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.”
mburke@detroitnews.com
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
Detroit’s dining scene just got even more flavorful with the opening of Sunda New Asian, bringing modern Southeast Asian cuisine to the city.
Restaurant owner Billy Dec joins the show to share what guests can expect from the new hotspot, from bold dishes and incredible cocktails to an energetic atmosphere.
Watch the video above to see what’s cooking up at Sunda New Asian.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
Detroit Lions podcast includes Purple Insider Matthew Coller to talk about NFC North offseason moves.
Nolan and Richard are joined by Purple Insider Matthew Coller to talk about NFC North offseason moves.
By this point in the offseason, it’s well documented who the Detroit Lions have added, as well as who they’ve lost.
Former Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays was the prize of free agency. He’ll replace Graham Glasgow in the middle of Detroit’s offensive line. Clemson’s Blake Miller, selected 17th overall in April’s draft, is poised to quickly take over at the tackle spot opposite Penei Sewell, stepping in for Taylor Decker. The pass rush was overhauled across from Aidan Hutchinson, with Ahmed Hassanein and Tyler Lacy being the only other edge defenders still on the roster from last season.
Today, we’ll try to take our analysis a step further, identifying a few patterns within Detroit’s offseason approach and exploring what those acquisitions, retentions and departures mean for a Lions team looking to bounce back and reemerge as a title contender in 2026.
Detroit’s offense had its own share of issues throughout 2025. But what the defense produced down the stretch with the season on the line failed to meet reasonable expectations. Opponents averaged 28.1 points and 382.1 yards per game from Weeks 12-18, a stretch that resulted in four losses. Pinning all of Detroit’s defensive woes on one factor would be foolish (and you can’t ignore the role injuries played), but an inconsistent, at best, pass rush certainly didn’t help. The Lions owned the third-slowest time to pressure (2.86 seconds) in the NFL last season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Aside from the retooling opposite Hutchinson, the Lions also seemingly put an emphasis on acquiring interior defensive linemen who can get after the passer. Levi Onwuzurike is back after his contract tolled last season — Josh Paschal, a run-defending lineman who also had his contract tolled but was released in March, wasn’t afforded the same opportunity — and the Lions spent a couple of late-round draft picks on Texas Tech’s Skyler Gill-Howard and Tennessee’s Tyre West. Both players were drafted because of the flashes they’ve shown as pass rushers, particularly Gill-Howard, whose win rate in 2025 (14.4%) ranked 10th out of the 512 FBS interior defenders who rushed the passer on at least 100 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Copying the Super Bowl champions isn’t always wise — every team’s personnel has its own set of skills — but it’s striking how much Detroit’s defense differed from that of the Seattle Seahawks, who rode their defense on the way to winning the franchise’s second title. The Lions led the league in use of base defense (three linebackers) last season, deploying those packages for 657 plays, according to Next Gen Stats. The Seahawks were last, with 66 plays. It was the opposite for use of nickel defense (five defensive backs), with the Seahawks leading the league (815) and the Lions at 32nd (355). Of course, Seattle is unique, given head coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive system and nickelback Nick Emmanwori’s immediate impact as a rookie.
The Lions won’t overhaul their entire scheme in one offseason, but it’s difficult to see their moves in totality and not come away thinking they could lean more on nickel packages in 2026. Alex Anzalone, one of the league’s better linebackers against the pass, allowed the Lions to play base defense as much as they did, as he was comfortable in coverage. He’s now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions added a number of viable options to play nickelback next season, including veterans Christian Izien Jr. and Roger McCreary, as well as fifth-round rookie Keith Abney II (Arizona State).
Assuming the starting five, from left to right, winds up being Sewell, Christian Mahogany, Mays, Tate Ratledge and Miller, Detroit’s offensive line will have an average age of 25.2 next season. That’s down from 2025 (27.8) and 2024 (29.8). In no way does the influx of youth indicate surefire success, but the Lions would certainly be set up for sustained success if each of the five projected starters reach their ceilings. The offensive line could be even younger if 2025 fifth-rounder Miles Frazier, who is 11 months younger than Mahogany, wins the starting job at left guard. Juice Scruggs, another contender at left guard, is nine months older than Mahogany. Ben Bartch, 27, is the veteran option.
Whether Mays continues ascending at center will be key to Detroit’s success in 2026. He’s only started 20 games at the position over his four seasons in the NFL, and all of those starts have come within the last two years. He showed week-to-week growth in his 12 starts in 2025, enough for the Lions to commit $25 million ($14 million guaranteed) to him over the next three years. Mays surrendered 13 pressures last season and didn’t allow sack, according to PFF.
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
How the PWHL unveiled Detroit’s team amid much fanfare
Chris Ilitch, Mary Sheffield, Jayna Hefford and Amy Scheer talk about the PWHL Detroit team on May 6, 2026.
Josh Sciba comes to the Detroit Professional Women’s Hockey League team with a tremendous recent accolade.
Named to coach the ninth franchise in the PWHL’s history on Thursday, May 28, Sciba joins the team fresh off having served as an assistant coach with the women’s team that won the gold medal at the 2026 Milano Olympics.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited for the opportunity to become the coach of PWHL Detroit and beyond grateful for the trust placed in me to help lead the organization from the beginning,” Sciba said in a statement. “This is home and especially meaningful for me and my entire family, knowing Detroit’s rich hockey history and identity firsthand and how much the women’s hockey community has been yearning for this moment.”
The Detroit PWHL team has taken shape over the past month: From being introduced on May 6 in a gala event at Little Caesars Arena (where the team will play starting late November/early December 2026) to naming Manon Rheaume general manager on May 15.
“Josh is a highly respected coach with a knowledge of the game and experience at all levels of women’s hockey that set him apart, and his passion for teaching and individual character are qualities I value in a leader,” Rhéaume said in a release “Hockeytown is in his blood, and this is an opportunity I know he is eager to embrace with an understanding of what it means to represent this city and be part of its legacy.”
Next on the agenda is shaping the roster itself, which will happen at the June 17 expansion draft at Detroit’s Fox Theatre.
Sciba, 41 and a native of Westland, has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the PWHL’s New York Sirens and brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to the role.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
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