This Week in Michigan Politics, Emily Fox and Jack Lessenberry discuss GOP groups pulling their ads supporting Terri Lynn Land, Asian carp DNA found in the Kalamazoo River, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear cases from lower courts banning gay marriage.
Terri Lynn Land
Republican groups are cancelling ads supporting U.S. Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has pulled more than $1 million in ads that were to run in the last two weeks leading up to the election.
Lessenberry said Republicans know at this point in the race that their money would be better off supporting other candidates.
“There’s a battlefield principle of triage, which means that you at some point ignore the dying and go and treat the injured soldiers who have a chance of recovering,” said Lessenberry.
Asian carp
Asian carp genetic material has been found in the lower section of the Kalamazoo River.
Wildlife officials on Tuesday said a water sample taken in Allegan County last July tested positive for silver carp DNA. So far, no live carp have been found.
If the destructive fish were to get into Michigan waters, Lessenberry said costs to the commercial and sports fishing industries could be in the billions.
“At this point, this is a national problem rather than a state problem,” he said.
Gay marriage
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday decided it would not hear same sex marriage cases from several states, basically making gay marriage legal in those parts of the country.
In Michigan, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will decide whether the the state’s ban on gay marriage is constitutional.
If the Sixth Circuit Court decides to uphold that ban, the Supreme Court could take up the case, Lessenberry said.
“The Supreme Court tends to take cases where there’s conflict between different courts,” he said.
– Rebecca Kruth, Michigan Radio Newsroom
