“[T]he grit and the determination and the confidence, the certainty, the absolute commitment that this country has…is more exemplified by Detroit, Michigan than any other state in the Union.” All photos by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog. Not for reuse without permission. Last night’s Jefferson Jackson dinner was a rallying point for Michigan Democrats and every speaker from former […]

A class act by a classy Democrat

Debbie Dingell, whose name has been mentioned in nearly every conversation about who will replace Carl Levin when he leaves his Senate seat in 2014, has announced that she is NOT running. When I spoke with her last week, she made it clear to me then that she had not made a decision at that point. She and her husband Congressman John Dingell are VERY close as those of us in Washtenaw County have the privilege of observing on a regular basis, and a Senate run would have separated them, a prospect that clearly gave Dingell pause.

Today, she has announced that a decision has been made. Her statement is after the jump.

A rare opportunity

The Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner is the biggest fundraising event of the year for most state Democratic Parties and Michigan is no exception. Named after Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, these events draw big name speakers and candidates for office.

This year, the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) has scored a real coup: Vice President Joe Biden will be the keynote speaker. The dinner is on the evening of Saturday, April 20th at the Cobo Center in Detroit. It kicks off at 6 p.m. Tickets are available HERE.

More after the jump.

Let’s take a breath here for a minute, shall we? You can’t read an article or blog post about the race to fill departing Senator Carl Levin’s seat without hearing how Gary Peters is the leading contender, almost as if the seat is his if he wants it. While Peters is, without question, a great candidate and certainly someone to […]

“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value”

This week the Michigan House Democrats revealed their budget priorities for the year. In stark contrast to our far-right ideological Republicans and our corporatist Governor, the Democrats’ priorities reflect concern and care for middle class families, children and seniors. Their budget is a sincere reflection of their values. By the same token, Republicans show what they value as they work to eviscerate public education, demonize teachers and other public employees, raise taxes on the majority of middle class Michiganders and cut taxes for corporations by an astonishing $2 billion.

Get the details after the jump.

Attention, mid-Michigan Democrats! Just a quick note to let you know that I’ll be speaking to the Eaton County Democratic Party at their general membership meeting this Thursday at the Log Jam Restaurant, 110 West Jefferson Street in Grand Ledge. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. I’ll be showing a slideshow of some of Anne’s amazing photographs, talking about the […]

Double digit leads must be very helpful when you’re deciding if you’ll run

Congressman Gary Peters from Michigan’s 14th Congressional District leads his nearest opponent in the race to replace Senator Carl Levin when he retires in 2014 by a factor of two in a recent poll conducted by Main Street Strategies. Of the four leading candidates, Peters has a very clear early lead with 24.8% of the vote. Former MI-01 Congressman Bart Stupak was favored by 11.7% of the 1,032 respondents, Debbie Dingell — wife of U.S. Congressman John Dingell — got 9.2% and former Congressman Mark Schauer came in at 9.0%.

Click through for more.

Well this makes things interesting…

U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D – Michigan) announced today that he will not run for re-election in 2014, a move that opens the seat to a newcomer and has Republicans licking their chops at the chance to run for a Senate seat against someone who is not a powerful incumbent.

More after the jump.

The fight to preserve workers’ rights is FAR from over. Get informed.

One of the premier Democratic Party clubs in the state is the Western Washtenaw Dems, a club I’m proud to be a member of. Started in 1999 by former House Speaker Pro Tempore Pam Byrnes, the group is both a social club for Democrats on the western side of Washtenaw County as well as an active political force in our county. They regularly sponsor important and timely speakers, panels and forums and this Thursday is one that area Democrats won’t want to miss. It features Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan AFL-CIO president Karla Swift, Michigan AFT president David Hecker along with moderator Ron Motsinger from the IBEW.

Details and a downloadable flyer after the jump.