Detroit, MI

14 Detroit-area Democratic state lawmakers express ‘unwavering’ support for Biden

Published

1 year ago

July 11, 2024

14 Detroit-area Democratic state lawmakers express ‘unwavering’ support for Biden

A group of 14 Detroit-area state lawmakers in a joint letter Thursday expressed “unwavering” support for President Joe Biden, saying he is the “rightful choice” to be the party’s nominee for president on the eve of a Biden campaign rally in Detroit.

The letter came out amid a growing number of top donors and Democratic members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids, and others who are calling for the 81-year-old president to step aside for a new nominee atop the ticket. The critics are questioning Biden’s age and electability after a poor debate performance two weeks ago against Republican Donald Trump.

The 14 lawmakers who issued the new letter are members of the Michigan Legislature’s Detroit Caucus, including House Speaker Joe Tate and others representing parts of Detroit, which has been a central focus of the Biden reelection campaign’s early efforts in Michigan. Biden will be back in Detroit on Friday for a campaign rally.

“Under President Biden’s leadership, we have witnessed significant progress that directly impacts Black communities across Michigan and the nation at large,” the lawmakers said in the joint letter.

“The economic progress, health care expansion, and job creation we have seen under the leadership of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are too important to jeopardize.”

They said that, as a caucus, they’re committed to mobilizing communities, raising awareness and advocating for policies that benefit Black Michiganians. They highlighted policy wins such as capping insulin prices at $35 for 2 million state residents and strengthening Black-business ownership.

“We encourage all our members and allies to join us in supporting President Biden and Vice President Harris,” the letter states. “The stakes are too damn high to risk a second Donald Trump presidency.”

Besides Tate, other signers include Detroit Caucus Chair Rep. Tyrone Carter as well as Reps. Donovan McKinney, Helena Scott, Stephanie Young, Natalie Price, Regina Weiss, Michael McFall, Kimberly Edwards, Mai Xiong and Laurie Pohutsky. State Sens. Sylvia Santana, Stephanie Chang and Mary Cavanagh also signed onto the letter.

More: Biden confronts decisive day in his campaign, as his team says no Democrat would do better

Notably, some members of the Detroit Caucus didn’t sign the letter: State Sen. Erika Geiss of Taylor, whose district has a part of Detroit; state Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak; and two Arab American lawmakers who have criticized Biden’s policy on the Israel-Gaza war: Reps. Abraham Aiyash, the Democratic floor leader from Hamtramck, and Alabas Farhat of Dearborn.

Geiss said Thursday, when contacted by The News, that she still supports the Biden-Harris ticket.

When asked whether he supports Biden as the nominee, Aiyash responded: “Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee. I am committed to building on our Democratic majority here in Michigan.” The other lawmakers didn’t immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment.

State Rep. Karen Whitsett, a third-term Detroit Democrat, also did not sign onto the letter. Whitsett drew censure from her party during the pandemic when she credited Republican then-President Trump for advocating for hydroxychloroquine, which she said saved her life when she contracted COVID-19. She met with Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence at the White House in April 2020 to thank them for their advocacy.

When asked Thursday why she hadn’t signed the letter, Whitsett said, “Oh, there was a letter? I had no idea.”

She did not respond to a question regarding whether she supported Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.

While praising Biden’s “incredible” legacy, Scholten on Thursday said her top concern was about governance, saying the American people can’t “unsee” what they witnessed with Biden’s performance on the debate stage and that she’s hearing from constituents that it’s shaken their confidence in his leadership.

Scholten was the first frontline member of Congress from a 2024 battleground state and the first freshman to urge Biden to step aside.

Biden has steadfastly refused to give up the race as he prepares to take on Trump in November, rebuking his critics and telling them to challenge him at the Democratic National Convention next month in Chicago.

The Associated Press reported that the Biden campaign laid out what it sees as its path to keeping the White House in a new memo Thursday, saying that winning the “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan is the “clearest pathway” to victory.

“There is also no indication that anyone else would outperform the president vs. Trump,” said the memo from campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez that was obtained by The Associated Press.

The memo sought to brush back “hypothetical polling of alternative nominees ” as unreliable, and it said such surveys “do not take into account the negative media environment that any Democratic nominee will encounter.”

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Detroit, MI

One-on-one with Detroit’s next mayor

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

One-on-one with mayor-elect Mary Sheffield

Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield is spending the end of 2025 looking forward to her first 100 days in 2026 when she takes over as the city’s first new leader in more than a decade.

(FOX 2) – The holidays are a busy time for everyone.

And that includes Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield, who is spending the end of 2025 looking forward to her first 100 days in 2026 when she takes over as the city’s first new leader in more than a decade.

Mary Sheffield 1-on-1

Sheffield has spent her preparatory time ahead of taking over as mayor with departments as she gets ready to oversee Michigan’s biggest city.

Speaking from the Marygrove Conservancy on Detroit’s west side, she told FOX 2 residents can expect a focus on issues around poverty and housing.

“You will see coming out of the first hundred days some very bold action items and initiatives and offices that will be formed; elevating the issue of homelessness and housing,” she said, “and even the social issues that still plague Detroit around poverty.”

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Sheffield also said the age of contrasts between downtown and the neighborhoods should end, agreeing with her predecessor it created an ‘us vs. them’ mentality.

“It’s not productive to continue a dialogue of us vs them or downtown vs the neighborhoods,” she said. “In order for Detroit to thrive, and in order for us to be a world-class city, we do need a thriving downtown, but that does not have to be at the expense of our neighborhoods.”

In addition to housing, crime will be another focus of her administration.

The city is coming off one of its lowest violent crime numbers in six decades in 2025.

The Source: An interview with Detroit-elect Mary Sheffield was cited for this story.

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Detroit, MI

Blazers Fall to Detroit Pistons in Beautiful, Ugly Bout

Published

15 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Blazers Fall to Detroit Pistons in Beautiful, Ugly Bout

Despite a spirited 21-point comeback, the Portland Trail Blazers fell to the Detroit Pistons 102-110 on Monday night.

The first half was sloppy, to put it kindly. The Blazers, faced with a packed paint and limited outside shooting available, were effectively stonewalled. Moreover, despite a +19 advantage from the line, the Blazers were only able to capitalize on 67.4% of their free throws (which is marginally better than their average over the last three games of 66.3%).

The Pistons’ defensive activity and unrelenting physicality made the Blazers uncomfortable. So uncomfortable, in fact, that they turned the ball over 19(!) times. The Pistons crowded the lane, demanding that the Blazers beat them from beyond the arc. The Blazers responded “no, we will not beat you from beyond the arc” and proceeded to shoot 7 of 32 from downtown.

The only thing that spared the Blazers from a devastating blowout was the Detroit Pistons’ similarly terrible shooting splits, as well as a large disparity in “got that dawg in him per 36,” courtesy of Sidy Cissoko.

The second half saw Sidy Cissoko and Shaedon Sharpe lead a fourth-quarter charge, spawning a 24-point run. With eight minutes left in the game, Cissoko successfully baited Cade Cunningham into fouling out. At this point, the momentum had shifted towards the Blazers entirely. Continual downhill pressure and stalwart defense had the Moda Center believing in the improbable. It was a potentially-perfect ending to a night meant to honor the Blazer greats of the 1999-2000 roster.

Unfortunately, free throws, poor shooting and a little good-ol’-fashioned ref’ ball prevented the Blazers from securing their fourth win in a row. That said, the Blazers once again showed fight. They dragged the top seed in the Eastern Conference down into the mud and walloped them, but – again – weren’t able to clean things up during crunch time.

Shaedon Sharpe…? Shaedon Sharpe put in a polarizing performance. On one hand, Sharpe dropped 25 points and a career high five steals on 51.2% shooting. Yay! On the other hand, he had eight turnovers and shot 1 of 6 from three=point land. Boo! That said, Sharpe felt like the Blazers’ steadiest shot creator tonight, and, given his recent shooting splits, his poor performance from beyond the arc looks like an aberration.

Liability Throws. Until the Blazers shoot over 70% from the free throw line in a game, we cannot refer to them as “free.” Their lack of ability to convert free throws in the clutch was the nail in the coffin for the Blazers. For the game, Portland shot 67% from the line. A few nights ago, poor free throw shooting was the catalyst for an almost-super-embarrassing Sacramento Kings comeback. We all know what the Schonz would say.

Downhill Deni. The Blazers were able to hang in this contest through relentless downhill pressure. Oftentimes, this pressure was met with all five members of the Detroit Pistons sitting in the paint. Other times, though, it resulted in free throws or open looks from three. Unfortunately, as mentioned previously, the Blazers propensity to miss those very kinds of shots meant that they trailed for the vast majority of the game. There is still the possibility that, as players return from injury, they will improve in those departments.

Point Guards, We Miss You. The Blazers have officially claimed the title of “Most Turnovers Per Game” in the NBA. It does not come with a trophy. It does, however, demand the return of any one of the Blazers’ injured point guards. The Blazers’ lack of reliable ball handlers has placed undue strain on both Deni Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe. The offensive burden shouldered by both players is unsustainable, made evident by a gradual increase in the Blazers’ turnovers per game.

Scoot Henderson’s hamstring; Jrue Holiday’s calf; Blake Wesley’s fifth metatarsal—If any of you are listening: please, figure it out.

Never Say Die! Moral victories generally start to feel a little less satisfying when they’re the majority of your victories. That said, the Blazers walked away with another moral victory tonight. Despite horrendous shooting, ball security, and rebounding, the Blazers went toe-to-toe with the top team in the Eastern Conference. Shaedon Sharpe, Sidy Cissoko and Donovan Clingan put in spirited, entertaining performances to ignite a scintillating 21-point comeback. In the end, the Blazers faltered, but fans can still walk away without hanging their heads.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with knee injury

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with knee injury

Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is dealing with a knee injury, though Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated he does not believe it’s serious.

St. Brown was listed as a non-participant on the Lions’ estimated practice report Monday, Dec. 22.

The Lions held a walk-through Monday in advance of this week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday (4:30 p.m., Netflix). Campbell said St. Brown showed up to the practice facility after the team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and reported the injury.

“We’ll know more a little bit later but this is just something that just popped up when he came in today,” Campbell said. “So hopeful this is something [that’s] just some type of irritation from the game. That’s what I’m hoping.”

St. Brown leads the Lions with 98 catches, 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns and needs two catches over the Lions’ final two games for his fourth straight 100-catch season.

Taylor Decker (shoulder) and Avonte Maddox (back) also were listed as non-participants on Monday’s practice report, and the Lions listed nine others as limited participants including starters Marcus Davenport (shoulder), Graham Glasgow (knee), Christian Mahogany (fibula), Alim McNeill (abdomen) and Amik Robertson (hand).

The Lions (8-7) must win their final two games and have the Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) lose their final two games to make the playoffs.

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

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