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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans gather in Mackinaw City with message of unity ahead of 2026 battleground
U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet) speaks to Michigan Republican Party donors, elected officials and activists at the Straits Area Lincoln Day Dinner event in Mackinaw City on June 7, 2025 | Photo by Ben Solis MACKINAW CITY – Hopped up on a series of fresh wins and with their man in the White House, Michigan Republicans on Saturday said they need to hold it together over the next year if they want to achieve a full sweep of key offices in 2026. With momentum at their backs, it appeared that nothing less would satisfy the nearly 150 donors and elected officials who met to dine at Audie's Restaurant in Mackinaw City for the Straits Area Lincoln Day Dinner. The guest list included two members of the state's congressional delegation – one who may very well seek the open U.S. Senate seat – the Michigan Legislature and many more local officials. Two GOP candidates for governor – former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox and current Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) – were also in attendance, who stumped before the crowd with speeches heavy on potential policy for the state. Michiganders in 2026 will not only select a replacement for retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, but also a new governor, secretary of state and attorney general. Control of the Michigan Senate is also up for grabs, with Republicans hoping the wind in their sails from President Donald Trump's 2024 victory will help them win back control of the entire state Legislature after Democrats swept races in 2022. Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) said that fight is starting early and that he hoped his colleagues understood the measure of the moment. Looking out on the packed banquet hall in the back of Audie's Restaurant, Damoose said the energy was palpable. 'It made me think back to the dark days after 2020, where we just felt kicked in the teeth and we broke up and went into different corners, and we fought amongst ourselves,' Damoose said. 'We were downtrodden and we didn't really have a clear path forward. We were worried that the election wasn't fair.' Damoose said he then thought of his son, who was in high school at the time, and that if he had come home with a poor test score, he likely would have all kinds of excuses about why he failed that test. 'Even if that were true, I would tell him that I didn't care about that. I want to know what you are going to do to do better next time,' Damoose said. That parable was also indicative of what the kind of soul searching Republicans need to do heading into 2026. 'It hurt us to sit and fight. We saw the results of that in 2022, but we did a little better last year,' Damoose said. 'We want the same good things, but the bottom line is, if anybody's out there wondering whether we're divided, look at this [room] and look at the list of people who are here today, ready to win in 2026.' A family sometimes gets into arguments, but the bottom line is that they love each other, Damoose added. He also spoke highly of Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), chair of the Michigan Republican Party, whom Damoose said was committed to bringing them back together. Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) said there will be challenging races for the MIGOP in the Upper Peninsula and it would take a lot of support to get across the finish line. The big prize, however, would be the top three executive offices, all currently held by Democrats. In a jab at Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson – the latter of whom is running for governor in 2026 – McBroom said it wouldn't take much to have candidates better than what Michigan has. U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet), who attended the event along with headlining speaker U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland), said Trump not being on the ballot means Republicans must focus on voter turnout. If they don't get the turnout equation right in 2026, Republicans could lose the U.S. House, and that would render the last years of Trump's presidency dead in the water. 'The Democrats will veto the Trump agenda, with all the impeachment and stuff that they will choose to do,' Bergman said before adding that he doesn't believe Democrats have a handle on their own platform. 'Who's your party leader? What's your party platform? What is your plan? When you don't have [all three], you're getting what you're getting.' Several protesters greeted Bergman with signs and chants as they walked along the sidewalk outside Audie's Restaurant. Undeterred, Bergman said that aside from holding the U.S. House, getting back control of Lansing in the Legislature and the executive branch should be donors and activists' main priority. The state House fell back into Republican control last year mostly due to Trump's resurgence and a plan executed by Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township). That has already had consequences for the Democrats who controlled both chambers last session as Republicans seek to roll back their legislative agenda and trim the budget with an ethos similar to that of DOGE, the Trump administration effort that has sought to slash, if not eliminate outright, the budgets of federal agencies and departments. Although the Democratic-controlled Michigan Senate has put forward its 2025 fiscal year budget, the state House has been slowwalking theirs, with members of the House Appropriations Committee noting how they're going through it with a fine-toothed comb every chance they can in statements or press conferences. Case in point: When speaking to the crowd on Saturday, Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) talked about his work thus far on appropriations, and said he had 10 items that he 'killed immediately' when he took over his budget. 'One was the water affordability bill that nobody could tell me why there was money in there for anything,' Roth said. 'So, $10 million, gone. We're having a lot of fun with that.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan lawmakers react to State of the State address
LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — In her seventh State of the State address, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer touched on topics like Michigan roads, the economy, tariffs and affordable housing. Reaction from lawmakers was mixed. 'I think criticism is going to be pretty low. What we saw was a unifying message. I'm all on board for bringing people together, I think people are tired of feeling divided,' said Democratic Floor Leader John Fitzgerald of Wyoming. Whitmer talks lowering costs, working together in State of the State address 'Long on public relation-tested points short on actual policy issues,' said Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township. Whitmer focused on bipartisanship and working across party lines. That's even more important this year, with a split Michigan government. Lawmakers say it's about finding compromise, especially when it comes to Michigan roads. 'What we need to understand is it's not about getting everything that we want in the moment, but finding ways to find that incremental progress and find something that can last beyond just a single term of the House or Senate and I think we can do that with the governor's leadership,' Fitzgerald said. 'I'm cautiously optimistic. It's who I am. And ultimately, we have had governor after governor, and legislature after legislature that has kicked the can down the road and put band-aid fixes. And the time is, we can no longer afford band-aid solutions, we need a long-term, lasting solution that will live past this administration and it's successor. One that we can ensure that we have sustainable road funding and transportation infrastructure funding so that everyone in Michigan can get around and get around safely and affordably,' said Rep. Stephen Wooden, D-Grand Rapids. Read Whitmer's full State of the State address 'I think it's incredibly important for us to find a solution, and for me, that sustainable, long-term solution is going to require bipartisanship in not just ideas, but votes,' said Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids. 'I have a pretty positive relationship with Gov. Whitmer. She's accessible to me, we talk frequently, and you know, you look at this, I put roads on the table. Republicans led on roads,' said Speaker of the House Rep. Matt Hall, R-Richland.'Consensus, at the end of the day, you have a Republican House, a Democrat Senate, a Democrat governor, and as I look at it, you gotta be serious to get to work and finish that work,' said Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township. 'I think it's pretty clear that the governor understands that she has a Republican House and Democrat Senate. Inherently, there will have to be compromise to get things done,' said Mark Huizenga, R-Walker. 'I love the idea of the governor being bipartisan — there's just 20 years of history proving otherwise. My hope is that her 180 U-turn is genuine and if so, I'm looking forward to working together with her to make sure we bring Michigan back,' said Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Rockford. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan Senate passes compromise legislation on tipped wages
Michigan Senate passes compromise legislation to avert a court-ordered change to the state's minimum wage law. Feb. 13, 2025. Screenshot As sweeping changes to Michigan's minimum wage and earned sick time standards, which pose concerns in the restaurant industry, are set to take effect next week, the state Senate found a compromise on Thursday to preserve tipped wages. It's one piece to the puzzle, but after days of testimony and frequent rallies at the Capitol Building by members of the service industry asking lawmakers to intercede, supporters of the Senate's tipped wage compromise say coming to an agreement in Michigan's politically divided legislature is vital to save restaurants across the state. 'I've heard loud and clear from the people across my district, whether they are small business owners, whether they are waitresses, waiters, bartenders, that this was going to impact them in a negative way, and they wanted something to change here,' Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) told media after session, addressing the changes to Michigan's law to take effect on Feb. 21 unless the legislature finishes a deal. After the state legislature in 2018 adopted provisions in ballot efforts that would've raised minimum wage to $15, phased out sub-minimum tipped wages and set standards for required sick leave for employees, they watered them down after the election in a move the state Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional last summer. The court's decision mandated that the changes in the ballot efforts be implemented, but lawmakers have the opportunity to pass different policies, allowing hours of testimony to get insights from business owners and employees in Michigan. Republicans in both chambers have been vocal in their support of maintaining Michigan's tipped wage offered to servers and bartenders, set at 38% of minimum wage, which hundreds of service industry professionals have rallied at the Capitol to support as many say they make far more with the current tipping system than they would at minimum wage. After Senate Democrats had proposed gradually raising tipped wages to 60% whereas House Republicans favored maintaining 38% of minimum wage, lawmakers met in the middle with Senate Bill 8, which raises tipped wages to 50% by 2031. It passed 20-12, with five Senators excused. It's not a comfortable compromise, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) told media after the vote on the legislation, but it was one that he said Republicans carried to the finish line as Democrats, who hold the majority in Senate only supplied 8 of the yes votes, while 12 Republicans gave the bill their support. 'Senate Republicans took the lead, and we're going to continue to protect hard working small business owners,' Nesbitt said. 'Today we're saying 'small business owners, Senate Republicans are going to have your back. Hard working folks in the hospitality industry, Senate Republicans have your back'.' The eight Democrats who voted for the bill included Hertel, as well as Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), and Sens. Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), Veronica Kleinfelt (D-Eastpointe), Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), Sue Shink (D-Northfield Twp.), and Paul Wojno (D-Warren). Senate Bill 8, which also allows minimum wage to reach $15 by 2027, two years faster than the plan the Republican-led House has passed, presents the clearest path to passage with House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) applauding the Senate's actions Thursday. 'Tonight's vote is a step in the right direction, but Michigan workers can't afford more delays,' Hall said in a news release Thursday. 'I put forward a sick time benefits plan that works for everyone — now it's time for Senate Democrats to do their part. The deal is on the table, and we can get this done now.' However, not everyone was happy with the deal. Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage, called the bill a deliberate effort to strip money from the pockets of Michigan's lowest-paid workers. 'This is a blatant PAY CUT and betrayal of working people, and Michigan workers will remember exactly who stood with them and who sold them out and cut their wages. After an election cycle where workers made it abundantly clear that politicians must stand with them, we applaud the majority of Senate Democrats who listened to working people, and condemn the eight Senate Democrats who still chose to side with Republicans and corporate lobbyists to strip wages from the lowest-paid people in this state,' said Jayaraman. 'What does it even mean to be a Democrat if you vote to gut a minimum wage increase that was won in the courts and was just days away from taking effect? These senators have made their choice—now they will have to answer for it.' Changes to minimum and tipped wages will still have to get both chambers' approval and lawmakers are still in negotiations on sick time policies. The House's plan would exempt businesses with less than 50 employees from the sick leave law, while the Senate's plan would place different requirements for sick leave for businesses with fewer than 25 individuals than for businesses with 25 or more employees. Both Nesbitt and Hertel told media members that the bipartisan nature of the minimum wage compromise bodes well for coming to an agreement next week on sick leave, but it will take a lot of conversations and work to cross the steep partisan divides in Lansing for the common good. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
