You’d think Democrats would make the most of their final weeks of undivided power in Lansing before Republicans take control of the state House next year. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.
“The coalition of 56 is breaking down…” Democratic Representative Rachel Hood told us this week, referring to the Democrat’s tiny House majority. In a chamber with 110 members, one or two absences has left House Democrats unable to move bills and Hood is so frustrated she said she’s ready to stop showing up to Lansing during the final weeks of session.
The mood in the Democratic caucus is “toxic,” she says. “Last week, the Sergeant at Arms had to separate a member who was yelling at me on the floor. That's not professional behavior and I won't tolerate being a part of that.”
The Democrats’ first full grip on legislative and executive power in four decades appears poised to end with whimpers and grumbles following a dramatic start to the session with big, history-making votes (think the repeal of right-to-work and adding LGBTQ protections to the state’s civil rights act.)
But after that burst in early 2023, the pace quickly slowed. As Bridge Michigan’s Jordyn Hermani told us in this week’s podcast, even before lame-duck, House lawmakers have met this year the fewest number of times since Governor Gretchen Whitmer took office in 2019.
Whitmer, the third leg of the Democratic triad, shared earlier this month that she still has a legislative wish list. “Our job remains the same no matter who is in the White House or the state House,” said Whitmer Communications Director Bobby Leddy earlier this month. “Michiganders expect their elected officials to work with Governor Whitmer to continue lowering costs in the face of inflation, bring good-paying jobs to our state to grow the economy, build more affordable housing to drive down prices, and protect our rights and freedoms.”
But Whitmer seems unwilling - or unable - to get Democrats to take up those priorities. And, even if he wanted to, Democratic House Speaker Joe Tate also doesn’t carry the same power he once did. He declined to run again for caucus leader after Democrats lost House control on his watch. Democratic Representative Ranjeev Puri will serve as the minority leader in the upcoming session.
Compare this year to lame-duck 2018, that’s when Republicans were about to lose their majority with then incoming Governor-elect Whitmer. The GOP muscled through more than 300 bills in lame-duck alone, including controversial bills regarding Enbridge Line 5 and dark-money legislation.
At the time, Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer expressed frustration from the sidelines as Republicans worked to thwart her agenda even before she moved into her Capitol office. In 2018 she told WOOD-TV that “Lame-duck is really a dangerous time… There are a lot of legislators who are not accountable to the public anymore. There’s not transparency or full debate.”
Issues surrounding accountability and transparency might not matter all that much as now, in the final weeks of power, House Democrats are seemingly hobbling themselves even before they head into the minority in Whitmer’s final two years as governor.
Dig deeper: There’s a pause in lame-duck right now as the state Legislature is currently on their annual hunting and Thanksgiving break but, when they return, the state Senate has scheduled 10 session days in December; the state House has scheduled 8 days.
Have questions about lame-duck that you want answered? We always want to hear from you! Shoot us an email at politics@michiganpublic.org!
What we’re talking about at the dinner table
MI GOP Chair: President-elect Donald Trump has picked Michigan Republican Party Chairman (and former long-time Michigan Congressman) Pete Hoesktra to be the United States Ambassador to Canada. As Michigan Public reported, “In a statement, Trump said Hoekstra "was a great help" to his presidential campaign in Michigan. Trump and his running mate JD Vance won the state by about 80,000 votes in this month's election. Trump endorsed Hoekstra to lead the Michigan GOP amid a messy leadership battle within the party earlier this year.” The pick will likely mean another messy battle as Republicans will need to choose a replacement for Hoekstra as party chair next year. Meantime, it's not the first time a Michigander has been Ambassador to Canada. Former Michigan Governor Jim Blanchard held the role in the mid ‘90s during the Clinton presidency.
McMorrow future: There’s no doubt that Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow is a rising star in Democratic politics and it appears she’s gaining even more notice nationally, this time as a possible candidate for Chair of the Democratic National Committee. As Politico Playbook reported this week, McMorrow “went viral two years ago after responding to a Republican who accused her of being a 'groomer' in a fundraising email and had a prime time role at this year’s Democratic convention. 'If enough people ask, I'm leaving myself open to all kinds of opportunities,' she told Playbook. McMorrow told us 'a lot more of our voices that need to be at the table and not be in fake positions' as the party starts to rebuild itself.”
Office Space: A couple weeks ago, after we were done taping an interview with Congressman-elect Tom Barrett, he told us the story of how his great-grandfather had been elected to Congress as a U.S. Representative from Michigan in 1934. Barrett told us that he was hoping to figure out a way to have his new office be one that his great-grandfather also used in the Longworth House Office Building. Well, it looks like Barrett was successful in the office lottery. After circulating a letter to his new colleagues at the Capitol this week, Barrett tweeted, “We got it! … Thank you to my Freshman colleagues, Republicans AND Democrats, who were kind enough to allow me to select the office once occupied by my great grandfather.” There were lots of congratulatory messages in response but we think our favorite was this reply: “There is a treasure map hidden underneath a black brick in the south facing wall behind the plaster in the room on the leftmost side of the office.”
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Yours in political nerdiness,
Rick Pluta & Zoe Clark
Co-hosts, It’s Just Politics
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IJP on the road
