The Political Environment Surrounding Michigan's 2006 Gubernatorial Elections

Jennifer Granholm, Democrat Incumbent
Dick DeVos, Republican Challenger

Michigan has a population just over 10 million, approximately 7 million of whom are registered voters.

Michigan is currently more Democratic than Republican, but not by much. Michigan is often a swing state. In the 2004 presidential election, the Democratic candidate John Kerry took Michigan with 51% of the vote, while the Republican candidate, George W. Bush, took 48%.

Governor Jennifer Granholm enters the 2006 gubernatorial election as the incumbent, which typically carries significant advantages. However, one incumbent advantage, fundraising, is neutralized by the fact that our opponent is a billionaire. He essentially could fund the entire election through his own wealth, so his spending can be virtually unlimited.

Dick DeVos, president of Alticor, is independently wealthy. Typically political incumbents are able to raise many more funds than their opponents, giving them a political advantage. In this case, however, the challenger's wealth will offset this advantage.

In Governor Granholm's four years in office, she has battled a struggling economy and a Republican Congress. Governor Granholm has focused on balancing the budget while promoting her political agenda.

Currently, Michigan's economy is among the worst in the country. The unemployment is the highest in the nation and things continue to look bleak. Delphi declared bankruptcy, eliminating more jobs. The auto industry is struggling. Recently GM announced it would cut 30,000 jobs, many of which will be Michigan jobs. Northwest Airlines continues to struggle, and may be headed in the same direction. At the same time, few companies are coming to Michigan and overall job creation has been weak. The economy is a key issue on people's minds, and will be prevalent in the election

There is also an important proposal on the 2006 ballot. The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative proposes to eliminate the use of race as a factor in determining college admissions, public employment, and public contracts. Essentially the Civil Rights Initiative is a plan to eliminate affirmative action. It is unclear if this initiative will benefit Governor Granholm or Dick DeVos.

There are other ballot proposals (K-16 Education Funding & Term Limit Changes), but these should not have much impact on the political environment.

Finally, President Bush has been in office for 6 years. In the past, there has often been a six-year itch. People tend to get antsy after six years and get tired of the party in power. This bodes well for the opposing party, which in this case is the Democrats.