It's Just Politics

Frustration is boiling over at the state Capitol as the final days of Democrats’ complete control in Lansing come to an end. Republicans are continuing to boycott votes in the House, a Democratic lawmaker walked out of the Capitol while voting was underway, and state Representatives are taking to social media to vent their anger.

In this week’s It’s Just Politics newsletter, Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta take you behind the scenes of a day of lame duck in the 102nd Legislative session in Lansing. Plus, this week marks the tenth anniversary of the city of Detroit emerging from the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy, and a recount in Calhoun County shows that every vote really does matter.

2025 will be a monumental year in Detroit politics as Mayor Mike Duggan seeks to run for governor, leaving an open seat for the highest office in the state’s largest city next year. Stephen Henderson, host of American Black Journal, and Nancy Kaffer, editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press join this week to discuss Duggan’s legacy, Detroit’s political landscape and the ten-year anniversary of the city emergency from bankruptcy.

In this week’s It’s Just Politics newsletter, Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta explore the ramifications of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s announcement that he’s forgoing the Democratic Party and, instead, running for governor as an independent and what that means for the 2026 gubernatorial race in Michigan.

On this week’s It’s Just Politics, Zoe Clark is joined by Democrat Felicia Brabec and Republican Graham Filler, two outgoing Michigan state Representatives, to talk about what their time in Lansing was really like: frustrations, surprises and what voters should know about the state Capitol.

On this week’s It’s Just Politics, hosts Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta are joined by Bridge Michigan politics reporters Jordyn Hermani and Simon Schuster to discuss why state House Democrats are failing to deliver their lame-duck legislative agenda. Plus, a conversation with state Democratic Representative Rachel Hood on why she is calling Lansing “toxic.”

In this week’s It’s Just Politics newsletter, Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta dig into the state’s latest unemployment numbers, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s big election announcement and how Governor Gretchen Whitmer plans to work with President-elect Donald Trump.

On this week’s It’s Just Politics, hosts Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta are joined by Democratic Congresswoman-elect Kristen McDonald Rivet and Chairman of the Oakland County Republican Party Vance Patrick.

In a special Friday edition of It’s Just Politics, Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta are joined by Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee and Republican Congressman-elect Tom Barrett.

In this week’s It’s Just Politics newsletter, Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta bring you the results from Michigan’s 2024 elections and what they mean for the lame-duck legislative session and divided government in Lansing in 2025. Plus, conversations with outgoing Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee about the future of his party and Republican Congressman-elect Tom Barrett on the future of the GOP majority in Washington D.C.