Michigan Democrats finalize ticket, start work for blue wave in November

Kathleen Gray | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Who survived Michigan's primary election? All signs pointed to a high turn out for Michigan's 2018 primary election. Here are the candidates voters chose to put on the November ballot.

EAST LANSING — The 2016 elections were a wakeup call for Laura Burroughs.

The Owosso resident went from being a voter who didn’t do much more than put up a yard sign for her preferred candidate to an activist who gave up one of the last weekends of the summer to sit through two days of speeches and show her support for the candidates getting formally nominated at the state Democratic convention.

“I was disappointed with myself that I hadn’t done anything other than putting up a sign in my yard to help my candidate win,” Burroughs said. “I was raised by union members and Democrats, so it’s something that’s always been on my radar, but I didn’t get involved until the 2016 election results came in. It was devastating and heartbreaking. And it was a call to action.”

For former state Rep. Stephen Adamini, D-Marquette, the decision to make the six-hour trip from the Upper Peninsula to the Breslin Center in East Lansing was an easy one, even though he hasn’t been particularly active in politics since he left the state Capitol in 2006.

“I served and actually sat next to Gretchen Whitmer when we were both in the House. I haven’t been to a state convention in 10 years, but I said I’ve got to go and be with Gretchen,” he said about the Democratic nominee for governor.

“She’s very intelligent, smart and compassionate. And I just have so much admiration for her. I have no doubt that she will be a wonderful governor.”

Those are the type of words Democrats are hoping to hear again and again as they fight to create not just a ripple, but a blue wave in November. After 2016, when Michigan went from blue to red for the first time since 1992, Democrats think they’ve got a good chance to not only win the governor’s race, but flip seats all the way down the ballot.

“I want a blue wave, but that blue wave isn’t going to happen if we just keep talking about it,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn Heights. “It’s going to happen when we take nothing for granted and roll up our sleeves.”

Sunday was the first step for Democrats. Sure, there was the necessary formality of officially nominating the candidates who will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. But most of those candidates had already gotten the nod from party faithful at an endorsement convention in April. So Sunday’s official business took a back seat to the parade of politicians who spoke about the consequences of elections, especially after Donald Trump became the president of the United States after the 2016 elections.

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Trump’s name was barely mentioned at the convention, but that didn't mean he wasn't on the minds of the speakers at the event.

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who was the keynote speaker Sunday, said he wasn’t worth the breath it would take to say his name. And Andy Levin, the 9th district congressional candidate who hopes to succeed his father, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, hinted at action Congress might take if and when Democrats regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We’re going to use the full powers invested in Congress to make sure every person is subjected to the laws of the land. I don’t care how big your ego is,” he said.

Republicans held their convention Saturday in Lansing, officially nominating candidates: former state Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons, R-Alto, for lieutenant governor; Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, R-Dewitt, for attorney general; and Mary Treder Lang, of Grosse Pointe, for secretary of state.

But on Sunday, it was all about the Democratic top of the ticket. Some highlights:

Whitmer, wearing a white suit that has come to symbolize the women's suffragist movement and the empowerment of women in politics, paid tribute to the men she defeated in the Aug. 7 primary. “Abdul and Shri and Bill Cobbs, made me a better candidate and they made this a better party. We’re all better off to the energy and spirit they brought to this race.” And she acknowledged the battle ahead. “This race will not be easy, we’re in for a fight. And these guys will say anything to hold on to political power. But we are up for this fight. This is about our state. We’re tough, we can take it and we’re going to stay focused on what really matters.”

In a rousing and fiery speech, attorney general candidate Dana Nessel, said she doesn’t understand why Republicans are criticizing her for her work as a criminal defense attorney, “When there are so many Republicans around this country who are sorely in need of a good defense attorney. Donald Trump has a whole slew of them on retainers … and he’s going to need them.”

Secretary of state candidate Jocelyn Benson revived the memory of freedom fighters during the civil rights battles of the 1960s to say it was her goal to protect the right to vote for all Michiganders. “I will do this because when I began my career in Montgomery, Alabama, investigating hate and hate crimes throughout the country, I stood at the foot of the Edmund Pettis Bridge and and pledged to use my life to continue the work of those who stood at the bridge in 1965 and fought for democracy.”

The memory of U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, was frequently brought up by Democratic speakers on Sunday, the morning after he died following a battle with brain cancer. Former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin opened the convention asking for a moment of silence to honor, “an American patriot who was fearless in war and fearless in public life.” And U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who is running for reelection this year, said it was a honor to serve with a man she considered her friend.

Others who got officially nominated were: Megan Cavanagh and Sam Beganstos for Michigan Supreme Court; and Garlin Gilchrist II for lieutenant governor, who told those attending the convention that, "The greatest speech that you’ll give is the one you give at your dinner table ... or to the person next to you at the gym. Our power as Democrats spreads far beyond these convention walls."

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