LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Democratic Party is pulling out their color-coded spreadsheets and firing up the group texts to make Michigan Blue in every corner of the state. Yesterday, they announced a statewide drive to make sure no school board, village council, or local commissioner seat goes unchallenged. The plan? Recruit hundreds of Democrats to run for over 700 seats.
With 2025 just underway, Democrats are already gearing up for this year’s local elections, setting the stage for the 2026 showdown when every major office in the state will be on the line, as we’ve reported previously.
Small towns, big ambitions.
Curtis Hertel, the party’s new Democratic chair, is spearheading this endeavor, saying it’s about showing up and fighting “unelected billionaires.” Translation: they’ll be parachuting in Democrats to flip seats in every rural outpost where Republicans have been coasting unopposed – and where the Democrats will be spending their time complaining about Elon Musk and DOGE to an uninterested voter base.
Contest every race…
Partnering with a national group called Contest Every Race (CER), the strategy is crystal clear: contest every single GOP-held seat, from city council chambers to your neighborhood HOA board. Zoë Stein from CER added that this is about combating “MAGA extremism.”
Text blitz and hand-holding included.
To further their goals, Democrats will roll out direct text campaigns, coaching, and pep talks to handhold first-time candidates through the filing deadline (April 22nd). The focus? Rural Michigan, where uncontested Republican seats are as common as tractors at the county fair.
Bottom line: The Democrats are laser-focused on turning every inch of Michigan into a battleground. Because in their book, there are no “off years” according to Stein.
It remains unclear what Republicans have planned to address this issue in 2025 and 2026. As previously reported, the party’s website has not been updated since the last presidential election, and there have been no recent email communications from party leadership.
The only lifeline for Michigan Republicans might be the fact that the Democratic Party’s favorability is in free fall, hitting a record low of 29% in a recent CNN poll. Right now, Democrats are leaderless, message-less, and – if the last election results are any clue – out of step with what voters actually want. Having a plethora of Michigan candidates all over the state may – or may not – change that reality.
