It’s said that journalism is the practice of writing history as it happens. Last week was certainly a strong example of that – and there’s a good chance we’ll be doing a lot more history-writing well into 2024. The 2022 midterm elections threw all kinds of curveballs at voters, pundits and pollsters, and in Michigan it produced something rare: Democratic control of the governor’s office, House of Representatives and the Senate. “We haven't seen that since the early ‘80s,” said Jordyn Hermani, one of four MLive reporters who covers statewide politics and policy. “When I woke up the next day, I was like, ‘Wow, this is uncharted territory.’ For all of us, the politics team at least, we weren't even alive the last time that happened.” I won’t take that personally, Jordyn – I have been alive a long time and have seen a lot as a Michigan citizen and career journalist. But when I went to bed early Wednesday morning, I did not expect to wake up to complete Democratic control of Michigan, as well as: The apparent diminishment of the “Trump Bump” benefits of being endorsed by the former president, in Michigan and across the country;The wave of engagement by younger voters; The depth of concern among voters over reproductive rights issues, since the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year struck down Roe v. Wade; That Michigan would soon have its first Black leader of the state House; its first female leader of the Senate; its first Arab-American House majority floor leader; its first Indian-American as Senate majority floor leader; and, its first Indian-American representative in Congress, Shri Thanedar. But in a blow to diversity, Detroit will have no Black representation in Congress for the first time in 70 years. Trust me, this is just a tip-of-the-iceberg recap of the top developments of Nov. 8; you can read much, much more in this post: “Red wave? No, a historic blue earthquake: The week in Michigan politics.” And it’s times like these that MLive and its readers are well served by an experienced stable of political writers. Joining Hermani are senior political reporter Simon Schuster, Ben Orner and Alyssa Burr. And just when all the votes are finally counted (what is up, Arizona and Nevada?) and you think things will calm down, a certain polarizing former president climbs the stage at Mar-a-Lago and announces he is launching a re-election bid in 2024. Donald Trump will be a force to be reckoned with, Schuster said – despite losing the popular election twice, being impeached twice, seeing his endorsement power wane this year and having other Republicans start to call for other nominees at the top of the ticket. “After each election since 2018, there has been this reactionary force where people within the Republican Party say, ‘OK, this is the moment we can remove that presence from our party and move on,” he said. “There's the inklings of that because of nascent political figures on the national scene like (Florida Gov.) Ron DeSantis, but I really think that the proof is in the pudding.” While that plays out on a national scale, MLive’s politics team will be busy charting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s agenda now that her party is in control, the lame duck session of the Legislature, as well as watching the drama that plays out when the state Republican Party regroups at its convention this winter. The GOP is reeling, and already Tudor Dixon and Matt DePerno – Trump-aligned candidates who lost their bids for governor and attorney general, respectively – say they want to head the state party. “These are similar flavors of the direction the party wanted to take it 2022 that, obviously, proved electorally disastrous,” Schuster said. “I'm really interested to see if there is a contingent of people who say, “It's time to look for new leaders, new icons in our party.’ “If that alternative emerges, who are they and more so, what is their platform going to be?” Great questions, with a lot of jockeying before there are answers. MLive will be there all along, telling you what it all means in real time. Buckle your seat belts – it could get historic. 🎧 Prefer to listen to your journalism while cooking or commuting? Try listening to John Hiner's Behind the Headlines podcast each week. It's free! Just click here for Spotify or here for Apple podcasts to listen. You can also find Behind the Headlines wherever you get your podcasts!
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John Hiner is the vice president of content for MLive Media Group. If you have questions you’d like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at editor@mlive.com. | 