Kathleen Gray

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

It was Christmas Eve 2009 when Janine Kateff transformed from a retired teacher-turned-builder into a political activist.

It was that day that the U.S. Senate approved the Affordable Care Act — known as Obamacare — without a single Republican vote.

“It was sold to us as an affordable health care plan, but I’ve experienced just the opposite. I’ve got to make serious compromises to keep up with my health care,” said the West Bloomfield resident. “So when that came in and I saw some of our politicians buy into it. That’s when I said I have to get more involved.”

She became active in the Republican Party, rising to the chairmanship of the 14th Congressional District GOP organization, and was an early and vocal supporter of Donald Trump, serving as a delegate for him at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last July.

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So, on Tuesday, she’ll jump in a car with three friends and head to Washington D.C. to celebrate the election and inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States.

“I hope to hear a message of unity and coming together as a country. And for those who have been claiming that he is not their president, I hope he can say something that will win their support,” Kateff said. “It’s a grand celebration and we’re going to get to do it now, and I hope the rest of the country can be happy for us.”

Kateff will be joined by many Michiganders who were early supporters of Trump, as well as a few who backed other candidates or none at all.

Gov. Rick Snyder, who didn’t endorse anyone for president in either the primary or general election, will use the inauguration to try and build relationships with Trump’s administration.

“They’re still filling a lot of positions in their administration and it’s important to see who those people are and build relations,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m going. I want us to have a positive relationship.”

He’ll be talking to transportation officials about continuing the support for the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor and the possibility of the federal government picking up the cost of a customs plaza at the bridge. He also wants to talk about potential improvements to the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, noting: “It’s clearly a piece of national infrastructure that we need to invest in.”

But he also wants to reconnect with Tom Price, the Georgia congressman who is Trump’s nominee for the Department of Health and Human Services. Price is a Michigan native and graduated from Dearborn High School a couple of years ahead of Snyder’s wife, Sue, so there’s a built-in connection.

“I appreciate that Congress has issues. I have issues,” Snyder said about the Affordable Care Act. “I can’t answer all the puzzle pieces, but I’d like to highlight some of the real benefits that have been real helpful in Michigan for 600,000 people,” who have health insurance through Obamacare’s expansion of Medicaid to more low-income residents in the state.

For Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, Trump wasn’t his preferred candidate — he initially backed Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. But the AG got on board when the controversial New York businessman won the Republican nomination.

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So, for the Midland Republican, this inauguration is about the change that is sure to come with a President Trump, and a celebration of two Michiganders who are ascending as a result of Trump’s victory. Schuette will help host a Thursday evening reception for west Michigan education advocate Betsy DeVos, who Trump has nominated as the Department of Education Secretary, and will happily attend a Friday evening reception for Ronna Romney McDaniel, who is Trump’s preferred candidate for chairwoman of the Republican National Convention.

“There’s something about Ronna. She’s terrific; she has all the ingredients of leadership: she’s smart, personable, tough and decisive,” Schuette said, of the chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, and who helped deliver Michigan for a Republican for the first time since 1988. “She campaigned from top to bottom for the ticket and had a big victory.”

For U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the East Lansing Democrat, the 2017 inauguration will be bittersweet.

“I’ll just never forget 2009. It really was an extraordinary moment of hope and excitement about new possibilities,” she said. “For me now, it’s much more about anxiousness and concern about the future.”

She’ll attend many of the inaugural week activities, including an open House hosted by Michigan’s congressional delegation on Thursday afternoon, as well as the swearing-in ceremony for Trump on Friday.

But she’s actually looking forward more to the Women’s March on Saturday, when thousands of Michiganders will join people from around the country to protest the Trump presidency and advocate for issues of importance to women.

“I’m amazed at the interest. People are engaged as citizens and that’s what’s going to make a difference. We’re in a time of tremendous uncertainty and anxiety. But this shows that everyone of us, as citizens, has the capacity to speak out and make a difference,” Stabenow said. “But as much as history is going to talk about 2016, I think the question is what’s going to happen in 2017 and will people engage.”

Lena Epstein, a Bloomfield Hills businesswoman and cochair of Trump’s campaign in Michigan, said she fears she won’t be able to breathe on Friday as she watches the inauguration from a prime seat.

“It’s going to be so patriotic. I’m going to be moved to tears,” she said of seeing her first swearing-in ceremony in person. “I’m going to be holding my breath. Having worked so tirelessly, it’s going to be such a proud moment.”

She’ll attend receptions and have meetings with news media and other businesspeople attending the festivities. And, of course, there will be the inaugural galas. As one of the cochairs of the campaign in the state, she’ll attend one of the two inaugural balls that Trump is expected to attend at the Washington Convention Center, as well as Michigan’s celebration at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

“I saw early on the cast and crew and made the decision that he was by far the best man to do the job,” Epstein said, noting she threw her support to Trump at the GOP debate held at the Fox Theater in March.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 313-223-4430, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal

The inaugural festivities

Thursday

10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Michigan congressional delegation hosts an open house for Michiganders attending inauguration celebrations. Room 1100, Longworth House Office Building. Free and open to the public.

4-6 p.m.: Voice of the People celebration, featuring 14 bands and singing groups, including the Lansing Everett High School Marching Band, on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial followed by a Make America Great Again with remarks by Republican President-elect Donald Trump, and a variety of professional actors and singers. Free and open to the public

Evening: A Michigan reception for Betsy DeVos, west Michigan education advocate, and prominent Republican benefactor who was nominated by Trump as his choice for Department of Education Secretary. Invitation only.

Friday

Noon: Swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States at the U.S. Capitol, followed by a parade on Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.

5-7 p.m. Gov. Rick Snyder hosts a reception for Michigan Republican Party chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, who is Trump's choice for chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. Invitation only.

7:30 p.m.-midnight: Michigan's inaugural gala at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Open to public who have tickets that are $225 each.

Saturday

10-11 a.m.: National Prayer Service, Washington National Cathedral.