The Republican-controlled Michigan legislature has been one of the most awful and heartless in the country. Among other things, the GOP — in power only because of a ridiculous gerrymander — has ignored the water crisis in Flint, gerrymandered voters out of representation, installed voter ID, and fought Gov. Whitmer every step of the way on COVID-19.
It was devastating to lose Michigan in 2016, but 2018 was much better — Democrats pushed hard for some big wins, including the governorship (Whitmer!) and a number of ballot initiatives. Now, the party has to flip just four seats in the State House of Representatives to turn it blue despite the ridiculous gerrymandering. Between flipping the legislature and winning the state in the presidential election, helping in Michigan is absolutely essential.
While independent redistricting won during the 2018 election will reset some of these districts in 2022, winning two years of progressive lawmaking and having as many incumbents as possible is very worth the investment, both short-term and long-term.
Below, I’m listing the most flippable Michigan State House seats. Do what you can to help out — any donations are crucial.
State House District 104: This district is an absolute mess. Long-time incumbent Republican Rep. Larry Inman was charged in mid-2019 with soliciting bribes in exchange for voting against a GOP anti-worker law. Even most Republicans voted on a resolution asking him to resign, which he refused to do, and then the citizen effort to trigger a recall election against him fell short on a technicality.
Inman will not run for re-election, which he was more or less guaranteed to lose anyway. Democrat Dan O’Neil lost to Inman in 2018 by just 349 votes (or .7%) and is running again to finish the flip. The lawyer and former public official in Traverse City is focused on education and rooting out corruption. He’s running against John Roth, a former county GOP chair.
State House District 38: Like O’Neil, Democratic Novi City Council member Kelly Breen came super-close to unseating the incumbent Republican in 2018, losing by just 588 votes (1.3%). After a close primary, Breen is back for another run at the seat, but due to term limits, she’ll be facing off against a new Republican: Chase Turner, a 25-year-old far-right conservative who touts himself as a “Trump Republican.” Yikes.
State House District 110: This is the one district that Republicans flipped from blue to red in 2018 (Democrats flipped five). Republican Greg Markkanen won by just 579 votes that year and will now have to defend the seat against Democrat Janet Metsa (1.6%). She is an MIT-trained engineer who worked for the EPA and now runs a private business dedicated to helping the environment.
State House District 61: Progressives Everywhere endorsee Christine Morse is running in a district where the previous Democratic candidate lost by just 2.7%. Morse is a Kalamazoo County Commissioner with a practical and progressive platform; she’s running against a former Trump aide who has taken in a boatload of money from special interests.
State House District 98: Like many of the top races here, District 98 will feature a rematch of the very close 2018 contest, which was decided by just 4%. Sarah Schulz, a non-profit executive, returns for Democrats and will face off again against Rep. Annette Glenn, who took the seat over from her husband and has some pretty shady financial connections.
This is adapted from parts of Sunday’s Progressives Everywhere newsletter — we publish twice a week for free! For more stories about state politics, progressive activism, great candidates to support on a local level, and crucial updates on policies that matter, subscribe here! Don’t worry, we won’t bombard your inbox!
