Dr. Abdul El-Sayed will be the first Muslim to sit in the U.S. Senate. Getting there meant a campaign in which his faith was the argument against him — from his opponent, from members of Congress and from a president on a stage. Independent journalist Ali Harb spent the race in Michigan. He tells host Robyn Vincent what that kind of politics leaves behind after the counting stops.
New York Times columnist and Georgetown professor E.J. Dionne joins the show to discuss what Democrats have been doing right and what they'll have gotten wrong if they lose the midterms.
Two of eight seats are open this election cycle within the Michigan State Board of Education. WDET spoke to five candidates head of the Nov. 3 election.
MichMash preview's Michigan's midterm election alongside MLive's Dani James as well as Michigan Democratic Chair Curtis Hertel and Michigan Republican Cahri Jim Runestad.
Political activists on both sides of the aisle are reaching for a group of voters who are sometimes undecided, especially when it comes to the Senate race.
Gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson outlines her goals for the position, emphasizing affordability, education, relationships with Washington and AI safety nets for Michiganders.
El-Sayed has spent the better part of a year in barns, union halls, and kitchens in towns big and small across the state to pick up some support among independents and disenchanted conservative voters.
The gubernatorial race is hitting a critical point as we are less than a month away from the midterm elections. This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow discuss how campaign funds might make a difference in the race for governor.
We also have the second round of Big Deal, Little Deal!
Later in the episode, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson stops by to make her case for governor.
Benson said there is one reason why she believes she is the better candidate: “Our campaign is about 3 things: driving down costs, increasing wages, and ending corruption. To lead government to show up everywhere we don’t want it instead of where we need it. It really comes down to: who do we want the government to work for the people or the powerful?”
MichMash has reached out to Rep. John James for an interview, but he has declined.
The midterm elections will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
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The Wayne County Election is set to count the missing ballots in Hamtramck’s mayoral race tomorrow at noon.
The 37 absentee ballots were found in the city clerk’s office just days after the election. A Wayne County Circuit judge has ordered that the ballots must be counted despite a year-long legal battle.
Currently, Adam Alharbi is the mayor, contested by former Hamtramck city council member Muhith Mahmood.
Despite the results, Alharbi will continue to challenge Mahmood’s residency in a separate lawsuit. CBS News reports the recount could lead to three different possible outcomes: Alharbi retains the seat, Muhith wins the seat but is not able to get certified without the court’s approval or the seat becomes vacant.
A court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22 to review the developments.
Additional Headlines for Oct. 15, 2026
Anti-surveillance legislation put forward by Rashida Tlaib
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib introduced a bill to ban federal funding for surveillance products such as Flock Safety cameras as well as facial recognition technology.
Flock Safety says its automated license plate readers and other products have helped police catch criminals and lower crime. Inkster resident Charles Stephens says he originally thought the cameras could stop reckless driving on his street. Now he’s not so sure about that.
“They (drivers) run stop signs. There’s a playground right across the street. Some kids live two doors down. They run across the street to the playground…the camera doesn’t detect speed.”
Tlaib and other critics say authorities could use surveillance data to stalk people to stifle free speech.
Nuclear power plant plan approved
Federal regulators are approving a new plan to remove a fuel assembly at the Palisades nuclear plant in Southwest Michigan.
Holtec International owns the plant. It’s been working to bring Palisades back online after it went into decommissioning in 2022. As workers began to load fuel in the reactor in August, one fuel assembly tipped.
The company said it’ll need to retrieve the assembly from the reactor in order to load any more fuel. Some critics argued the plan creates new risks without understanding the root cause. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff say they found no significant hazards.
Get Out to Vote event
Get Out to Vote flyer.
The City of Detroit Department of Elections is hosting their Get Out to Vote event.
The Scarefest and voter event will take place at the Northwest Activities Center. That’s at 18100 Meyers Road, Detroit, MI.
People can vote that day, engage in family activities and receive resources & giveaways. It takes place on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Where politics is concerned, many are unhappy. A recent poll found roughly 80% of Americans think the country is in a crisis because we can’t agree with one another.
So how do we get out of it? The usual answer is the ballot box. Unfortunately, our elections systems don’t always incentivize change. That’s because America has a first-past-the-post electoral system, which means one winner for each seat.
If a candidate comes in second, they get nothing — no share of the power. A candidate only needs more votes than their opponent. They never need the people who disagree with them. Other countries hand out seats based on each party’s share of the vote. That forces parties to work together to govern.
As some see it, rewriting our state constitution is one way to break the gridlock. It’s on the ballot next month. If passed, Proposal 1 would trigger a constitutional convention next year.
Interestingly, groups across the political spectrum oppose it. Recent polling suggests most Michigan voters do, too.
Quinn Yeargain is the innagural 1855 Professor of the Law of Democracy at Michigan State University. He joined The Metro’s Robyn Vincent to discuss why he says he won’t vote in favor of the proposal, and how we can create a politics that works for people.
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 onApple Podcasts,Spotify,YouTube, orNPR, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org.
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Michigan’s secretary of state runs the offices that renew licenses and register cars. The same office also runs elections in the state.
Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist is one of two people running for the position.
Gilchrist was a software engineer who then ran and lost a bid for Detroit City Clerk in 2017. Since 2018, he’s been lieutenant governor for the state. Now, he’s running for secretary of state after leaving the governor’s race.
Why? How did Gilchrist’s role of lieutenant governor prepare him to be secretary of state? Gilchrist spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about this and more.
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 onApple Podcasts,Spotify,YouTube, orNPR, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org.
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One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.
A Detroit man was arrested Thursday for making threats against Mayor Sheffield.
Sterling Anthony Peters was charged after threatening Sheffield twice on Monday, Oct. 5. The first occurred when Peters entered the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center downtown, attempting to access Mayor Sheffield’s office.
When officers attempted to remove him, according to prosecutors, he threatened to “shoot up” the building.
Later, Peters entered the Detroit Police Headquarters, where he was promptly escorted out by officers. While they were doing so, he made another threat, this time to hurt Mayor Sheffield directly.
In court Thursday, Peters’ attorneys suggested he may be dealing with a mental health crisis, as he has recently faced a death in the family.
In a statement released Thursday, Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy asserted her zero-tolerance policy on threats of this nature.
“We will absolutely not tolerate threats to elected officials including our judges. These threats are on the rise and are extremely concerning. We will prove the charge in this case in court beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Peters was arraigned Thursday on one count of making a false report or threat of terrorism. He received a $50,000 bond and is currently on house arrest.
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Costs continue to rise in Michigan for things like gas, groceries and utilities
In March, a DTE rate hike increased bills by 4.6% for a typical customer. Two months later, a Consumers Energy rate hike also increased rates by 6.1%, its second electric increase in a year.
Recent rate hikes and power outages have spurred a lot of anger and frustration.
As some residents in Ann Arbor see it, one solution is to replace DTE with a city-owned utility.
A proposal on the November ballot would modify Ann Arbor’s city charter, clearing the way for a public municipal utility board.
Supporters say a city-owned utility would mean lower bills, more renewable energy, and fewer outages. Michigan already has about 20 city-owned electric utilities, including Chelsea, and Lansing.
How did we get to be here?
Getting Proposal E onto the ballot took a court battle.
In August, the Ann Arbor Responsible Energy Coalition sued the city, arguing the petitions fell short. DTE also paid for this group’s cost study. A Washtenaw County judge threw that case out. The Michigan Court of Appeals agreed last month.
Then, last week, Ann Arbor’s own city council voted 10-1 to oppose Proposal E and directed its city attorney to challenge it in court. Many residents at the council meeting were upset.
Why is Ann Arbor’s city council fighting a ballot question its own voters put there? And who gets to decide whether that vote counts?
Erica Briggs is an Ann Arbor city council member. She voted in favor of the resolution. She 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 onApple Podcasts,Spotify,YouTube,NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts
Support the podcasts you love.
One-of-a-kind podcasts from WDET bring you engaging conversations, news you need to know and stories you love to hear. Keep the conversations coming. Please make a gift today.
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