MichMash Politics

As we get closer to the midterm elections, races for the Michigan US Senate and House seat prove that Michigan is stepping closer in the national spotlight. This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow discuss Michigan's swing state power with Reid Wilson, founder and editor of Pluribus News in Washington, D.C.
They discuss the current state of the Michigan candidates and how they reflect the national trend in politics. 
But first the state budget drama continues as cancellations in funding disrupts multiple work projects. Cheyna and Zach also discuss the latest in Lansing

Is everyone getting charged the same? This is the question causing members of the Michigan Judicial Council to create a proposal to take the pressure off judges to generate revenue and make the state a more balanced funding partner as well as make sure people are not given debts that they can’t pay. This week on MichMash Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Services' Alethia Kasben discuss the ins and outs of this proposal with former judge and State Court Administrator Tom Boyd.

During this holiday weekend, the MichMash hosts got together to look at issues and stories we should look out for in the month of December. 
This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Services' Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss topics such as data centers, the Michigan gubernatorial race, and what items on the legislatures to-do list will get accomplished. 

Michigan lawmakers are working on bipartisan approaches to ensure crimes are accounted for and other bills aiming to increase privacy for lawmakers. This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben talk with State Senator Stephanie Chang and State Representative Sarah Lightner. They discuss the Violent Crime Clearance Act, shielding of addresses for certain public officials, and more. 

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall makes his MichMash debut this week to share his take on recent events involving the Michigan legislature. In this episode, he joins hosts Cheyna Roth and Zach Gorchow to talk about funding, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the state budget, Republican candidates for governor and more. 

Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield had a historic win on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to be elected Mayor of Detroit. In this episode of MichMash, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben are joined by BridgeDetroit reporter Malachi Barrett and Detroit One Million founder Sam Robinson to discuss how Sheffield might govern in her new role.

In this episode, cannabis attorney Lance Boldrey joins the show. He chats with WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben about how the 2026 state budget affects the cannabis industry.

Plus, Republican gubernatorial candidates had their first debate this week. We discuss a notable absence and the major themes of the debate.

Even though Michigan's 2026 state budget was already passed and signed into law, the drama continues as the Senate and House disagree about a bill calling for more transparency with enhancement grants known as "earmarks." This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow explain what earmarks are and what role they play in the recently-passed budget.

Then, they sit down with Budget Director Jen Flood to dig into the details of what was included in the state budget.

With a little more than a year to go until Michigan's next congressional election, we take a look at the current state of affairs for congressional candidates in Michigan. This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben explore who's running in the state's US House and Senate races, and where their fundraising stands.

Later on, Charles Griffith from the Ecology Center stops by to discuss how a recently passed gas tax will impact electric vehicles.

Although there are already laws barring non-citizens from voting in Michigan elections, a group is pushing a ballot initiative to have voters show proof of citizenship. This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow unpack the issue with supporter Paul Jacob of Americans for Citizen Voting and opponent Melinda Billingsley of Voters Not Politicians.

Michigan lawmakers passed a state budget early Friday morning for the 2026 fiscal year. In this bonus episode of MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben discuss the details of the budget with Crain's Detroit Senior Reporter Dave Eggert.

We are past the October 1 deadline and an official state budget still hasn't been passed. What does this mean for Michigan? This week on MichMash, Cheyna Roth and Alethia Kasben break down whether a budget will pass sooner or later. 

There is progress in the state budget and we have the update on the breaking details. As part of the weekly WDET series, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what is likely in the state budget and how things will look as we approach the October 1st deadline. 

The Michigan GOP held their biennial leadership conference at Mackinac Island this past weekend. In this episode of MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben sit down with Baldy Bipartisan's John Selleck to discuss whether the conference is still beneficial for the Michigan Republican party.

Plus, Cheyna and Alethia discuss a proposal to move the state’s primary election from early August to May.

With less than two weeks til the budget deadline, there is still no state budget in sight. This week on MichMash, host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben break down what could be done by October 1st. They sit down with both State Senator Sarah Anthony, the Senate Appropriations chair, and State Representative Ann Bollin, the House Appropriations chair, to hear the gameplan for the remainder of the month.

In 2020, 15 Republicans allegedly tried to cast Michigan's electoral votes for President Trump, even through President Biden won the state by 154,000. In this episode of MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow break down how the legal case against these electors unraveled. 

Then, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Counties Steve Currie joins the show to talk about how the state budget affects local governments.

As Michigan schools return to classes this week, the uncertainty of the state budget is causing some schools to cut programs just in case there are any issues with funding. In this episode of MichMash, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what needs to be done in order for the legislature to make the October 1 deadline.

Then, Robert McCann, Executive Director for the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, joins the show to talk about how the uncertainty of the budget is affecting school districts.

Nearly two months after the original deadline, House Republicans passed a budget giving the legislature a month to negotiate ahead of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. In this episode of MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben discuss what was included in this version of the budget. 

Then, they’re joined by Gongwer News Service's administration reporter Lily Guiney to talk about the new state superintendent and other issues going on around the state. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is advancing a plan that could reshape how more than 300,000 Michiganders receive behavioral and mental health services. The proposal involves shifting nearly $5 billion in tax dollars, sparking debate across the state.

On this week’s MichMash, hosts Cheyna Roth and Zach Gorchow break down the proposal, exploring why some believe it will improve access and streamline care while others warn it could weaken community-based services. They also discuss the politics behind the plan, how it fits into Michigan’s broader health care landscape, and what it could mean for families who rely on this care.

Listen to the full conversation to hear what’s at stake for providers, patients, and policymakers as Michigan weighs this major change.

"In this episode of MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben are joined by the former director of Wayne County's Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services, Abdul El-Sayed. He discusses why he's running for Michigan's open US Senate seat what he believes qualifies him for the role.

Plus, now that State Representative Joe Tate has dropped out of the US Senate race, we explore how this affects the rest of the field."

The 2025 Detroit primary election has concluded, and now we have a two-person sprint to November's general election to determine who will be the city's next mayor. In this episode of MichMash, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow breaks down the results with WDET's Russ McNamara.

Plus, Gorchow and host Cheyna Roth discuss a shake-up in the Michigan Public Service Commision.

This week on MichMash, gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II sat down with WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben to explain why he's running for governor of Michigan and how his engineering background could help.

Plus, we take a look at fundraising progress from the rest of the gubernatorial candidates.