LANSING — This was a big week for Michigan — Vice President Kamala Harris visited Detroit, Democrats flipped a County Commissioner seat in deep red Ottawa, and Michigan Dems called out a fake elector currently facing felony charges for running against Speaker Tate. 

As Vice President Harris made her most recent of many visits to Michigan, the contrast between Trump’s phony visits that insulted Michigan’s leaders and the Biden-Harris administration’s true dedication to the Great Lakes State could not be more clear. Vice President Harris highlighted the Biden-Harris administration’s historic investments in Michigan’s economy and the record-low levels of Black unemployment. 

Democrats kept the good vibes rolling this week by ousting a MAGA fanatic as County Commissioner in deep-red Ottawa County. Chris Kleinjans beat the incumbent Republican in another resounding rejection of the MIGOP’s MAGA extremism. 

And we can’t forget the most recent MAGA MIGOP antics from the last week! There are two new MAGA Republican candidates on the scene: one of the currently on trial fake electors, Michele Lundgren, is running against Speaker Tate, and Eric Molitor, one of the 14 charged in the plot to kidnap the Governor, is running for Wexford County sheriff. Molitor and Lundgren are completely unfit for office, representing the MAGA extremism at the heart of MAGA Matt Hall’s MIGOP and how it threatens our democracy and the issues that Michiganders hold dear.

It was a hectic week — but we expect nothing less!

Read more from this week below: 

First, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Lavora Barnes celebrated Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Detroit this week. The Biden campaign has made its dedication to Michiganders clear time and time again with billion-dollar investments and lower costs for working families: 

POLITICO: Kamala Harris woos Black voters in Detroit

• Vice President Kamala Harris returned to the Motor City — a key city in a crucial battleground state — both to remind voters, particularly Black ones, of the investments the administration has made in Black-owned businesses and policy advancements it sees as helping to build generational wealth…
• Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes tells The Recast that Democrats have a great story and historic achievements to sell to Black voters. But she admits the party’s messaging needs to get sharper.
• “I think part of it is we haven’t done a good job telling the story, that’s part of it,” Barnes says. “We’ve got kids about to finish the school year, we’ve got graduations coming up. People have other things on their mind other than the presidential election.”

Michigan Advance: Harris touts Biden administration’s record on African Americans, Detroit automotive industry 

• Harris, who is the nation’s first female, African-American and Asian-American vice president, also touted the Biden-Harris record that is centered on supporting Black business development, as well as job growth, student loan forgiveness and creating more opportunities for home ownership…
• Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes the “Biden-Harris administration and campaign has shown up for Black communities time and time again. While Trump wants to drag us backwards, our trailblazer of a Vice President continues to demonstrate true leadership and passion. Michiganders understand Republicans’ extreme MAGA agenda for what it is, and I have no doubt they will once again reject MAGA Republicans this November,” Barnes said.

By mid-week, Democrats’ dedication to Michiganders yielded another win: ousting the MAGA extremist incumbent and electing Democrat Chris Kleinjans in a recall election. Yet again, Michiganders have made their rejection of the MAGA agenda clear as even in typically conservative Ottawa, voters had no interest in what the MAGA MIGOP was peddling. Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party Lavora Barnes celebrated this victory and released the following statement: 

“There are no days off for Michigan Democrats, and flipping this seat is just another warning sign for MAGA Republicans that they are deeply out of step with Michiganders. This win is a result of the Michigan Democratic Party’s efforts to recruit thousands of strong candidates all across the state to run at every level of the ballot to push back against MAGA extremism. Our campaign infrastructure is second to none, and we are reaching Michiganders in every corner of the state. Meanwhile, Republicans’ ground game is nowhere to be seen.

“Let’s be clear, Democrats have shown real leadership and continue to deliver at every level while Republicans continue to throw away their chances by standing in the way of progress in favor of chaos. While we doubt they will change, this win should tell the MIGOP that Michiganders truly have no interest in the MAGA extremism that they’re peddling.”

We’ll wrap this up with some of the latest MAGA antics. First up: Michele Lundgren, a 74-year-old currently facing up to 10 years in prison for being one of the fake electors, is running against the honorable Speaker of the state House, Joe Tate. As is made clear in the story, Lundgren is completely unfit for office and represents the MAGA extremism at the heart of MAGA Matt Hall’s MIGOP that threatens our democracy. 

Next up: in Wexford County, a MAGA fanatic closely connected to the plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer, Eric Molitor, is running for sheriff under the promise to not enforce common sense gun reforms. It’s clear that there’s no line Michigan Republicans won’t cross — this candidate is only the latest in the long line of the MAGA MIGOP’s roster of extremists running at various levels of the ballot.

These far-right radicals have no place serving Michiganders in any office, and these candidates are a disgrace to the honorable men and women protecting our democracy from the very attacks these individuals represent: 

Bridge Michigan: Michigan ‘fake elector’ takes on top Democrat in bid for state House

• Michele Lundgren… [is] challenging one of the most powerful Democrats in the state — and fighting felony charges for allegedly trying to help overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss…
• “That someone who is…one of the fake electors that have been charged with felonies is running against our leader, our speaker of the state House — the idea of it is almost hard to fathom,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes told Bridge. “It’s a little shocking to me.”

Detroit News: Man acquitted of aiding Whitmer kidnap plot now running for sheriff

• In an interview Thursday, Molitor, 40, of Cadillac confirmed he filed paperwork to challenge the county’s incumbent sheriff, Trent Taylor, in the Republican primary. Molitor said his personal legal troubles had opened his eyes to problems in the criminal justice system and if elected, he would refuse to enforce laws that he deemed unconstitutional…
• Molitor was one of 14 men charged in federal or state courts in 2020 because of their involvement in alleged plans to kidnap and harm Whitmer, Michigan’s top government official…

As the election cycle continues, each week brings new crazy antics out of the woodwork. No matter what next week brings, we’ll be here to highlight the ups and downs as they come. Til next week.