 

In Detroit public schools, the chronic absenteeism rate has been higher than the rest of the state’s. Recently, that number has been decreasing.

In just one school year, chronic absenteeism dropped 10 percentage points. Even in comparison with other high-poverty school districts, a recent report shows Detroit public schools have been the most effective in the state at boosting attendance rates. 

Why? And, should other school districts take note of what’s happening in Detroit’s schools?

Jeremy Singer is an assistant professor of education policy and leadership at University of Michigan-Flint, and does research with Wayne State. He helped write that report, and spoke about it with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Michigan is in the national spotlight. 

That’s in part because of the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. If Democrats lose, their path to a Senate majority all but closes.

The race can tell us a lot about the direction of the Democratic Party — what is seen as acceptable to voters, and what appears too extreme. 

That’s because trends here represent things happening elsewhere, in places where manufacturing is declining but still deemed important, where wages are stagnating, and where younger people are leaving in hopes of finding greener pastures in other states. 

So, how should we be looking at the Senate race between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers? What does it tell us about the politics of the median Michigan voter? And what does it say about the kinds of politics that are possible. 

Adrian Hemond is the CEO of the bipartisan advocacy firm, Grassroots Midwest. He’s also a longtime Democrat. He spoke with The Metro‘s Sam Corey.

Editor’s Note: In this conversation, Adrian Hemond said Dr. Abdul El-Sayed has associated with people who have committed acts of antisemitism. He did not name anyone on air, and we did not press him to at the time. We should have. WDET asked Hemond afterward for specifics and reviewed what he provided. None of it involved conduct by Dr. El-Sayed, and we found no evidence supporting the claim as stated. We should not have let it air unchallenged.

An earlier version of this note included material that did not meet our editorial standards.

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In this episode: 

• Why did the flint water crisis report come out now?
• Citizenship voting proposal blocked from Michigan ballot.
• Controversial UP copper mine gets $50M in state grants after years of trying.

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

Ballot proposal drama, the significance of a report on the Flint water crisis and mixed feelings about funding for a copper mine. There was a lot to cover this week.

On MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben break down the week’s major headlines with The Detroit News’ Beth LeBlanc.

One of the main headlines was Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urging lawmakers to send new versions of nine vetoed bills to her this fall. LeBlanc says she understands the move but doesn’t think it will succeed.

“Those nine bills passed through a Democratic trifecta. Right now, the makeup of the House and Senate is very different. Matt Hall held up these bills for a year, and many in his caucus don’t agree with these bills. I don’t really know if they have any chance of getting to the governor at this point,” LeBlanc said.

The governor received a lot of pushback when she vetoed the bills nearly six weeks ago.

More from WDET:

• MichMash: Whitmer clashes with state Democrats after vetoing bills; MEDC revives economic development incentive
• Detroit Evening Report: EPA lifts emergency order on Flint drinking water
• MichMash: Flint water criminal prosecutions ends with no charges, frustrated residents

Wayne County has reported its first human case of West Nile virus this year.

The Wayne County Public Health Division says the person who contracted the mosquito-borne illness does not live in the county.

Chief Medical Health Officer Avani Sheth reminds residents that mosquito season is not over. She recommends limiting time outdoors at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active, and removing standing water from properties, where mosquitoes can breed.

Hip-Hop Theater Festival comes to Detroit this weekend

Detroit-based music artist collective Beat Rhymes Everything Detroit, or BRED, is hosting the Hip-Hop Theater Festival this weekend.

The event is the culmination of a 16-day period in which playwrights came together to create four new plays inspired by narrative hip-hop songs.

The festival will feature a hip-hop improv showcase, a hip-hop family hour and an all-ages play.

The festival runs Aug. 28-30 at the Hilberry Gateway, 4715 Cass Ave. in Detroit. Events begin at 7 p.m. Aug. 28.

For more information, visit hip-hop-theater-fest.com.

Art on the Avenue celebrates Detroit art, design and culture

A celebration of art, design, culture and community is coming to Detroit’s historic Livernois Avenue of Fashion on Sept. 5.

Art on the Avenue 2026 will bring galleries, artists, creative businesses and retailers together along the corridor for exhibitions, art showcases, live entertainment and more.

Participating galleries include Jo’s Gallery, Sherwood Forest Art and Art in Motion.

More information is available on the events page at Detroit Month of Design.

Kroger plans two new metro Detroit stores

Kroger is investing $73.5 million to build two new metro Detroit stores in Dearborn and Commerce Township.

Both stores are set to open in 2027 and will replace existing nearby Kroger locations. Together, the new stores are expected to employ roughly 350 people.

The Dearborn store will be located at Ford Road and Mercury Drive and will replace the Kroger at 15255 Michigan Ave. It is expected to open in June 2027.

A third Kroger proposed as part of a mixed-use development in Royal Oak is awaiting full municipal approval.

I-696 access to I-75 to be restored

Access from westbound I-696 to I-75 is expected to be restored Aug. 31.

Motorists traveling westbound on I-696 will regain access to both the northbound and southbound I-75 ramps.

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, both directions of I-696 and associated ramps are expected to reopen by the end of the year.

Additional work is planned along both sides of I-696 between I-75 and Dequindre Road in 2027.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed ran the health departments of both Detroit and Wayne County. Three weeks ago he won a U.S. Senate primary by roughly 15,000 votes statewide, and lost Detroit by nearly 2-1.

Seven miles away in Dearborn and Hamtramck, he took 78 and 82%, respectively.

In Detroit, fewer people voted in this primary than in 2016: About 98,000, which is down from 126,000.

So the question in front of him now isn’t only whether Detroit residents will vote for him — it’s whether Detroit residents will turn out to vote.

Bishop James Williams is founder and senior pastor of Spirit and Truth Christian Ministries, and second vice president of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity— a group that supported Dr. El-Sayed during the primary. He joined host Robyn Vincent to speak about what his congregants make of the U.S. Senate race, and how their political preferences have been shifting.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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A week ago, the Dearborn City Council moved its meeting to the public library because they expected a crowd. Police were outside in riot gear. Wayne County sent officers on horses. By the next morning, 22 people had been arrested from across Michigan, and from as far as New York and Tennessee.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told the council his own daughter didn’t go to daycare that day. Some businesses stayed closed. Sports practices were rescheduled.

What brought all this on was a man with a megaphone who told the council that Muslims had come here to steal, and that their time in this country was running short.

Jake Lang doesn’t hold office. But his words are not far from the ones spoken by people who do. Three weeks ago, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. Within hours, a sitting U.S. Senator called him a terrorist. A sitting congresswoman called every Muslim holding public office in America “a Trojan horse.”

Last year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, logged over 8,600 complaints nationwide, more than in any year since the group started counting in 1996. In Michigan, the chapter recorded nearly 500 — also a record, up 25% from the year before. These are complaints people brought to an advocacy group, not hate crimes confirmed by police. But they’re climbing, and they have been for three years running.

Amy Doukoure is the lead staff attorney for CAIR-Michigan, a nonprofit dedicated to combatting anti-Muslim hate locally. She spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why anti-Muslim hate is rising, and what can be done to stop it.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

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What should we make of the climate movement’s accomplishments over the last decade?

On one side, the Inflation Reduction Act and Chips and Science Act helped distribute clean energy across the country. Those policies dropped solar prices — 90% over the last decade. Battery storage costs fell by the same amount from 2010 to 2020. 

But the Green New Deal never passed, and many Republicans in Michigan and across the U.S. are against a clean energy transition. President Donald Trump has consistently said climate change isn’t real and the world continues to warm at a rapid clip. 

Jay Inslee has been at the center of the climate movement. He was governor of Washington for three terms, and a presidential candidate in 2020 when he pushed Democrats to take climate change more seriously. 

What does he make of our climate politics today? And where should the climate movement go next?

The Metro’s Sam Corey recently spoke with Inslee when he was in town stumping for Jocelyn Benson in her bid for governor.

The Metro has reached out multiple times to the campaign for Republican John James for governor. They have not yet given us a time when the candidate is available to join us.

A few notes about this conversation:

Inslee mentioned a Washington ballot measure on climate that won 62 percent of the vote. That was a 2024 vote on whether to scrap the state’s climate program — the one that makes big polluters pay for what they emit. Voters chose to keep it.

He also cited a Washington vote on electric school buses. That wasn’t a ballot measure — it was a bill, passed by the Legislature in 2024.

He said President Trump’s White House construction and renovation projects will cost $800 million. According to Reuters, those projects are now more than $900 million.

Inslee said that 80% of rural voters supported a clean energy ballot initiative in Washington. We could not verify that.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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This has been a hard moment for many Jewish people. Antisemitism has been on the rise, and Americans’ views of Israel are now mostly negative. 

Those are big changes. And they’re translating into political shifts. 

It’s unknown how a majority of liberal Jewish residents voted during the Democratic Senate Primary. But a lot of older Jews are unsure of how to vote now that Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic nominee. Do they support him or do they vote for Republican Mike Rogers?

This question carries weight beyond the election itself. It represents larger quandaries about what it means to be Jewish, about what antisemitism actually is, and about whether one can feel warmth toward Israel while being critical of its government.

Andy Levin organized for unions and served as president of his synagogue before running for office. His uncle, Carl Levin, served 36 years in the U.S. Senate, and his father, Sander Levin, served 36 in the House of Representatives. Andy Levin won his father’s seat in 2018 and held it for four years. Then redistricting put him in a primary against Congresswoman Haley Stevens. A super PAC tied to AIPAC spent more than $4 million to beat him, and it worked.

Levin spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why he’s supporting El-Sayed, and why many Jewish Metro Detroiters are struggling in this political moment.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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In this episode 

• What comes with the federal education freedom tax credits?
• How many states have opted into the tax credits already?
• The future of education for private, public, and home school students.

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

Governor Whitmer as well as governors across the country have a decision to make regarding a federal program in connection with the Reconciliation Program. This week on MichMash…WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow unpack the details of this program. They are joined by Prof Josh Cowen of Michigan State University and Peter Spadafore who leads the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity.

Cowen is known for being the nation’s leading critics of school voucher programs, but says this program is much different and offers real opportunities for public and private school students. “Unlike any other state voucher program that I have opposed…public school students can use this and they don’t have to exit the public schools to use it, there is a real revenue stream that is definitely available to public schools. That is not true for regular voucher programs.”

Spadafore, is against public schools oppose opting in to the credits because, ” It starts with a long standing opposition to any type of voucher program and this is unequivocally a voucher program. It’s public dollars for private schools. We stand in opposition to that. We have done so along with the voters of Michigan who have twice rejected these types of schemes alongside Governor Whitmer, who vetoed an education savings program that was passed by the legislature a few years back.”
Governor Whitmer hasn’t indicated whether she would make a decision to opt in during the last months of her tenure. 

• More from WDET:

  Michigan Primary 2024 Voter Guide: State House candidates running in metro Detroit

  Slotkin talks Medicaid cuts in GOP’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ voting against California EV mandate

  MichMash: Whitmer clashes with state Democrats after vetoing bills; MEDC revives incentive

In November, Ann Arbor voters will decide whether their city should build its own electric utility and stop buying power from DTE. A group funded by DTE is suing to stop the vote.

The man likely to be Ann Arbor’s next mayor wants the city to take over.

Yousef Rabhi is a Democratic Socialist. He beat 12-year incumbent Chris Taylor by 10 points — over the endorsements of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin — in a primary that was part of a bigger progressive wave.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won the U.S. Senate nomination. State Rep. Donavan McKinney beat a sitting congressman. Abbas Alawieh will likely be the first Arab American in the Michigan Senate.

Rabhi is a sitting Washtenaw County commissioner who spent six years in the state House. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why he ran for mayor, and how he wants to govern the city as a self-declared outsider.

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.

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“Terrorist.” “Trojan horse.” “Terrorist sympathizer.”

These are the words top Republican officials have used to describe Muslim Americans in public office since Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary two weeks ago. That’s following specific instructions from President Donald Trump about what Republicans should say to win the midterms.

In the days after El-Sayed’s win, anti-Muslim hate targeting him online rose twenty-fold. That’s according to the Center for the Study of Organized Hate. Researchers who track this say the language itself has shifted: from calling Muslims a terror threat to calling them a threat to civilization. 

Last night, that rhetoric arrived in Dearborn. Self-described anti-Islamic activist Jake Lang and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell came to the city with a promised pig roast, timed to the city council meeting — which had been moved to the Henry Ford Centennial Library over safety concerns. Police made 22 arrests.

Photos by Isaiah Lopez, WDET

Jake Lang’s demonstration comes a week after an Alaska man was federally charged for threatening to kill Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.

The mayor has been answering this with something other than anger. Host Robyn Vincent spoke with Hammoud about what that message is, and how he’s working to keep Dearborn residents safe.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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The Gordie Howe International Bridge includes a mile and a half of cable and steel stretching across the Detroit River. The architect calls it a work of public art. It can be seen from around the city.

On the American side sits Delray and parts of Southwest Detroit — neighborhoods that have long sat in the shadow of heavy industry.

The bridge was constructed in Delray for a reason: The area had a lot of vacant, publicly owned land available at low prices. Many residents didn’t want it there. Once it was clear the bridge was coming, they organized, and negotiated a $45 million community benefits agreement, including home repairs, new windows and air systems, and a buyout for those who wanted to leave.

The Metro is asking: When a billion dollar project lands on a neighborhood that spent decades being overlooked — can it actually leave the people who live there better off? 

Paul Draus is a sociologist at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He’s been tracking how folks near the Gordie Howe International Bridge have been affected by its construction. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent.

One note: Professor Draus worked with a community park that received a donation from the bridge authority for a public sculpture a few years back.

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In this episode

• Key to some of the progressive wins in the most recent Michigan primaries
• What does it mean to be a democratic socialist?
• What chances do some progressive democrats have in the November election?

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

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.

More from WDET:

• The Metro: What Abdul El-Sayed learned from being outspent 11-1
• The Metro: What Republican candidates need to do to win Michigan
• Jerome Vaughn retires from WDET

It’s said that all politics is local. But these days, that doesn’t appear to be so true. Instead, a lot of it is national because that’s where the drama is — much of it at the hands of President Donald Trump. 

The Republicans who disagree with the president are more likely to lose during an election year. 

That’s why Trump’s endorsements for U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers and gubernatorial candidate John James matter so much. But who are these candidates outside of Trump’s endorsement? What do they stand for? And, what do they need to do to win come November?

Dennis Darnoi is the founder of Densar Consulting, based in Farmington. He often promotes Republican candidates. Darnoi spoke with host Robyn Vincent about the Republicans advancing to the general election in both the Senate and governor’s race.

Editor’s note: Our guest mischaracterized Abdul El-Sayed’s work on medical debt. As Wayne County health director, El-Sayed launched a program that set aside $7 million to erase up to $700 million in debt for 300,000 residents, buying it from providers at a bulk discount. Bridge Michigan reported in June that about $57.4 million has been settled so far, for roughly 83,000 residents, and that El-Sayed has overstated the program’s results on the campaign trail. The program is still active. Our guest also referred to a “$40 trillion budget deficit.” That figure describes the national debt, which is approaching $40 trillion. The federal deficit for fiscal year 2026 is projected at roughly $2 trillion.

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