NOVEMBER 2018
The Western Michigan University Office of Government Affairs
manages the network and works on behalf of WMU
to strengthen relationships with state, federal, and local policy makers.
UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Thursday, Nov. 22 and Friday, Nov. 23--Thanksgiving recess. No classes

  • Saturday, Dec. 1--WMU Day at the Kettles--WMU community invited to participate in this community service project. Register online as a group or an individual, or call Morgan Burnson, Salvation Army, at (269) 344-6119, ext. 209.

General Election Wrap Up

Record voter turnout and the mood of the electorate

To the relief of many citizens, the seemingly prolonged 2018 election cycle ended earlier this month. With every seat open from the governor to county commissioners, the election promised to bring a great amount of change to the political landscape. Almost 4.3 million Michiganders headed to the polls — a 57 percent participation rate and a million more voters than the last gubernatorial election — the highest midterm turnout rate since 1970 .

This election was reported by the media as seeming more personal and visceral, with pockets of the electorate declaring they were very purposefully voting to send a clear message: “We’re showing up.” It appears that sentiment was particularly strong among women, which was underscored by the significant increase in their numbers heading to the Michigan Senate—11—compared to the four women currently serving as senators. Arguably, the passing of all three of the ballot proposals contributed to increased voter turnout.
Flipped seats and the swing of the pendulum

Michiganders love change, and after eight years of a Republican administration, the pendulum swung back to the Democratic side. When the state legislature comes back into session in January 2019, Michigan will have a new Democratic governor, secretary of state, and attorney general—Gretchen Whitmer, Jocelyn Benson and Dana Nessel, respectively. Two of Michigan’s contested U.S. congressional seats flipped from Republican to Democrat, and incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow won a fourth term. 

It was an exciting election for Democrats statewide, no doubt, but the elusive Michigan House and Senate remained just that—elusive—Democratic efforts were thwarted once again. In an election evening that provided less for the GOP to celebrate than hoped for the party collectively breathed a sigh of relief by successfully defending both chambers, albeit with smaller majorities. The specter of President Trump has always loomed present throughout this election, with votes cast almost as much for or against him as the actual candidate. In perhaps a subtle (or overt) recognition of that dynamic, Governor Snyder issued a statement congratulating Whitmer and her family, urging “all Michiganders to join me in committing to a spirit of civility, unity, collaboration and teamwork to ensure Michigan continues on the right path toward our promising future."

The 2018 mid-term election produced an interesting narrative that should have both parties pondering
the state of “politics” in Michigan: 

  • Has the long-standing Republican stronghold of Oakland County officially turned blue? 

  • Has the Upper Peninsula, traditionally comprised of hard working, “blue dog” Democrats gone red? 

  • Is President Trump a political enigma that has temporarily thrown Michigan (and most of the country) into an altered plane of consciousness, only to find the electorate swing back to “traditional” leanings in future elections? 
U.S. Congress

In yet another example of women running the tables, the hotly contested 8th and 11th Congressional races both flipped to Democratic control. Democrat Elissa Slotkin toppled incumbent Republican Congressman Mike Bishop in a hotly contested race, with just over 13,000 votes separating the two candidates. In perhaps a less competitive match-up, Democrat Haley Stevens is heading to D.C. having secured 50.2 percent of the vote compared to Republican Lena Epstein, who garnered 46.5 percent. Of note, the 8th congressional race drew 122,024 more overall votes than the 11th, a sign illustrating just how energized this particular district was. 

Michigan House of Representatives

Despite losing every statewide administrative office up for grabs, Republicans had much to celebrate in the early hours on the day after the election—they maintained control of the State House. Democrats needed to flip nine seats to take control—a Herculean feat even in a solid Democratic year. Although the Republican majority in the house shrank from 63 to 58, they were able to flip one Democratic seat to red: the 110th in the Upper Peninsula. 

Michigan Senate 

The Senate has enjoyed Republican control for more than 30 years, but many thought their reign was coming to an end after key Senate seats began flipping blue in a night that saw Democrats making strong legislative inroads. However, Republicans were able to maintain control of the Senate with a 22-16 majority. The Democratic charge was led by a handful of women who made impressive statements by flipping long-standing Republican seats. Democrat Mallory McMorrow unseated incumbent Republican Marty Knollenberg in Oakland County’s 13th; political newcomer Rosemary Bayer beat current Rep. Mike McCready by 935 votes in the 14th, and in perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening, Democrat Dayna Polehanki beat Republican Rep. Laura Cox in Wayne County’s 7th district.  
Dems capture all three administrative positions 

Governor 

While Attorney General Bill Schuette in the race for governor won the majority of 83 counties, Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer swept the five largest counties (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent and Genesee). Whitmer seemed to be in command of this race from the beginning. Her message of “fixing the damn roads,” access to healthcare, and funding education seemed to align universally with the electorate in the “year of the woman.” After two terms of Republican control, Schuette needed a message that would energize the electorate. Unfortunately, his “paycheck agenda” fell resoundingly short. Voters were looking for a broader vision for Michigan’s future. Whitmer took more than 50 percent of the vote, and Schuette underperformed in the traditionally Republican strong-holds of Oakland and Kent Counties. 

Attorney General

This race was the most competitive, with both candidates taking turns holding the lead as votes were tallied. Democrat Dana Nessel captured the position running against Speaker of the House Tom Leonard (R). When she is sworn in on January 1, 2019, Nessel will become Michigan’s second female attorney general, the first Democrat to hold the position in 16 years, and the first openly gay person to serve in a statewide executive position.

Secretary of State

Former Wayne State Law School Dean Jocelyn Benson is Michigan’s first Democratic secretary of state in 24 years. She beat CPA and business professional Republican Mary Treder Lang by more than 82,000 votes. Benson’s two main campaign promises that resonated with the voters was to have a secretary of state who works as hard as “you” and guaranteed delivery of service in 30 minutes or less at branch offices. 
Michigan says yes to all three ballot proposals

Proposal 1 — Proposed Initiated Law for the Legalization of Recreational Marijuana --Michigan became the first state in the Midwest to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for individuals at least 21 years or older. Proposal 2018-1 received roughly 57 percent of the statewide vote. The responsibility to regulate recreational marijuana in the state will fall to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Ten days after the election is certified, marijuana will be legal for adults to possess and cultivate at home. Businesses regulated to sell recreational marijuana will open by 2020.
 
Proposal 2 — Redistricting Proposal “dubbed” Voters Not Politicians-- Voters across the state declared they would decide how legislative and congressional districts would be drawn beginning with the 2020 census. Proposal 18-2 won by an overwhelming margin, making Michigan the first state east of the Mississippi River to have adopted a citizen’s commission for redistricting. The proposal will replace the current system of the legislature drawing district lines with one using a 13-member citizen commission (four Republicans, four Democrats and five Independents) who are not elected officials, former candidates for partisan office, or members of their families. Michigan joins 13 other states that utilize a citizen commission for drawing plans. Read more on the National Conference of State Legislators website .

Proposal 3–Voting Access-- Michigan voters approved changes to the voting process by passing Proposal 18-3 by a 2 to 1 margin. The proposal amends the constitution to bring back the straight ticket voting option that Governor Rick Snyder and the Republican-led legislature had eliminated in statute. Beginning in 2020, Michigan voters will again have the option of making a single mark on their ballot for candidates running in their party of choice. Voters will also be able to:

  • Register to vote as late as Election Day and still be eligible to vote in that election.

  • Cast an absentee ballot as a voting option.
Split decisions on education boards

Three of the four races for the statewide education boards saw one Democrat and one Republican each win a seat, and in all four cases Democrats bolstered their numbers on the board. All eight seats up for grabs were Republican-held, meaning any Democratic win represented a flip of a seat.

On the State Board of Education , Republican Tami Carlone and Democrat Judith Pritchett won the two seats, moving the board from a 4-4 split to 5-3 Democratic.

For the University of Michigan Board of Regents , incumbent Republican Andrea Fischer Newman won re-election, but Democrat Jordan Acker ousted the other GOP incumbent, Andrew Richner, to move the board from 5-3 Democrat to a 6-2 majority.

The one Democratic sweep was at the Michigan State University Board of Trustees , where Democrats Brianna Scott and Kelly Tebay beat the Republican candidates, moving the board from 4-4 to 6-2 Democrat, and signaling a major change to that board's politics after the Larry Nassar scandal.

At the Wayne State University Board of Governors , incumbent Republican Diane Dunaskiss won re-election, but Democrat Bryan Barnhill ousted the other Republican incumbent, David Nicholson. That moves the board from a 5-3 Democratic majority to 6-2.
WMU partners with Benton Harbor schools to boost student achievement

Under a five-year agreement signed earlier this month, leaders of Benton Harbor Area Schools will engage Western Michigan University school-reform experts to support the K-12 district's efforts to boost student academic achievement. WMU College of Education and Human Development and BHAS officials expect to collaborate on a number of school-improvement initiatives. Proposed measures include stationing a WMU school-transformation specialist at the district to provide expertise and to coordinate projects on site.

The college's dean, Dr. Ming Li, says that WMU can also provide enhanced professional development for teachers and recruit and train up a cadre of additional highly qualified professionals to teach in critical areas of need, particularly mathematics, science and special education. Read more at WMU News .
WMU MLK Day efforts lauded by national publication

Diversity and inclusion efforts underway at Western Michigan University helped it earn recognition for the sixth year in a row from a national publication that focuses on diversity in higher education.

WMU was one of 96 institutions from around the nation named an annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity—HEED—honoree by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. WMU has been honored by the publication each year since 2013. The University was recognized for the efforts of its Martin Luther King Jr. Committee which coordinates numerous events, including for high school and middle school students, as well as community reflections and a commemorative walk--all with a social justice theme. Read more at WMU News .
Raise Capitol awareness of WMU

Many new legislators will be sworn in to office in early January 2019.The University’s success in securing its fair share of public dollars in the state capitol is the result of strong relationships with legislators—particularly in Southwest Michigan—who make a difference in Lansing.

Friends of WMU is a grassroots, bipartisan state political action committee of Broncos helping Broncos, which was established to promote the interests of WMU. A donation to Friends of WMU at this critical time will help establish positive relationships in a number of these seats and in promoting WMU to a broad array of stakeholders. Learn how you can become more engaged as a WMU on the Friends of WMU website .