Michigan Politics

John Chamberlin, Ford School professor emeritus of political science and public policy, describes himself as a "redistricting junkie." Not unexpectedly, he possesses a keen interest in and understanding of the efforts under way to develop Michigan's...

Despite the fact that some Michigan Republicans flout health protocols promoted by the state, medical groups, and hospitals, health care interest groups still contributed more to Michigan Republicans than Democrats. Joe Schwarz, former Republican...

"Absent some kind of other intervention, it's most likely that commissioners will hear from folks who are well-funded with lobbyists," Ivacko said. Read the full Detroit News article on U-M's work to clarify the meaning of 'communities of...

Communities of interest "now have a very high priority to be kept whole, to not be cracked or split across different districts," Ivacko told the Lansing State Journal. "That's also going to significantly increase the challenge, I think, for the...

"It's going to be a very challenging process this year, and certainly the late Census data will be a part of that," Ivacko told the Lansing State Journal. "Getting the 2020 Census data is going to be absolutely key for them to begin drawing versions...

Michigan politics have gone through a volatile stage, from domestic terrorists accused of attempting to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer to false election fraud allegations perpetuated by state Republicans  (which culminated in the failed...

The Canadian government and corporate leaders are disputing Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's plan to revoke the operating license of the Enbridge Line 5 oil line crossing that runs under the Straits of Mackinac. If the challenge is...

An article in Bridge magazine about funding for replacing lead pipes notes that,  "Often, the communities with the biggest backlog of upgrades and fixes are the least-equipped financially to pay for them. As a result, they must raise rates. That...

“The only thing I can say about it, it was poor judgment, ill-advised and shows very little knowledge or respect for the history and tradition of presidential succession in the country. He should be called out for it,” Schwarz told Michigan...

Bednar told MLive that antigovernment actions earlier in 2020 in Michigan had created an environment that led to the storming of Congress on January 6th. “Do you remember the day when there were several men who entered the Senate gallery in...

"Trump was already facing a tough re-election battle in Michigan, which has been compounded by the mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Jonathan Hanson. You can read the article in The...

"In the end, it depends on how close the presidential race is. If Biden runs really strong in Michigan, Peters is likely to have wind behind his sails as well," Hanson said. "I expect James to run a few percentage points stronger than Trump. The...

“Going into this election season, he was not particularly well-known,” said Tom Ivacko, referring to Mr. Peters. At the same time, Mr. Ivacko said Mr. James’s 2018 challenge helped him build “some name recognition fairly recently,” he said. He lost...

For Ford School dean Michael S. Barr insights into the executive and judicial branches of the U.S. government are more than academic: He served in two presidential administrations and was a law clerk for a Supreme Court justice. Barr, a key...

"VoteSafe Michigan has been around for a few months and what we are trying to do, with the cooperation of county clerks, city clerks, township clerks, polling place officials, is to make certain from a sanitary standpoint, the polling places are as...

“Although Biden’s lead over Trump is similar to Clinton’s lead at this same point, Biden’s lead has been far steadier” said Shipan. “Biden’s lead has been consistently large. Second, pollsters learn from their mistakes. In 2016, they...

Michigan voters “are ready to buck the trend at any given time, and vote for a candidate that speaks to them” Ivacko wrote that it isn’t just that Michigan voters are mavericks, but that their votes are tied to how the economy is doing and affecting...

“The virus is still out there,” said Schwarz, who is a lecturer at the Ford School and also a surgeon. “And it is ubiquitously still out there. I don’t agree with the governor on everything but I think that she is doing the right thing.” Read the...

With 2019 marking the end of eight years of Republican control of both the governor’s office and state legislature, a new University of Michigan survey shows divided opinions among Michigan’s local government leaders about where the state is...

District lines are a hotly debated and inherently partisan issue, but Michigan courts have sought to address these biases. On Thursday, April 25, Michigan judges unanimously ruled that “GOP insiders illegally gerrymandered dozens of state and...

In an attempt to forestall a citizen-led initiative to raise the state’s minimum wage, Michigan GOP legislators approved a gradual increase that would get the state to a $12-minimum in 2022. However, during this lame duck session, they instead...

Now that the election is over, political conjecture is turning to what the newly elected will do in office, how (and even if) it forecasts 2020, and in some cases what sitting governments are doing before power changes hands in January. To help make...

Many local government leaders across Michigan aren't content with their jurisdiction's relationship with state government, according to a new survey by University of Michigan researchers. The latest Michigan Public Policy Survey explored factors...

Quotes from Professor Emeritus John Chamberlin were featured heavily in the March 13 MLive article, "For Michigan lawmakers, conflicts of interest go self-policed and undisclosed," by Emily Lawler. The article examines examples of state legislators...

An op-ed by CLOSUP program manager, Tom Ivacko (MPP '93), was published by the Detroit Free Press on March 11. In "Fixing EM law should be legislators' top priority," Ivacko makes the case that Michigan's laws regarding the appointment of emergency...