Politics of Michigan

The politics of Michigan, a competitive state that leans Democratic in presidential elections, are divided. Michigan is considered part of the Democrats' "Blue Wall."[2] Governors since the 1970s have alternated between the two parties, and statewide offices including attorney general, secretary of state, and senator have been held by members of both parties in varying proportions, though the state currently is represented by two Democratic U.S. Senators and Democrats hold every statewide office. The Democratic Party holds a slim majority in both the House and Senate of the Michigan Legislature, by two seats in each. The state's congressional delegation is commonly split, with one party or the other typically holding a narrow majority, and Democrats currently have a 7-6 majority.

Further information: Elections in Michigan and Political party strength in Michigan
United States presidential election results for Michigan[1]
Year Republican / Whig Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 2,649,864 47.77% 2,804,045 50.55% 93,277 1.68%
2016 2,279,543 47.25% 2,268,839 47.03% 276,160 5.72%
2012 2,115,256 44.58% 2,564,569 54.04% 65,491 1.38%
2008 2,048,639 40.89% 2,872,579 57.33% 89,388 1.78%
2004 2,313,746 47.81% 2,479,183 51.23% 46,323 0.96%
2000 1,953,139 46.14% 2,170,418 51.28% 109,154 2.58%
1996 1,481,212 38.48% 1,989,653 51.69% 377,979 9.82%
1992 1,554,940 36.38% 1,871,182 43.77% 848,551 19.85%
1988 1,965,486 53.57% 1,675,783 45.67% 27,894 0.76%
1984 2,251,571 59.23% 1,529,638 40.24% 20,449 0.54%
1980 1,915,225 48.99% 1,661,532 42.50% 332,968 8.52%
1976 1,893,742 51.83% 1,696,714 46.44% 63,293 1.73%
1972 1,961,721 56.20% 1,459,435 41.81% 69,169 1.98%
1968 1,370,665 41.46% 1,593,082 48.18% 342,503 10.36%
1964 1,060,152 33.10% 2,136,615 66.70% 6,335 0.20%
1960 1,620,428 48.84% 1,687,269 50.85% 10,400 0.31%
1956 1,713,647 55.63% 1,359,898 44.15% 6,923 0.22%
1952 1,551,529 55.44% 1,230,657 43.97% 16,406 0.59%
1948 1,038,595 49.23% 1,003,448 47.57% 67,566 3.20%
1944 1,084,423 49.18% 1,106,899 50.19% 13,901 0.63%
1940 1,039,917 49.85% 1,032,991 49.52% 13,021 0.62%
1936 699,733 38.76% 1,016,794 56.33% 88,571 4.91%
1932 739,894 44.44% 871,700 52.36% 53,171 3.19%
1928 965,396 70.36% 396,762 28.92% 9,924 0.72%
1924 874,631 75.37% 152,359 13.13% 133,429 11.50%
1920 762,865 72.76% 233,450 22.27% 52,096 4.97%
1916 339,097 52.09% 286,775 44.05% 25,101 3.86%
1912 152,244 27.63% 150,751 27.36% 247,981 45.01%
1908 335,580 61.93% 175,771 32.44% 30,479 5.63%
1904 364,957 69.51% 135,392 25.79% 24,678 4.70%
1900 316,269 58.10% 211,685 38.89% 16,425 3.02%
1896 293,336 53.77% 237,166 43.47% 15,083 2.76%
1892 222,708 47.79% 201,624 43.26% 41,713 8.95%
1888 236,387 49.73% 213,469 44.91% 25,500 5.36%
1884 192,669 48.02% 189,361 47.20% 19,156 4.77%
1880 185,335 52.49% 131,597 37.27% 36,147 10.24%
1876 166,901 52.41% 141,685 44.49% 9,864 3.10%
1872 138,758 62.66% 78,551 35.47% 4,146 1.87%
1868 128,560 56.98% 97,060 43.02% 0 0.00%
1864 79,149 53.60% 68,513 46.40% 0 0.00%
1860 88,450 57.23% 64,889 41.99% 1,210 0.78%
1856 71,762 57.15% 52,139 41.52% 1,660 1.32%
1852 33,860 40.83% 41,842 50.45% 7,237 8.73%
1848 23,947 36.80% 30,742 47.24% 10,393 15.97%
1844 24,375 43.72% 27,737 49.75% 3,639 6.53%
1840 22,933 51.71% 21,096 47.57% 321 0.72%
1836 5,545 43.78% 7,122 56.22% 0 0.00%

The state has historically been a bellwether having voted for the national winner all but six times since 1920, with the exceptions of 1940, 1948, 1968, 1976, 2000, and 2004. It currently has the longest active bellwether streak, tied with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, going back to the 2008 election. Prior to being a swing state, it was a Republican stronghold, voting Republican all but once from 1856 to 1928, with the lone expectation being a Progressive victory in 1912.[3]

Republican strongholds of the state include the rural areas in Western and Northern Michigan, the Upper Peninsula, Livingston County, and (historically) the outer suburbs of Grand Rapids, although redistricting after the 2020 census and shifting demographics has led many political observers to call the Grand Rapids suburbs a "toss-up" in future elections.[4] Areas of Democratic strength include the cities of Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Flint, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Muskegon, as well as many of those cities' inner ring suburbs (all major urban centers). Much of suburban Detroit—which includes parts of Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties—is politically competitive between the two parties.

History
Michigan's Only US President, Gerald R. Ford

Historically, the first county-level meeting of the Republican Party took place in Jackson on July 6, 1854,[5] and the party thereafter dominated Michigan until the Great Depression. In the 1912 election, Michigan was one of the six states to support progressive Republican and third-party candidate Theodore Roosevelt for president after he lost the Republican nomination to William Howard Taft.

Michigan remained fairly reliably Republican at the presidential level for much of the 20th century. It was part of Greater New England, the northern tier of states settled chiefly by migrants from New England who carried their culture with them. The state was one of only a handful to back Wendell Willkie over Franklin Roosevelt in 1940, and supported Thomas E. Dewey in his losing bid against Harry S. Truman in 1948.

Michigan went to the Democrats in all three presidential elections during the 1960s but voted for the Republican candidate in every election from 1972 to 1988, including "native son" Gerald Ford in 1976. Since 1992 it has supported the Democrats by moderate margins, except for a narrow win by Donald Trump in 2016, which was the closest election in the state's history. In 2020, Joe Biden won it back by 2.8 points.

Michigan was the home of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States. Born in Nebraska, he moved as an infant to Grand Rapids.[6][7] The Gerald R. Ford Museum is in Grand Rapids, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Michigan's United States Senator Thomas W. Ferry, was President pro tempore of the United States Senate from March 9, 1875 – March 17, 1879. Vice President Henry Wilson died on November 22, 1875. Ferry, being President pro tempore of the Senate, was next in the line of presidential succession, and remained so until March 4, 1877. While the title "Acting Vice President" isn't defined in the Constitution, the title was widely used at the time (including by Ferry himself).[8][9]

Senator Thomas Ferry who served as president pro tempore and acting President of the US Senate during the 1870s.

In 1846, Michigan became the first state in the Union, as well as the first government in the world, to abolish the death penalty.[10][11] Historian David Chardavoyne has suggested the movement to abolish capital punishment in Michigan grew out of enmity toward Canada, which made public executions a regular practice under British rule.

2020 election
U.S. Senate results, 2020. While Republicans dominated the Upper Peninsula and the rural counties of the Lower Peninsula, Democrats carried the state by winning the Detroit metro.

While Michigan remained competitive in 2020, Democratic nominee Joe Biden's strength with traditional Democratic constituencies such as Black voters (93% to Trump's 6%)[12] and organized labor (56% to Trump's 42%)[12] and increased voter turnout in Detroit and its wealthy suburbs helped tip the state in his favor.[13]

Ballot Initiatives

Michigan approved plans to expand Medicaid coverage in 2014 to adults with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level (approximately $15,500 for a single adult in 2014).[14]

In 2018, the state electorate passed proposals to create an independent redistricting commission,[15] and to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.[16][17][18]

In 2020, voters approved two ballot measures, one to increase the limit of money from sales of gas and oil from state-owned land that can benefit state parks, and another to require a warrant for search or seizure of electronic data and communications.[19][20]

Federal representation
Main article: Michigan's congressional districts

Following each decennial census, the Michigan Redistricting Commission forms to realign the districts. Michigan currently has 13 House districts In the 118th Congress, 7 of Michigan's seats are held by Democrats and 6 are held by Republicans. There are as follows:

Michigan's two United States Senators are Democrats Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, serving since 2001 and 2015, respectively.

Michigan is part of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the Cincinnati-based United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

References
  1. Leip, David. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Michigan". US Election Atlas. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  2. Peters, Jeremy W. (2020-11-10). "Where the 'Blue Wall' Was Strongest, and Where Cracks Appeared". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  3. "Michigan Presidential Election Voting History - 270toWin".
  4. "Newly drawn congressional district in West Michigan moves from conservative-leaning to 'toss up'". mlive. 2021-12-30. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  5. Michigan Historical Marker Program (February 18, 1956). Under the Oaks (Michigan Historical Marker). Jackson: Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on October 8, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  6. "Biography of Gerald R. Ford". whitehouse.gov. August 9, 1974. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2010 – via National Archives.
  7. Funk, Josh (2006). "Nebraska-Born, Ford Left State As Infant". Boston Globe. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
  8. Michigan Historical Commission, and S. D Bingham (1924). Michigan biographies, including members of Congress, elective state officers, justices of the Supreme Court, members of the Michigan Legislature, Board of Regents of the University of Michigan, State Board of Agriculture and State Board of Education. The Michigan Historical Commission. pp. 453–454.
  9. "Biography of Thomas White Ferry". migenweb.org. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  10. "Information on States Without the Death Penalty". Archived from the original on May 12, 2008.
  11. "History of the Death Penalty: Faith in Action, Working to Abolish the Death Penalty". Amnesty USA. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
  12. "Michigan Voter Surveys: How Different Groups Voted". The New York Times. 2020-11-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  13. Collins, Keith; Fessenden, Ford; Gamio, Lazaro; Harris, Rich; Keefe, John; Lu, Denise; Lutz, Eleanor; Walker, Amy Schoenfeld; Watkins, Derek (2020-11-05). "Michigan Flips Back to the Democrats". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-14.
  14. Ayanian, J. Z. (2013). "Michigan's Approach to Medicaid Expansion and Reform" (PDF). New England Journal of Medicine. 369 (19): 1773–1775. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1310910. PMID 24066713. S2CID 6375184. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-03.
  15. Gibbons, Lauren (November 6, 2018). "Voters Not Politicians declares victory for Proposal 2". MLive Lansing. Mlive Media Group. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  16. "Ballot Proposal 1 of 2018" (PDF). Michigan.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  17. "STATE OF MICHIGAN STATEWIDE BALLOT PROPOSALS NOVEMBER 6, 2018 GENERAL ELECTION" (PDF). Michigan.gov. September 19, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  18. Noble, Breana; Rahal, Sarah (December 6, 2018). "Michigan's new marijuana law brings confusion". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019.
  19. "2020 ballot measure election results". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  20. "Election 2020: Ballot Proposals Passed In Michigan". November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
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