As Democrats turn to virtual rallies and phone calls amid the COVID-19 pandemic, masked-up Republicans resumed door-knocking in June, have hosted “MAGA meetups” across the state and will welcome Vice President Mike Pence to Traverse City on Friday.
Jonathan Oosting
Jonathan is a deputy editor for Bridge Michigan. He helps plan and execute in-depth reporting and campaign coverage. As a longtime political reporter, Jonathan was named 2021 Journalist of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. He and a colleague shared that honor again in 2023, when they were also named Journalists of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists – Detroit Chapter. Jonathan covered the state Capitol for The Detroit News and MLive before joining Bridge in September of 2019. He's from Grand Rapids, lives in Lansing and loves spending time Up North.
Posted inMichigan Government
Feds demand answers from Gov. Whitmer on Michigan nursing home deaths
The U.S. Department of Justice demands records from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democratic governors who “issued orders which may have resulted in the deaths of thousands.” A Whitmer spokeswoman says the request is “election-year politics.”
Posted inMichigan Government
COVID-19 recession could trigger a surprise tax cut in Michigan
A little-known tax cut trigger tucked into a 2015 Michigan law was designed to slow runaway government growth. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to reverse it before the 2022 election, warning it could slow the state’s recovery.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan economy is stronger than expected amid pandemic. Thank the stimulus.
Consumer spending is up amid the pandemic, as Michigan residents are spending federal bailout money designed to keep the economy going amid the pandemic. But state economists warn Michigan still faces tough times.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact Squad | Truth blurred in John James ad claiming Peters is ‘invisible’
The latest TV attack ad from Republican challenger John James blends a few facts (some of which are quite old) to reach a questionable conclusion that Sen. Gary Peters has done little but double his wealth while in Washington, D.C.
Posted inMichigan Government
As Election Day approaches, Trump and Michigan GOP now push absentee voting
Both Democrat Joe Biden and Republican President Donald Trump are leaning into mail-in voting as the coronavirus pandemic promises to complicate the November election. Trump has long raised doubts about the practice.
Posted inMichigan Government
Feds OK extra $300 a week for Michigan jobless – but it may not last long
Nearly a million Michiganders who have lost jobs during the coronavirus pandemic will eventually qualify for $300 per week in extra unemployment benefits, but the payments could take weeks to arrive and may last just weeks more.
Posted inMichigan Government
Relief, optimism and mistrust greet $600M Flint water lawsuit settlement
Half a decade after LeAnne Walters helped expose the Flint water crisis, the mother of four says she and her children still suffer from rashes because of the stew of toxins they ingested through their tap. A $600 million settlement with the state “is a form of justice, but by no means does this fix what has happened,” she told Bridge.
Posted inMichigan Government
Fact Squad | Misleading GOP ad smears Gary Peters’ record on coronavirus
A new TV attack ad from a Republican group accuses Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of blocking emergency aid for small businesses in the United States and praising China’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. But the commercial misleads on several fronts.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan seeks $300 per week in extra benefits for unemployed
President Trump is making extra unemployment benefits available because of the pandemic that has left more than 2.4 million Michigan residents jobless. The state could have pursued an extra $100 per week in benefits, but opted against it because of declining tax revenue.