The contentious Michigan Democratic Party convention that unfolded in April is unlikely to get a similar sequel in August when members gather to formally nominate a slate of candidates for state offices, according to rules unveiled last week.
The official call to convention for the Aug. 29 gathering in Lansing made clear that candidates who lost races at the April 19 event are not eligible to run again, and it says no one can seek the lieutenant governor nomination except for the person chosen by the Democratic nominee for governor.
“No other candidates will be eligible for consideration for nomination for lieutenant governor,” the call to convention said.
The gubernatorial nominee will be picked through a primary on Aug. 4.
The convention policies appear to limit the possibility of competition on Aug. 29.
The April 19 convention had a lot of competition. It featured a record crowd, shouting, heated races for attorney general, secretary of state, and university board seats, vote-counting problems, and calls for an independent audit of the results.
Ultimately, attendees endorsed Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II for secretary of state over Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and former Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli, and they backed Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit for attorney general over Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.
Under the party’s rules, Byrum, Shkreli and McDonald would be unable to run again in August.
Someone else could try to challenge Gilchrist or Savit, but it would be an uphill battle. The person would have to collect 823 petition signatures from credentialed convention delegates between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Aug. 29, according to the call to convention.
It’s expected that the Michigan Republican Party will have somewhat similar rules at its August convention.
The GOP version will take place Aug. 22 at Soaring Eagle Entertainment Hall in Mt. Pleasant.
As of Wednesday, state Sen. Jim Runestad, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, said policies for the convention were still being worked out.
John James’ spokeswoman gets new post
Hannah Osantowske, who had been the primary spokeswoman for the gubernatorial campaign of U.S. Rep. John James, is moving out of her position.
Instead, Osantowske will fill a role in the Republican lawmaker’s congressional office, according to a statement from Jackson Gross, who is the campaign manager for James.
“We appreciate her work on the campaign,” Gross said. “As a lifelong Michigander and Macomb County resident, we know she’ll do a great job working for Michigan’s 10th District.”
Osantowske previously worked for the James congressional office before moving to his campaign for governor.
“I firmly believe John James is the only candidate for governor who can turn Michigan around and make it the most pro-freedom state in America for my family, friends and future generations,” Osantowske said in a statement. “I wish the campaign nothing but success in the months ahead.”
The statements from Osantowske and Gross didn’t specify what her new job would be.
Rebandt challenges his disqualification
Pastor Ralph Rebandt, who was running for governor as a Republican, has asked the Michigan Supreme Court to intervene in his disqualification from the GOP primary ballot.
On May 28, the Board of State Canvassers determined that Rebandt of Elmira had fallen short the 15,000 valid signatures from registered voters.
The bureau sampled 750 of Rebandt’s petition signatures. He needed 618 of them to be valid to make the Aug. 4 ballot. However, only 533 of them were found to be valid.
Rebandt sued the canvassing board in the Court of Appeals. But that court upheld the board’s process of using a statistical sampling to invalidate signatures without specifically examining each signature.
Rebandt’s campaign submitted filings to the Michigan Supreme Court on Thursday and Friday, including a motion to expedite.
There are four Republican candidates for governor who did qualify for the ballot: former Attorney General Mike Cox of Livonia, U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township, businessman Perry Johnson of Bloomfield Hills and state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt of Porter Township.
AFP’s new ad for Rogers
Americans for Prosperity Action announced a new $1.775 million ad buy last week to continue the group’s support of Republican Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate with two new spots running through June.
The ad buy brings the group’s total spend for Rogers in Michigan to just over $4 million to date, with the new spot running on broadcast TV and digital streaming platforms across the state. One spot focuses on his “readiness” to lead and the other on his plan to tackle affordability issues.
“At a time when too many Michiganders are struggling with higher costs and economic uncertainty, Mike Rogers is ready to govern and ready to deliver results,” AFP Action Senior Advisor Tim Goldingsaid in a statement.
“AFP Action’s investment is amplified by our grassroots network of activists engaging voters in communities across the state every day.”
Reps file for extensions on financial disclosures
More than half of Michigan’s congressional delegation in the House sought extensions to file their financial disclosure reports with the U.S. House.
That includes lawmakers who are facing primary challenges, including U.S. Reps. John James, R-Shelby Township, who is running for governor, and Shri Thanedar and Rashida Tlaib, both Detroit Democrats.
The 90-day extension means these lawmakers won’t have to file until after the Aug. 4 primary, with a new due date of Aug. 13. The annual disclosures are required under House ethics rules, detailing members’ personal finances, including assets, liabilities and any outside earned income.
Others who secured an extension include Reps. Tom Barrett of Charlotte, Lisa McClain of Bruce Township, Kristen McDonald Rivet of Bay City, Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids and Bill Huizenga of Holland. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, also sought an extension to Aug. 13.
The rest of the delegation filed reports, according to their offices, though not all of them are available publicly online yet due to delays in processing by the U.S. House.
Huizenga floats manufacturing training abroad
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland, announced a bipartisan effort last week to start a program at the U.S. State Department that sends American workers overseas for manufacturing training.
“Having a strong manufacturing sector is critical to our economy, national security, and ability to compete globally,” he said in a statement. “By focusing on advanced manufacturing in sectors such as automotive, semiconductors, and aeronautics, this bipartisan legislation will help reshore American manufacturing, equip American workers with in-demand skills, and rebuild our nation’s middle class.”
Huizenga’s bill, called the American Manufacturing Revitalization Exchange Program Act, would direct the State Department to send U.S. workers working in manufacturing fields abroad for “hands-on manufacturing training and certifications in allied countries with deep manufacturing expertise,” per a press release.
Those workers would then return to the United States “with new skills to help meet the labor skill shortage in the U.S. manufacturing industry and aid in reshoring efforts.”
The Michigan Republican is sponsoring the bill with Democratic U.S. House colleague Johnny Olszewski of Maryland, plus Republican Reps. Young Kim of California, Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, and Gus Bilirakis of Florida.
The industrial Midwest — and the United States as a whole — has lost about a quarter of its manufacturing jobs since the turn of the 21st century, largely due to offshoring and automation. President Donald Trump and other politicians have made rebuilding that workforce a political priority over the past decade, albeit with limited success so far.
Experts have long said that the loss of manufacturing knowledge domestically is both a barrier to that goal and a risk to national security.
Endorsement watch
Community organizer Will Lawrence, who is running in the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District, earned the endorsement last week of Democratic former U.S. Rep. Andy Levin and the Sierra Club.
Additionally, Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, who endorsed Lawrence last month, reiterated his support for the Lansing Democrat on social media Friday, arguing he was “running a people-powered campaign taking on Big Money interests.”
Lawrence is running in the Democratic primary against former Ambassador Bridget Brink and former U.S. Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam. The eventual Democratic nominee will compete in the swing district against incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte.
In the Democratic primary for Michigan’s 10th District, home to a key suburban Detroit swing seat, Delaware U.S. Sen. Chris Coons endorsed Eric Chung, a former Commerce Department lawyer.
“Eric Chung knows what’s at stake in our country right now because he’s lived it. His family escaped war in Vietnam and built their lives in Michigan,” Coons said in a statement. “Eric went on to become a teacher and constitutional lawyer to bring back the economic opportunities that made his family’s journey possible.”
Democrats are hoping to flip the district, which is currently represented by John James. Chung’s primary opponents are former prosecutor Christina Hines of Warren and former Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel.
Tweet of the Week
The Insider report’s “Tweet of the Week,” recognizing a social media post that was worthy of attention or, possibly, just a laugh, from the previous week goes to Nikki Goldschein, campaign manager for Democratic candidate for governor Jocelyn Benson.
Benson’s team responded on Thursday to social media posts that alleged that the second-term secretary of state was carrying a $34,995 handbag last month at the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
Goldschein said the bag in question actually cost $60.
Likewise, Alyssa Bradley, who is Benson’s spokeswoman, echoed Goldschein’s version of the story.
“This is a $60 bag from a small business on Mackinac Island,” Bradley wrote in her own post.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Insider: Rules make upheaval less likely at Democratic convention
Reporting by Craig Mauger, Melissa Nann Burke, Beth LeBlanc and Grant Schwab, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Craig Mauger, Melissa Nann Burke, Beth LeBlanc and Grant Schwab, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
