Party on the Peninsulas with Curtis Hertel Jr.

Priorities for 2026 and Beyond

This Week… Gov. Whitmer Delivers Final Keynote Address at Mackinac Policy Conference on Collaboration and Choosing Michigan Executive Office of the Governor Mackinac Policy Conference updates: Michigan universities, Chinese cars Detroit News In the News Michigan Politics and Policy No Duggan = Gov. Benson in partisan repeat | Kyle Melinn/Lansing City Pulse Mike Rogers Said He Loved DOGE After Michigan Families Were Hurt By Funding Cuts | MeidasTouch Matt Hall Wants to Tax Your Weekend | Michigan Democratic Party Judge orders former GOP legislative aide to stand trial in Michigan earmark embezzlement case | Bridge Michigan Rep. Barrett claimed enough campaign driving to circle Earth once — and then some | Detroit Metro Times Bid to reshape how cash flows in Michigan politics submits petitions | Detroit News Michigan regional unemployment rates decrease during April | Michigan Dept. of Technology, Management and Budget Opinion: Rick Snyder’s Flint water crisis legacy isn’t a ‘witch hunt’ | Nancy Kaffer/Detroit Free Press Michigan lawmakers propose letting voters decide on AG, SOS candidates | Detroit Free Press Kevin Guskiewicz’s exit a blow to MSU, which loses momentum and more | Lansing State Journal MSU sanctions 2 trustees who refused to sign controversial board rules Why Michigan[...]

Duggan: Out! (Guest: Representative Penelope Tsernoglou)

This Week… Tsernoglou Removed From Committees, In Hot Water With GOP MIRS News Tsernoglou ‘Done Asking’ Hall For Vote On Epstein-Interlochen Committee MIRS News In the News Michigan Politics and Policy OPINION: Mike Duggan’s Michigan independent governor bid was a non-starter | Nancy Kaffer/Detroit Free Press OPINION: The GOP owns Trump’s inflation, debt and war machine | Former Michigan GOP Chair Rusty Hills via Detroit Free Press Mike Rogers Said He Loved DOGE After Michigan Families Were Hurt By Funding Cuts | MeidasTouch Rep. Barrett claimed enough campaign driving to circle Earth once — and then some | Detroit Metro Times Michigan Battles Trump Over His Order to Keep an Old Coal Plant Running | The New York Times Michigan lawmakers propose letting voters decide on AG, SOS candidates | Detroit Free Press Michigan House OKs $5B property tax cut without replacement revenue | Detroit Free Press Michigan childcare program could be in danger in current budget season | Detroit Free Press Facing intense internal pressure, DNC releases postelection autopsy | AP News Weekend Rebrand Rush: John James Campaign Scrambles to Swap “Governor” for “Michigan” After Perry Johnson Court Win | Michigan News Source Michigan governor hopeful got $800k Bitcoin[...]

Duggan’s Very Bad Week (Guest: Representative Donavan McKinney)

This Week… Clean energy saved Michiganders money—now it’s on the GOP chopping block The ‘Gander In the News Michigan Politics and Policy Governor, US Senate Poll, May 2026 | Glengariff Group Senate/Gubernatorial Poll | Mitchell Research (May 1-7) Mike Rogers campaign keeps pastor tied to church scandal | Midland Daily News VIDEO: Huizenga votes for Medicaid cuts, Billionaire Tax Breaks Barrett backed bill could cut veterans’ healthcare – WLNS Democrats turn to state legislative races to catch up in the redistricting battle | NBC News Planned Parenthood of Michigan Warning of More Closures without State Support Closures Without Support | Planned Parenthood The DOJ isn’t backing down on getting Michigan’s voter rolls – Vote Beat Congressman Jack Bergman faces ethics complaint over aides moonlighting | Detroit News Tsernoglou Challenges Woolford Clash During UIA Testimony | MIRS News The Economy Inflation Soared to 3.8% in April, Driven by Gasoline Prices | Wall Street Journal OPINION: Gas prices hit families hard, GOP candidates questioned | Detroit News One in Five HealthCare.gov Enrollees Dropped Insurance Coverage This Year | NOTUS — News of the United States Our President and His Administration Doctors Sound Alarm Over Trump’s Rapid Mental Decline | Daily Beast 10,000[...]

Landslide! (Guest: Senator-elect Chedrick Greene)

This Week… Republicans saw Michigan as ripe for a takeover. The mood is shifting | AP News Supreme Court voids majority Black congressional district in Louisiana | AP News Samuel Alito’s Voting Rights Act ruling cited misleading data from DoJ | The Guardian With the VRA gutted, the GOP could target over a dozen Black and Latino House districts | The Downballot The Truth About ‘No Tax On Social Security’ | Forbes In the News Michigan Politics and Policy Mike Rogers told Michigan not to worry about gas prices. Now they’re nearly $5 a gallon | Heartland Signal As Gas Prices Go Up, Senate GOP Candidates Pipe Down | The Bulwark Jocelyn Benson unveils ‘firewall’ for election oversight, governor run – Bridge Michigan Congressman Jack Bergman’s top aides run political consulting business | Detroit News Michigan farms ‘losing money on every acre’ as war spikes costs | Bridge Michigan Michigan Supreme Court moves to curb courthouse immigration arrests | Bridge Michigan 5 Circulators From 2024 Fraud Memo Appear On Johnson Petitions | MIRS News Robert Lulgjuraj faces eligibility challenge in congressional race | Detroit News Perry Johnson, John James face nominating petition challenges | Detroit News Polls: GOP Governor,[...]

Detroit’s Dirt (Guest: Eli Savit)

This Week… FBI Investigating Mike Duggan’s Dirty Dirt Scandal Ex-Michigan party leaders: Time to ditch nominating conventions Bridge Michigan In the News Michigan Politics and Policy MDP Condemns Trump DOJ’s Demand for 2024 Ballots – Michigan Democratic Party Michigan Senate Democrats propose long-term funding plan for schools | Detroit News Michigan congressman [Barrett] in the crosshairs of gas price politics | Reuters Progressive voter contact group spends $44M on engagement efforts ahead of  2026 midterms | The Hill House Democrats to put $29M, GOP $20M into key Michigan Congress races | Detroit NewsExclusive | Democrats Go on Offense With $272 Million Ad Strategy Ahead of Midterm Elections | Wall Street Journal Republicans Are Worried the Redistricting Fight Is Backfiring | Wall Street Journal Secretary Benson: Court of Claims dismisses lawsuit that threatened voting rights of Michigan’s military and overseas citizens SCOTUS rules against Enbridge on Michigan Line 5 case | Detroit Free Press GOP Michigan candidates still claim Trump won 2020 election | American Journal News Leonard Ends Governor’s Bid; Absent James Takes More Shots At MPA Forum | MIRS News Johnson: James’ campaign materials unlawful in Michigan governor’s race | Detroit Free Press Voters in Multiple States [including[...]