The WØRD – “Focus”

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FOCUS

First, our focus as Democrats. Some of the pundits look at the new ultra-right-wing Michigan Republican Party leadership team and assume that Democrats have it made – even some prominent Republicans across Michigan are saying it.

We have to maintain FOCUS: focus on organizing at the grassroots level, focus on continuing to recruit the very best candidates, and focus on fundraising to support those candidates. Michigan is still a purple state and we cannot take anything for granted, no matter what’s happening at the state GOP Headquarters. 

And FOCUS also applies to our policy agenda. It’s easy for political candidates to make promises. The challenge is following through, especially on those issues where there’s a fundamental divide between the two major parties.

Here in Michigan, it’s especially challenging because of the razor-thin majorities Democrats hold in the state Legislature: 56-54 in the state House, 20-18 in the state Senate.

Even with those small majorities, Democrats are following through to make campaign promises a reality. The House and Senate have already passed a nearly one-billion-dollar tax cut package focused on working families and retirees. Several other major planks of our campaign are moving quickly through the Legislative process.

We are joined this week by Senator Stephanie Chang, chair of the Senate’s Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee about two major groups of bills: civil rights for LGBTQ+ Michiganders, and badly needed gun safety laws.


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