Michigan
Michigan voters to choose party candidates for crucial Senate race in battleground state
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan voters could play a major role in choosing who the next president will be — and they could also determine which major party controls Congress in 2025. Next week’s party primaries over an open U.S. Senate seat and two congressional races in the battleground state will set the stage for November.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has the inside track for her party’s nomination to the Senate against a challenge from a television actor. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and the financial backing of national Republicans in the race for his party’s nomination.
Slotkin and Rogers are looking to fill the seat long held by Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who announced in early 2023 she would not seek reelection. Democrats currently maintain a narrow margin in the Senate but are defending far more seats in this year’s elections.
The political drama in Michigan extends further down the ballot as well. Slotkin’s Senate bid puts a House seat up for grabs, one of two in Michigan that are expected to be competitive in November. With Republicans defending a narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, the outcomes of the Michigan contests could have national implications. And Michigan Republicans themselves are looking to regain control of the state House of Representatives lost in 2022.
Slotkin, a third-term U.S. representative from Holly, has positioned herself as the party’s front-runner with her fundraising prowess and endorsements. She last reported about $8.7 million in cash on hand in mid-July and announced earlier this year she plans to spend $8 million in advertising in the weeks leading up to the general election.
Her sole primary competitor, actor Hill Harper, best known for his role in the television show “The Good Doctor,” has raised considerably less than her more than $24 million.
Rogers, a former U.S. representative lured out of retirement, has Trump’s endorsement to stave off competitors, as well as the endorsement of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Other Republican competitors include former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash and physician Dr. Sherry O’Donnell. Businessman Sandy Pensler, who dropped his candidacy and endorsed Rogers at a July 20 rally with Trump, will also be on the ballot because he withdrew too late.
Michigan Republicans haven’t secured a Senate victory in Michigan since 1994.
Rogers is far behind Slotkin in fundraising, raising more than $5.3 million and sitting on about $2.5 million of cash, according to the latest campaign finance report. But national party groups have reserved millions in ad buys after the primary, ahead of the general election.
The race has mirrored many aspects of the U.S. presidential election. Slotkin has campaigned on protecting and expanding reproductive rights while Rogers has slammed the Biden administration for its handling of border security.
Slotkin, who is Jewish and has extensive foreign policy experience as a former CIA analyst and Defense Department official, has at times faced criticism for not being harder on Israel. Michigan has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the nation, and support from the community is critical in the state where nearly 100,000 people cast “uncommitted” ballots in February to protest President Joe Biden‘s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris’ team is attempting to change the White House narrative inherited from Biden and regain support from Arab American leaders in the Detroit area, especially in Dearborn, one of America’s only majority-Muslim cities. Slotkin has thrown her support behind Harris.
National attention will turn to Michigan as some of the most competitive congressional races in November could determine the makeup of the U.S. House as well as the Senate.
Slotkin’s foray into the Senate race opened her congressional seat in central Michigan. Both party candidates are unchallenged in their primaries for the swing district.
In Michigan’s 8th congressional district encompassing Flint and Saginaw, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee’s retirement leaves the competitive seat open. The Democrat who has represented the area since 2013 has endorsed first-term state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet for the position. Also in the running are Pamela Pugh, state board of education president, and Matt Collier, the former mayor of Flint.
Paul Junge, a former TV anchor who lost by more than 10 percentage points to Kildee last year, is running on the GOP side. Also running are Mary Draves, a former chemical manufacturing executive at Dow Inc., and Anthony Hudson.
Detroit is likely to be without Black representation in Congress for a second consecutive term after a court ruled that a former state senator and popular candidate did not submit enough valid signatures in the 13th congressional district.
Detroit, which is nearly 80% Black, had maintained some Black representation in Congress for almost 70 years until 2023. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar faces two remaining primary challengers but holds a major cash advantage over Mary Waters, a former state lawmaker who has served on the Detroit City Council since 2021, and attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins.
Michigan Republicans are looking to regain control of the state House of Representatives in November, with all 110 seats up for election. Democrats became the majority party in both chambers of the Legislature in 2022, spurred by redistricting and an abortion referendum on the ballot that same year. The Legislature passed numerous laws on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s agenda in the year following.
Early voting, new this year for Michigan thanks to a 2022 referendum, started for the August primary election on Saturday, July 27.
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Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
ROTHBURY, Mich. — Michigan State Police (MSP) detectives shared some more information Friday about their investigation of the infant death at this year’s Electric Forest music festival in Rothbury.
Troopers recently received a tip about a Muskegon woman who was said to have information about the incident, but after interviewing her and completing other necessary investigative steps, MSP said they ruled her out as a suspect.
A restroom vending company employee at the festival found the body of a neonate, a newborn infant who is four weeks old or younger, in a portable restroom in the festival camping area on June 28, according to troopers.
The festival is hosted at the Double JJ Resort, which was locked down to anyone entering the following day as police surrounded the scene.
Troopers are asking for tips from the public at michigan.gov/michtip.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Harmful algal blooms have been reported on two notable lakes in West Michigan: Gun Lake and Muskegon Lake.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says cyanobacteria was reported on Muskegon Lake July 3, but no tests have confirmed it.
The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says a harmful algal bloom was confirmed Thursday on Gun Lake. The lake remains open, but the BEDHD is encouraging visitors to use caution and avoid water that has “visible algae.”
Visitors are encouraged to avoid any contact with water that appears bright green, blue-green, brown or red or has “floating mats of scum.”
Pets should also avoid the water. If they come into contact with the algae, pets should be rinsed off as soon as possible with clean, fresh water.
Exposure to algae can cause a rash or irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever and trouble breathing.
“If you become sick, contact your healthcare provider. Seek medical care right away if you have trouble breathing, severe vomiting, or other serious symptoms,” the BEDHD said in a statement. “If your pet was exposed, rinse them well with clean water and do not let them lick their fur until they have been washed. Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet has vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, trouble walking, excessive drooling, shaking, or seizures.”
Harmful algal blooms are powered by the sudden growth of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria occur naturally in lakes, rivers and ponds but is often boosted by a sudden excess of nutrients, often caused by fertilizer runoff from farms or failed septic systems.
They can last for several days and sometimes even months. The water will look “scummy” or like “spilled paint or pea soup.” They are typically found in the summer and fall — usually peaking in August or September and dying off by the end of October.
You can report a suspected harmful algal bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov or 1.800.662.9278.
Sterling Stamping Plant is the largest in the world
Ed Daniels, vice president of North America injection and stamping operations, discusses the process of producing metal parts for Stellantis models.
Warren — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV’s cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.
Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal that eventually will start to resemble the shape of a truck or SUV.
Seven miles north, in Sterling Heights, Stellantis operates an even larger stamping plant — the biggest in the world, at 2.7 million square feet — that does much of the same work, churning out various shapes of steel and aluminum 24 hours a day.
Together, these lesser-known links in the manufacturing supply chain support all of Stellantis’ big North American assembly plants — from next-door Warren Truck Assembly Plant, where the Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV is built, to facilities in Windsor and Mexico that make minivans and pickups.
Inside Stellantis’ Huge Detroit Stamping Plants
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the automaker’s Sterling and Warren stamping plants, which are key to the company’s turnaround plan.
The Metro Detroit stamping plants, the automaker’s only two such facilities in the United States, have at times struggled in recent years, facing major job cuts and worker morale issues amid slowing sales and shifting production plans. But under Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the facilities are expected to cram in more workload — and add staff — as Stellantis begins a new five-year strategic turnaround plan, which includes a heavy focus on its most profitable North American market.
The carmaker’s goal: grow sales by more than a third to 1.9 million annually by 2030 as it launches 23 vehicles, including 11 all-new models. The company also is directing billions of dollars of investment into its U.S. manufacturing footprint due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“Stamping has never really been viewed as the sexy side of automotive manufacturing, we’re relatively invisible,” said Ed Daniels Jr., vice president of North America injection and stamping operations. “Because when you look at the commercials and advertisements, it’s always a beautiful Ram rolling off the assembly line or climbing the side of a mountain.
“But we’re the inception of that vehicle,” he said. “This is where raw materials are turned into commodities and parts.”
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the two plants that combined employ about 3,000 people. The automaker wanted to show off a newly-installed blanking press at Warren Stamping and other machinery like a high-speed transfer press and a robot that spots flaws in the metal.
Hiring expected
The blanking press unspools long coils of metal and chops them up into pieces that can then be shaped into roofs, fenders and floor pans. Stellantis shipped the massive machine to Warren from its idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois last year.
After upgrades to the machine, executives said it’s able to produce as many as 120,000 metal blanks per week. It will save Stellantis money since the plant will no longer need to pay a supplier to break down the coils before the metal arrives there.
The blanker addition is a big deal for the plant and signals that the company wants to bring more work in-house and invest in the facility over the coming years, said Romaine McKinney III, president of United Auto Workers Local 869, which represents workers at the factory.
The plant has already brought back all of its laid-off UAW workers, and McKinney said he anticipates more hiring to get underway if sales grow and new Stellantis vehicles come to market.
In another corner of the Warren facility, one of the fastest press lines in the world — known internally as the Hellcat — pushes as many as 15 pieces of metal through per minute. Dies that weigh up to 50 tons apiece squish the material into the shapes of doors and hoods before robotic arms snatch them out and place them on conveyor belts. Midway through a shift, workers can reconfigure the machine to make a different component, a process that takes just five minutes.
Robots check for quality
Curtis Booth, who manages Warren Stamping, said manual processes inside the plant have become increasingly automated, and safer, over the last couple decades, even as the automaker’s two stamping factories still utilize some presses that were installed in the 1960s.
The latest high-tech addition is the Automated Body Inspection System, or ABIS. It’s a camera system mounted on a robot that automatically checks the quality of components and flags anything in need of repair.
Auto plants of all kinds are increasingly turning to these types of camera systems, infused with artificial intelligence, to catch flaws in sheet metal and other components before they are shipped. Booth said worker visual inspections are still used. But in some cases the human eye has too much subjectivity, and the ABIS removes the guesswork.
Greg Bauer, who manages Sterling Stamping, said his plant has added staff over the past year, and expects to continue hiring as more work is assigned to the facility. There is no space at the plant to add more presses, but officials have figured out how to increase efficiency — quickly toggling back and forth between making doors for a Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger on on a single machine, for example.
“We want to bring high-volume parts into the plant, and we want to maximize the capacity of the equipment,” Daniels said.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
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