Weekly Roundup: Final State of the Race – 4 Days Out

LANSING — With just days until the polls close, Michigan Dems are in every corner of the state, fighting to protect our communities from Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies at every level of the ballot. From the UP to Detroit, from the East Side to the West Side, Michigan Dems are knocking on doors, making phone calls, and reminding voters of how dangerous these far-right extremists are for our rights, our jobs, and our democracy. 

From the top of the ticket to the bottom, the stakes of this election are more important than ever as MAGA extremism threatens everything Michiganders hold dear. In the presidential race, Kamala Harris is working to build a brighter future for all Americans while Donald Trump is working to enrich himself and his billionaire buddies. In the Senate race, Elissa Slotkin is trying to keep Florida resident Mike Rogers from continuing to make money selling out Michiganders to foreign interests.

In the state Supreme Court race, Justice Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas are running to protect the integrity of our state’s highest court from two MAGA loyalists who would threaten our fundamental freedoms. Finally, in every district across the state, Democratic state Representatives are running to maintain the Democratic trifecta in Lansing to continue delivering for Michiganders. 

For one last time, here is the state of the races: 

Presidential Race 

This week, Michigan Dems showed up and showed out once again in the last week before the country decides who the next president would be. Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Lavora Barnes spoke with ABC News about the on-the-ground campaign infrastructure and what we’re hearing from our communities about the historic election. With over 50 offices and thousands of volunteers, Michigan Democrats have been laser-focused on doing the work to turn out voters:

ABC: Michigan party chair: ‘We’re feeling good’ on the ground

For Trump, campaign infrastructure has not exactly been his strong suit this election cycle, preferring flashy, no-substance visits instead of truly engaging with Michiganders. With his in-state partner, the still dysfunctional MAGA MIGOP, the Trump-Vance campaign never quite managed to build out the strong ground game of the Harris-Walz team:

Wired: Donald Trump’s Ground Game in Michigan Is Mostly Glitchy Apps and Vibes

• The bulk of their ground game in the Midwest swing state has been left to Elon Musk’s America PAC, podcasts, and vibes. Democrats in Michigan, meanwhile, are pouring money and manpower into the state. The state Democratic party has more than $5 million in cash on hand compared to just $583,000 for the state GOP, which is still dealing with abysmal finances and substantial debt…
• Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes tells WIRED she doesn’t think door knocking is “the entire strategy” to reach undecided and low propensity voters, but she emphasizes how much she thinks the state party’s network of door knocking groups is preferable to outsourcing the ground game. “That’s the difference between what we’re doing and what the Republicans can’t do,” Barnes said, “because they haven’t built the operation to do it.”

Senate Race 

For Elissa Slotkin, this campaign isn’t about Republican vs. Democrat, it’s about continuing to serve Michiganders the best way she can. Throughout her career, she has served this country in so many ways, under Democratic presidents and Republican presidents, and her campaign is showing the voters that she will be a Senator for all Michiganders, regardless of party — and it’s working: 

Huffington Post: Democrats Are About To Find Out If This Candidate Cracked The Code For Beating Trumpism

• Democrats are banking on those voters being as receptive as Slotkin says, and on Slotkin being the candidate who can secure their support. At 48, the congresswoman is a rising star in her party and has won three U.S. House elections in tough, Republican-leaning districts…
• She promotes Democrats as the party most committed to protecting American companies and American workers in the face of foreign competition. And she has been a relentless critic of Donald Trump, especially when it comes to issues tied to the future of democracy.

State Supreme Court

The final full week of the election season brought even more big names to Michigan, with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. visiting to support state Supreme Court candidates Justice Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas. In Berrien and Washtenaw counties, Holder reminded voters that everything is at stake this year and we must do everything we can to elect Democrats at every level of the ballot: 

Michigan Advance: Former AG Eric Holder campaigns for Michigan Supreme Court candidates Thomas and Bolden

• Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder keynoted a get out the vote rally Wednesday night in Ypsilanti, telling the crowd this was an “existential presidential election,” with nothing less than “democracy at stake.” 
• The event, held at the Community Family Life Center, was in support of the Democratic-nominated Michigan Supreme Court (MSC) candidates, Justice Kyra Harris Bolden and University of Michigan law professor Kimberly Ann Thomas, but became a rousing exhortation to “not leave a single vote on the table,” and for Democrats and progressives to do everything in their power to get people to the polls and elect Vice President Kamala Harris.

State House 

With a razor-thin majority in the state House, Michigan Democrats are fighting battles on all sides to protect the blue trifecta that allowed Dems to pass historic education budgets, expand civil rights, and codify the ACA. Whether Dems are defending seats in HD-27 from a Charlie Kirk Turning Point USA protegee or seeking to flip seats like HD-46 from MAGA fanatics, we are doing everything we can to ensure we can keep delivering for Michigan families: 

Bridge Michigan: Michigan House majority is on the line. These districts will decide it

• Democrats view the cost of keeping the House a worthy investment, pointing to the flurry of activity in 2023 where the new majority passed sweeping LGBT rights, abortion and gun reforms while repealing Republican laws like Right-to-Work…
• Democratic candidates in competitive seats have been hammering Republicans on their abortion stances, seeking to capitalize on voters’ past support of 2022’s Proposal 3, which added reproductive rights to the state constitution.

As this election season comes to a close next week, we still need your help to cross the finish line as Michiganders cast their ballots. It’s not too late, you can still knock doors, send texts, and check in with loved ones to ensure that they voted at every level of the ballot — every bit counts. Til next week. 

Signing off, 

Michigan Dems