On this week’s It’s Just Politics, hosts Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta are joined by Democratic Congresswoman-elect Kristen McDonald Rivet, the only incoming Democratic freshman from Michigan. Plus, Chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party Vance Patrick joins the show to talk about his strategy of ‘losing less’ in a blue county.
Rick Pluta: Your race was a true bright spot for Democrats in Michigan. How'd you do it?
Congresswoman-elect Kristen McDonald Rivet: A lot of hard work. I have an incredible team and we were able to spend a lot of time talking directly to voters about who I am, where I came from and what my core values are. So I grew up in a working family. My dad was a construction worker, lived in mid-Michigan my entire life. My husband and I raised our six kids here. But I really have spent my entire career working on the well-being of kids and the economic security of families. And so, from the very beginning, we started saying, you should be able to get to the middle class in Michigan and stay there by working one job, which used to be true, but just is now in a world where 60% of the jobs in Michigan pay less than $50,000 a year, it's harder and harder for people. So that's what we talked about over and over and over again. And then we built a coalition around that work. We knocked on 260,000 doors, made 500,000 phone calls. And I think that ultimately that was the thing that really made the difference.
Pluta: Former President Donald Trump won Michigan. Why do you think the Democratic progressive base was less inspired to get out and vote this year?
McDonald Rivet: I think there's a lot of analysis left to come when we really start to dive into the numbers and see what happened. But I can tell you, in my district, Donald Trump won with 52% of the vote. And I was able to run nine points ahead of Kamala Harris in my district. And I think the reason for that was because we talked in plain language about the things that really matter because, you know, let me just say this, if you're making $50,000 a year and you think about what that means in terms of your take home pay, the possibility of being able to afford housing, prescription drugs, child care, all of these necessary costs, the day-to-day life, that's scary. And it is important that we not only address that and talk directly to people about that, but that we also have a solution to that. And, you know, that is the thing I think that made the big difference in my district and in my race was being able to directly relate to people and some of the real concerns they have.
Pluta: Did the Harris Waltz campaign not do that?
McDonald Rivet: You know, I don't really want to be the pundit on the national election just because I was entirely focused on my own district this entire campaign. I think there were a lot of things that were happening there. But very clearly, people responded to concrete proposals that they felt were going to make the most difference for them and wanted to be able to connect and feel like they were a part of something that was going to make their life a little bit easier.
Zoe Clark: Congresswoman-elect, I am curious, I hear so much of you talking about your story, talking about being a part of the middle class and what that means to you. Do Democrats have an elitist problem?
McDonald Rivet: I wouldn't go that far. What I would say is that as a party and as elected leaders, we need to do more sitting on people's front porches and really listening. We need to focus on practical solutions for things that are immediate in people's lives. You know, when you go to the grocery store and you're paying $3.50 for a carton of eggs, when you are worrying about it costing $75 to fill up your gas tank or more, that's a problem for today. That's a problem for tomorrow. And it is a very big worry for the people in our state. And that's what we have to talk about. And we have to be able to talk about it in a way that people can relate to. And then here's the most important part, we actually have to get things done that are helping with that. So when you look at things that have made big differences, whether it is economic development money that came from the state that helped build out the Hemlock Semiconductor, the Corning Project, Buick City, or the dollars that are coming from the federal government in the form of the CHIPS Act or the Infrastructure Act. These are things that are moving the needle in mid-Michigan and we have to talk about that and we have to talk about it in a way that people can see a brighter future and can see the vision of that. We always talk about how Democrats sometimes like to bring data to a knife-fight. Well, this isn't a this is not the time to bring out the scatter chart. This is the time to talk in real dollars and what it means for families. And it might not be helping a specific family right now, but we can see down the road where these are the things that are really going to matter. And that's where we have to focus.
Clark: You are still a member of the state Senate. And when you consider that caucus being so much smaller than the U.S. House caucus, so many more folks in D.C. now with whom to work, with whom to disagree. How do you think about that difference going from Lansing to D.C. and how you may operate?
McDonald Rivet: It is. I mean, you know, this is just a much, much larger landscape. But there are lessons that I've learned in the state Senate that are very transferable. And the first is that the work that we do, whether we're in the state legislature or in Congress, is complex. It has a lot of different viewpoints. But for the most part, what I've learned is whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, the outcome that you're looking for, whether we're talking about strong, stable families or thriving seniors or strong schools, all of these pieces, Democrats and Republicans, agree on the outcome. It's the map to get there. That is where we have the disagreement. But I've been able to develop relationships with very conservative Republicans in the Senate, as well as progressives in my own party that may be farther to the left than I am. But when you have a relationship that's built on respect and trust and you're willing to listen, not just lecture and wait to block, you actually can come up with some pretty good policy. So that's, I think, the difference maker and something that I really hope to be able to replicate here in Washington. There are a lot more people for sure, but here's something that people don't know. We do our orientation together. Republicans and Democrats are doing that alongside each other. And I'm really looking forward to getting to know both the members of my own caucus and the new Republicans that are coming in.
Pluta: Well, on that point of working together, your predecessor from your district, the soon to be retired Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee, is part of the U.S. House Problem Solvers Caucus. Is this something you're thinking about joining?
McDonald Rivet: Yes, it remains to be seen what shape is taking in this new congressional session, but it's based on its history. If it's still doing that same kind of work. I'm very interested.
Clark: Congresswoman elect, you're in Washington, D.C. I'm still curious about what the mood is like there right now after such a sort of seismic shift in American politics.
McDonald Rivet: Well, you know, I've been here, I think, all of 18 hours. [laughter]
Clark: [laughter] With your 18 hours under your belt, fill us in on everything.
McDonald Rivet:Maybe none that not speak. I live for all of Washington, D.C. but I can tell you that, you know, there is a lot of shifting happening right now there shifting in members that are coming in, members that are leaving, which causes shifts on committee and leadership positions. And all of those things are happening. And so you feel a certain level of energy from from those shifts. I think that there are more questions right now than there are answers about how things are going to shape up as we move through the next 6 to 8 weeks. And and frankly, the entire time I'm served. What I'm focused most on is making sure that I'm in the best possible place to be able to serve my district. And my life's work has been around economic stability for Michiganders, but especially families. So that's what I'm going to work on when I'm here. And I am trying to meet as many people and form as many relationships as I can to make that happen.
Clark: Thanks so much for joining us today.
McDonald Rivet: Thank you so much.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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