Whitmer optimistic that 'competitive' state House races will keep Dems in majority

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Saturday that she’s feeling good about the Michigan House races, with control of the chamber for the next two years on the line on Tuesday.

“It’s competitive, and that’s what fairly drawn districts give you, competitive races. It’s a good thing, frankly, in the overarching scheme of things, but we’ve got better candidates. We’ve got receipts on the issues that matter to Michiganders, and we’ve got a great ground game. So I’m feeling good, but I think it’s gonna be close,” Whitmer told the Michigan Advance during a brief stop in Brighton Saturday to fire up volunteers for the final push to election day.

Joining Whitmer at the Livingston County Democratic Party headquarters for the campaign stop was former state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr. (D-East Lansing), who is battling former state Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) for the 7th Congressional District seat, and state Rep. Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor Twp.), who is seeking reelection to her 48th District seat against Republican challenger, Brian Ignatowski.

Currently, Democrats have a slim 56-54 majority in the House, with all 110 districts on the ballot Tuesday. Even just the loss of one seat could potentially set up roadblocks to continuing the priority list of progressive legislation Democrats have achieved since taking the majority in 2022, including repealing Right to Work, expanding civil liberty protections and instituting firearm safety measures.



https://michiganadvance.com/2024/11/03/whitmer-optimistic-that-competitive-state-house-races-will-keep-dems-in-majority/