Disbelief, tactical missteps and possible lessons for the next campaign. These were the considerations shared by Michigan’s Democratic politicians in the immediate aftermath of this year’s election, which brought major losses to their party, with few bright spots — or rather blue spots — for them.
“I was prepared for the bad, but I wasn’t prepared for an all-out blow,” said state Rep. Kelly Breen, D-Novi, in the aftermath of Republicans’ victory in the state House. Breen said she fears the country has elected former President Donald Trump and feels the top of the presidential race is overshadowing Democrats’ battle for control of the state House and state legislature. “But I suspect a lot of people came out of the woodwork to vote in this race and this race alone,” Breen said. “I was hoping that women would come out to us more. I don’t know what happened. I just counted on people’s decency.”
Vice President Kamala Harris lost Michigan. But U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, defeated Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Brighton to win an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan. Democrats lost their majority in Michigan’s congressional delegation, but state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, won a competitive race to succeed U.S. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township. Democrats lost their majority in the state House but retained their majority on the Michigan Supreme Court.
State Rep. Joey Andrews, D-St. Joseph said the aftermath of the election is reminiscent of 2016, when Hillary Clinton lost to Trump. “We have to look inward first,” he said of Democrats, who he believes are responsible for Trump’s victory. ‘That’s up to us. We screwed that up.”
Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, said the presidential race was always going to be close. “When an election is this close, there are always a thousand different things you can do differently to win the election, right?” he said. “There will be a lot of analysis afterwards.”
Although Harris failed to win over Michigan and Democrats lost control of the state House, Tuesday’s results were not a blow or an indictment of the party’s current standing with voters, said state Rep. Phil Skaggs, D- Kentwood. “This is not a loss at a catastrophic level,” he said. He — like other Michigan Democratic politicians — singled out working-class people as a constituency that Democrats must work to achieve. “People were nostalgic for a pre-corona economy,” Skaggs said. “This was not a red tide.”
Economic reporting was a central theme of Trump’s campaign. But Democrats had a messaging problem, many Democrats said.
As Trump rallied around Michigan, he promised to improve the economy. Trump offered a host of policies, from raising tariffs on foreign products to cutting taxes on everything from Social Security, tips and car loans. But Trump provided no details on exactly how his economic policies would be implemented, or how the tax revenues that used to pay for things like Social Security would be recaptured.
State Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit, brought up federal initiatives for COVID-19 relief and infrastructure spending, as well as legislation Democrats have passed in Michigan, such as the retirement tax repeal. “I don’t think Democrats have sufficiently accomplished these points,” Carter said Wednesday. “The rescue plan, the COVID relief, it wasn’t just Democrats who benefited from it. There were companies that would have gone under, Republicans and Democrats.”
Andrews said Harris didn’t really offer an economic message. How would her down payment assistance proposal help someone who already owns a home, or how would her small business relief plan help someone who doesn’t have a business, Andrews asked.
While Democrats emphasized abortion rights, Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, a former state lawmaker and school board member, said the party’s message emphasized reproductive rights at the expense of “bread-and-butter issues” and a focus on solutions to tackle poverty. “Our party; they are tone deaf,” Gay-Dagnogo said. The right to abortion is important, but it does not account for the entirety of women’s health problems, she said. Gay-Dagnogo places most of the blame on unspecified white women in the state party, who she says favor messaging that emphasizes reproductive rights at the expense of other issues and empowers out-of-state operatives to make decisions which should be reserved for grassroots activists in the state party. cities like Detroit.
Gay-Dagnogo also directed some criticism at Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes, who she said has been told that black women need a bigger voice in the party, but to little effect. Andrews said the state party needs a pretty significant change in leadership. A spokesperson for Barnes did not respond to an interview request for this article.
Democrats also appear ready for a reconciliation over the future shape of the party’s coalition.
State Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-Garden City, a progressive lawmaker, described the election as a wake-up call of sorts. “The Democratic Party must find its voice among the working class. I think what we’ve seen is that we’re losing working-class voters and something Trump says is attractive to them,” Wegela said. Democrats have portrayed Trump as a “villain” or “bogeyman,” and he said the party must advance a positive vision for the working class, an overhaul of the campaign finance system and corporate accountability. “And I don’t feel like we’ve done that,” he said. Instead of leaning on Democratic values, he called the “biggest mistake” of the election Harris’ decision to court moderate Republicans, including a campaign stop with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming.
Meanwhile, following her re-election in a traditionally Republican congressional district in Kent County, U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said many in Western Michigan no longer feel like they have a place in Trump’s Republican Party. Democrats still need to do a better job of courting those voters and making them feel welcome themselves, she said.
“I really hope people pay attention to what’s happening in Western Michigan. The political tailwind was not in favor of the Democrats,” Scholten said.
Not every Democrat wanted to talk about the election. Spokespeople for Democratic Senate Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Governor Gretchen Whitmer did not respond to Free Press requests for an interview. Spokespeople for House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, said they would let the Free Press know if either wanted to talk. The Free Press also heard nothing more.
In statements Wednesday, Brinks, Tate and Whitmer talked about what comes next:
“During this transition period into the new term, I remain committed to protecting the rights of all Michigan residents, creating economic opportunity for the middle class, and working with people of all political stripes who come to the table in good faith,” Brinks said. .
“House Democrats will work to regain our majority and provide a better future for the millions of residents who make Michigan their home,” Tate promised.
“Now that the election is over, let’s remember that our nation is full of patriots – Democrats, Republicans and Independents,” Whitmer said. “If you love Michigan, you should love your fellow Michiganders – no matter what.”
Contact Clara Hendrickson: chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @clarajanehen.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After Trump recaptures Michigan, Democrats reflect on election loss
