In 2018, over half of the Democratic candidates for the state legislature and Congress who won their primary and went on to the general election in Michigan were women. When you talk about women finally getting parity in terms of high elected office (or ANY elected office, for that matter), there’s only one political party who is even close to […]

In 2012, Bridget Mary McCormack got the cast of the West Wing to do a video for her to remind people to vote on the Non-Partisan ballot. She had an “in” with them since her sister Mary McCormack played Deputy National Security Advisor and ex-CIA officer Kate Harper. The video went insanely viral and has had over 1 million views. […]

I’ve been fightin’ for tomorrow all my life

Shortly after Wednesday, November 5th, 2008, I changed my iPhone ringtone to “It’s A New Day” by will.i.am and I haven’t changed it since then. Over the past few weekends, whenever our GOTV canvassers called me in our Obama campaign office, my back pocket would ring out with that oh-so-perfect tune.

So much in the lyrics of will.i.am’s song resonated with me in 2008 and still do today, particularly this part:

If you and I made it this far,
Well then hey, we can make it all the way
And they said no we can’t
And we said yes we can
Remember it’s you and me together

I woke up this morning
Feeling alright
I’ve been fightin’ for tomorrow
All my life
Yeah, I woke up this morning
Feeling brand new
Cause the dreams that I’ve been dreaming
Have finally came true

More after the jump.

The desperation is palpable

An out-of-state group known as the “Judicial Crisis Network” is spending $1 million in Michigan to attack Supreme Court front-runner Bridget McCormack. After you read my interview with her HERE, you’ll quickly realize that she’s a candidate perfectly suited for the Supreme Court. The now-viral West Wing ad released by her campaign gave her name recognition not usually seen with candidates for the bench. As I said in my interview, she’s the real deal, running a real campaign and she’s going to win.

However, that’s only true if we get out the vote for her, along with Connie Marie Kelley (interview HERE) and Shelia Johnson (interview HERE.) The most recent Detroit Free Press poll shows that an astonishing 75% or more of Michigan voters are undecided in the Supreme Court races (one partial term where Johnson is the candidate and two full-term seats where Kelley and McCormack are on the ballot.)

We simply must spread the word on these three incredible women. We must tell our friends, our coworkers, our family — anyone who will listen — that these three women represent the best choice for Michigan’s future.

More after the jump.

We need to educate our friends, relatives and coworkers!

The Detroit Free Press released an astonishing poll recently that showed that in the two Supreme Court races, one for a partial term and one with two seats open for full terms, more than 75% of voters are undecided. Three-quarters of the voters don’t know who to vote for. Of course, Eclectablog readers know:

• Bridget Mary McCormack (interview)
• Connie Marie Kelley (interview)
• Shelia Johnson (interview)

Now it’s time to share this information with as many Michiganders as you can. An easy way of doing that, of course, is to print out the Eclectablog Voters Guide (pdf) and hand it out widely.

As your reward, I present you with the the bloopers and outtakes from Bridget McCormack’s massively viral West Wing public service announcement (after the jump.)

The last of the truly reasonable Michigan Republicans…

When I was just a lad and an aspiring activist, I volunteered for a group called “The Three O’Clock Lobby”. It was a youth-run, youth advocacy group and we endeavored to make sure the voice of young people was represented in policy-making, law-making, and government in general.

It was during my time there that I first met Governor William Milliken when I and another young person asked him to wear a button saying “I support youth participation” at a celebration of the International Year of the Child (this event is actually mentioned in the Wikipedia article.) Milliken was not only a really nice and sweet man, he was a listener and he was reasonable. Considered a moderate, a man with his approach to leadership and governance would have no home in the Republican Party today, especially not in Michigan. William Milliken was willing to compromise and there’s no compromising in today’s Republican Party.

Today, Professor Bridget McCormack, candidate for the Michigan Supreme Court, announced that she has received the endorsement of William Milliken. It’s a clear sign of where things are in Michigan today, politically-speaking.

More after the jump.

Whoa.

On Thursday morning, I posted a 4-minute long online ad paid for by the campaign to elect Bridget Mary McCormack to the state Supreme Court. In fact, Eclectablog was one of the first to get it and have it available. Since then, the West Wing reunion spot has gone crazy viral.

Click through for the numbers and details.

THIS is how you do it!

When I interviewed Michigan Supreme Court candidate and University of Michigan law professor Bridget Mary McCormack earlier this week, I told you that today was going to be a big day for her. And it is. In addition to receiving the coveted endorsement from Democracy for America, the McCormack campaign released a new online ad. But this isn’t just any ad. This ad was filmed with cast members from The West Wing and looks like an episode of the blockbuster show.

The ad talks about a national emergency that’s in progress: people are voting in the partisan section of the ballot but NOT in the non-partisan section where they judges are elected and the ballot initiatives are voted on. It also highlights the amazing background and work done by McCormack.

It’s a smart, funny, and very entertaining way to get the point across while endorsing a terrific candidate for the state Supreme Court. Watch it after the jump.

University of Michigan Law School professor Bridget Mary McCormack has earned a coveted endorsement from Democracy for America (DFA), the premier progressive political action organization in the country. McCormack joins the ranks of other progressive women like Senate candidates Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) who have all been endorsed this year by DFA. You can read my recent interview with McCormack HERE.

Details about this important endorsement after the jump.

A true advocate for those with the greatest need

When I arrived at the campaign office of State Supreme Court candidate Bridget Mary McCormack just south of Dexter, I found her Skyping into a house party meeting Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She had just finished making her pitch to a room full of nearly two dozen potential supporters, who could be seen on the screen of her laptop, and was taking questions. When you’re running a statewide campaign for a position most people know little about and often ignore on the ballot, it’s this type of unconventional approach that could make the difference between who wins and loses the race for one of the three open spots on the Court. It’s also completely in line with the type of campaign that McCormack is running.

Click through for my interview with this terrific candidate and to find out more about her out of the ordinary campaign.