'We screwed that up.' Michigan Dems reflect on bruising election, Trump win

Disbelief, tactical missteps and potential lessons for the next campaign. These were the reflections Michigan's Democratic politicians shared in the immediate aftermath of this year's election that brought big losses for their party with few bright — or rather blue — spots for them.

"I was prepared for bad, but I was not prepared for a complete ass-kicking," said state Rep. Kelly Breen, D-Novi, in the wake of House Republicans' victory in the state House. Breen said she's frightened that the country elected former President Donald Trump and said she feels the top of the ticket presidential race overshadowed the fight for control of the state House and Democrats' legislative record. "But I suspect a lot of people came out of the woodwork to vote in this race and this race only," Breen said. "I was hoping that women would come out more for us. I don't know what happened. I was just counting on the decency of people."

Vice President Kamala Harris lost Michigan. But U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, defeated Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, of Brighton, to win an open Michigan U.S. Senate seat. Democrats lost their majority in Michigan's congressional delegation, but state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, won a competitive race to succeed U.S. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township. Democrats lost their majority in the state House but kept their majority on the Michigan Supreme Court.

State Rep. Joey Andrews, D-St. Joseph, said the aftermath of the election feels reminiscent of 2016 when Hillary Clinton lost to Trump. "We've got to look inward first," he said of Democrats, who he said bear responsibility for Trump's win. "That's on us. We screwed that up."

State Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, said the presidential race was always going to be tight. "When an election is this close there are always a thousand different things that you can do differently to win the election, right?" he said. "There's going to be a lot of after-action analysis."

While Harris was unable to win Michigan and Democrats lost control of the state House, Tuesday’s results were not a blowout or an indictment of the party’s current standing with voters, said state Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-Kentwood. "This is not a loss on a level that's catastrophic," he said. He — like other Democratic politicians from Michigan — named blue-collar, working-class men as a constituency Democrats will have to work to reach. "People were nostalgic for a pre-COVID economy," Skaggs said. "This was not a red tidal wave."

Economic messaging was a central theme of Trump’s campaign. But Democrats had a messaging problem, many Democrats said.

As Trump rallied around Michigan, he vowed to improve the economy. Trump offered a myriad of policy plans, from hiking tariffs on foreign products to slashing taxes on everything from Social Security, tips and car loans. But Trump didn't offer specifics on how exactly his economic policies would be implemented, or how tax revenues used to pay for things like Social Security would be recaptured.

State Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit, brought up federal initiatives for COVID-19 relief and infrastructure spending, as well as legislation Democrats passed in Michigan like repealing the pension tax. "I don't think the Democrats hit those points enough," Carter said Wednesday. "The rescue plan, the COVID relief, it wasn't just Democrats that benefited from it. There were businesses that would have gone under, Republican and Democrat."

Andrews said Harris didn't offer much of an economic message. How would her down payment assistance proposal help someone who already owns a home or her small business assistance plan help someone who doesn't own a business, Andrews asked.

While Democrats emphasized abortion rights, Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, a former state lawmaker and school board member, said the party's message stressed reproductive rights at the expense of "bread-and-butter issues" and attention to solutions to address poverty. "Our party; they’re tone-deaf," Gay-Dagnogo said. Abortion rights are important, but they are not the totality of women's health issues, she said. Gay-Dagnogo put most of the blame on unspecified white women in the state party who she said favor messaging that stresses reproductive rights at the expense of other issues and allow out-of-state operatives to make decisions that should be reserved to grassroots activists in cities such as Detroit.

Gay-Dagnogo also directed some criticism at Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes, who she said has been told that Black women need a greater voice in the party, to little effect. Andrews said the state party needs a pretty significant change in leadership. A spokesperson for Barnes did not respond to a request for an interview for this article.

Democrats also appear poised for a reconciliation over the future shape of the party's coalition.

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State Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-Garden City, a progressive lawmaker, described the election as a kind of wake-up call. "The Democratic Party needs to find its voice with the working class. I think that what we've seen is that we're losing working-class voters and something that Trump is saying is appealing to them," Wegela said. Democrats have made Trump out to be a "villain" or "boogeyman," and he said the party should put forward a positive vision for working-class people, an overhaul of the campaign finance system and corporate accountability. "And I don't feel that we've been doing that," he said. Instead of leaning into Democratic values, he called the "biggest mistake" in the election was Harris' decision to court moderate Republicans, which included a campaign stop with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, of Wyoming.

Meanwhile, on the heels of her reelection in a traditionally Republican Kent County-based congressional district, U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said many in west Michigan no longer feel they have a place in Trump's Republican Party. Democrats still must do better to court those voters and make them feel welcome themselves, she said.

"I sure hope people are paying attention to what’s happening in west Michigan. The political tailwinds were not in Democrats’ favor," Scholten said.

Not every Democrat wanted to talk about the election. Spokespeople for Democratic Senate Leader Winnie Brinks, of Grand Rapids, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did not respond to Free Press requests for an interview. Spokespeople for House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, said they would let the Free Press know whether either wanted to talk. The Free Press did not hear back.

In statements Wednesday, Brinks, Tate and Whitmer talked about what comes next:

"During this time of transition into the new term, I remain committed to protecting the rights of all Michiganders, building economic opportunity for the middle class, and working with people of all political stripes who come to the table in good faith," Brinks said.

"House Democrats will put in the work to regain our majority and deliver a brighter future for the millions of residents who make Michigan their home," Tate promised.

"Now that the election is behind us, let's remember that our nation is full of patriots — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents," said Whitmer. "If you love Michigan, you must love your fellow Michiganders — no matter what."

Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

Contact Arpan Lobo: [email protected]

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: After Trump retakes Michigan, Dems reflect on election loss