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SENATE CAGE MATCH
As new polling by Glengariff Group shows that Democrat Congresswoman Haley Stevens (Birmingham, Oakland County) is currently in a dead heat with Republican former Congressman Mike Rogers (White Lake), with Stevens polling at 43.7 percent to Rogers’ 44.1 percent, state Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak, Birmingham, Clawson, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Beverly Hills and Detroit) has apparently set her sights directly at Stevens. A recent email accused both Stevens and Rog


WHOLE NEW GIG
Former Congressman Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Township, Royal Oak, most of Macomb County) and infamous union organizer, has done a 180-degree turn now that he has hit his Medicare years. As 2025 closed out, Levin posted on LinkedIn that he and his wife Mary, longtime Bloomfield Township residents, had purchased “Stokely Creek Lodge, an iconic and stunning cross country ski and snowshoe resort in the hills above Lake Superior, just north of Sault Saint Marie, Ontario.” Levin, a


BAILING OUT
Wayne State University trustee Dr. Anil Kuma r of Bloomfield Township, who had announced his candidacy for Oakland County’s 11th District congressional seat, currently held by Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens who is running for Senate, announced he is dropping out, “citing personal reasons and a commitment to lead with integrity in this moment,” he said in a release. Democrats running for the open seat are Michigan state Senator Jeremy Moss , Don Ufford , Aisha Farooqi


SWITCHING GEARS
After weeks of whispers, Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II made it official in mid-January – he gave up his failing attempt at a gubernatorial campaign to try his hand at a run for the Democratic nod for secretary of state. Gilchrist’s departure from the governor’s race gives Democratic front-runner (and prolific marathon racer) and current Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson an apparent straight shot to the August primary anointment. Gilchrist’s as secretary


THE FINAL FIELD
With the exit of Garland Gilchrist from the gubernatorial contest for 2026, the final list of contenders seems to be shaping up. Left at this point on the Democratic side at Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanso n, although some are placing bets that the latter may well decide in coming months to also consider withdrawing due lack of traction at this point in the race. Of course, former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan will stay the c


CHANGING DISTRICT
Michigan District 7 for the U.S. House has a history of flipping in the last two election cycles and it could well happen come the general election showdown in 2026. Now held by Republican Tom Barrett , this sprawling district takes in a sliver of Oakland County (Milford and Lyon townships), along with the counties of Ingham, Livingston, Clinton, Shiawassee and Genesee. In the 2022 race, Barrett lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin who has now moved on to the Senate. Barrett tri


NOMINATION BUZZ SAW
In less than three months state Democrats will convene to determine the fate of who will represent the party in the 2026 elections for a number of offices, among them the attorney general slot on the ballot. Three attorneys are vying for the party nomination: Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald , former Western Michigan District U.S. Attorney Mark Totten and Eli Savit, Washtenaw Prosecuting Attorney. Thanks to the work of Detroit Free Press reporter Tresa Bal


TIT FOR TAT
Shakespeare said it best: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” As the Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate continues to tighten up between the three players – Congresswoman Haley Stevens , state Senator Mallory McMorrow and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed , the knives are getting unsheathed and debatable behavior is getting unshackled. First, McMorrow, an active user of social media, posted a photo to Facebook with Go


CORONATION
A state senator who did get the royal – or gubernatorial – backing from Governor Gretchen Whitmer is Democrat state Senate President Pro Tem Jeremy Moss (Southfield, Bloomfield Township, Pontiac). Moss is running for Congress in the 11th District to replace Haley Stevens , and Whitmer, in a release, expressed her confidence that Moss will continue to deliver real results for Oakland County in Congress. “Jeremy Moss is a tough, tested leader who fights like hell every day t


WHAT POLLS SAY
Speaking of the U.S. Senate contest, count us among the skeptics when it comes to polling, especially nine months ahead of the August 2026 vote and when one third of those participating are still undecided as they were in a recent Mitchell Research and Communications mid-November effort to see where possible voters are leaning on a number of issues and races, including the Senate contest. Not to dis Steve Mitchell , polls by others taken in July and last spring also had major
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