INSIDE MICHIGAN POLITICS: TWO PUZZLES - The Ballenger Report
Question 1): One of the most fascinating questions of the looming fall campaign for Michigan Attorney General will be whether putative Democratic nominee Eli Savit, currently the Washtenaw Co. Prosecuting Attorney, can successfully distance himself from his own record as a public official. Savit has taken heavy flak from Republicans, independent voters, and even from some […]
Question 1):One of the most fascinating questions of the looming fall campaign for Michigan Attorney General will be whether putative Democratic nominee Eli Savit, currently the Washtenaw Co. Prosecuting Attorney, can successfully distance himself from his own record as a public official. Savit has taken heavy flak from Republicans, independent voters, and even from some Democrats for his progressive policies, including ending cash bail and stopping the enforcement of certain crimes like drug use and prostitution, in a jurisdiction that includes Ann Arbor. But now it sounds like he’s pivoting away from his record as a prosecutor in one of the state’s most heavily Democratic counties. He recently told Bridge Michigan that his policies as a local prosecutor “aren’t big parts of my platform as attorney general. ”Can he pull this off in his match-up with a more moderate, traditional, and longer-serving Republican nominee, Doug Lloyd, who is the Eaton Co. Prosecuting Attorney? The Michigan GOP will try to make sure Michigan voters remember that a leopard can’t change its spots. “Don’t believe for a second that Eli Savit has had a sudden change of heart when it comes to his far-left policies,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for the Republican-affiliated Michigan Forward Network. “This is what Democrats do: they campaign like moderates but plan to govern like Marxists. ”But why did Michigan Democrats seemingly make it hard on themselves by endorsing Savit at their April 19 state convention when they could have chosen the pre-convention favorite, Oakland Co. prosecutor Karen McDonald, who seemed the ideal sort of moderate (and female) candidate to run against the Republicans? But will it really matter if 2026 does turn out to be a “blue wave” year as it’s shaping up to be? Maybe the Democrats could have nominated a serial killer and it wouldn’t make any difference — they would still win. And is a Democratic endorsement convention a totally different animal from so-called “regular” Democrats who would be more likely to vote in a primary if nominees were determined that way (of course, they aren’t). Answer 1):Beginning in 2018, it’s been a totally new ballgame for the Michigan Democratic Party. The United Auto Workers (UAW) and other labor interest groups that dominated Democratic conventions prior to 2018 have been supplanted. These traditional groups still hold some sway in non-“open seat” years like 2022 when incumbent Democrats like Gretchen Whitmer, Jocelyn Benson, and Dana Nessel were running for re-election, but not this year. Non-traditional insurgents even denied re-nomination to a sitting Democratic U-M regent. The best answer to what has happened comes from one Manuela Garza, a frequent commenter on The Ballenger Report website. Months ago, here’s what she wrote:“One point that needs to be mentioned (is) about how the Michigan Democratic Party chooses its nominees for statewide office. “Unlike the MI GOP, the MDP allows anyone who is a member of the state party to show up at a convention and cast a ballot for their candidate. Most persons who cast ballots at recent MDP conventions are NOT precinct delegates as they are at MI GOP conventions. Any member of the Michigan Democratic Party can show up and vote. In fact, at the (April 19) convention, many voted remotely. The position of precinct delegate has become essentially meaningless among state Democrats. This permitted “underdog” candidates – such as Dana Nessel in 2018 and Eli Savit in 2026 — to score impressive upsets over well-financed insider candidates. “Progressive Democrats in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Ferndale meticulously networked with the numerous constituent caucuses within the state party organization to register left-wingers as party members –- it used to be $5. 00 to receive your membership and get issued a card with a bucking donkey on it from the MDP – and voila! – transport them to the state convention and vote. “That is how and why 7,000 Dems voted at the last state convention and selected Eli Savit and other underdog candidates as nominees. By contrast, only about 2,000 delegates vote at the MI GOP convention. “The result is that Arab-Americans, college students, and the LGBT community largely control the convention nomination process in the MDP – and mainstream pro-Israel labor-backed candidates such as Haley Stevens are scorned. “Observers … who erroneously predicted Karen McDonald as a “shoo-in” as a Democratic nominee can be excused if they are not aware of this process and the effect for Democrats as a whole in the state. “Democratic insiders in Michigan are outraged by what the candidate selection process has become – and progressive Dems absolutely love it. ”*************************************Question 2):As we’ve heard many times before, the wheels of justice grind slowly — and sometimes the accused emerge virtually unscathed. Nearly six years ago, campaign finance watchdog Bob LaBrant, a retired attorney, filed a complaint against the so-called ‘dark money’ group Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility (MCFR) for failing to register and report itself as a ballot question committee which would have required the disclosure of the names and amounts of its contributorsEventually, MCFR contributed $1. 8 million to Unlock Michigan, whose petition drive led to the repeal of the gubernatorial emergency powers act invoked during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last week, Attorney General Dana Nessel brought to a close efforts to hold one of the ringleaders accountable in what LaBrant contends was the worst dark money scandal in the 49-year history of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act (MCFA). Nessel tabbed her Assistant Attorney General Chris Steele to negotiate a plea deal with Heather Lombardini, president of MCFR, who was charged with two felonies — for fraud, and for uttering and publishing. After receiving an investigative subpoena in 2022, which produced a treasure trove of emails and bank records, Nessel blinked, says LaBrant. She did not charge Lombardini and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and scores of corporations who each laundered tens and even thousands of dollars through MCFR to finance Unlock Michigan’s petition drive with the charge of criminal conspiracy, a five-year felony. This laundering scheme permitted those corporations to say ‘yes’ to Shirkey’s solicitation, but at the same time gave them plausible deniability if the Governor inquired about any support by them of Unlock Michigan. Nessel limited criminal charges in 2023 to two underlings — fund raisers Heather Lombardini and Sandy Baxter. Sandy Baxter was charged with a 15-year felony of perjury for lying to an AG investigator. Weeks ago, Baxter reached a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to the lesser misdemeanor of filing a false or misleading statement to a police officer. Baxter’s sentence was no jail time, but a $2,500 fine, three months of reportable probation, and 20 hours of community service. So then what happened?Answer 2): ):After delays and a failed appeal to the Michigan Court of Appeals, Lombardini’s jury trial on the two felony charges was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, July 8 at 8:30 a. m. And then it wasn’t. Nessel’s assistant attorney general Steele negotiated a plea agreement that LaBrant likens to an Aesop fable of an elephant in stressful labor struggling to give birth to a mouse. Here’s how LaBrant feels about how his complaint was handled:“The felony charges of fraud and uttering and publishing were dropped. Lombardini pled guilty to the misdemeanor of using a computer to commit a crime. Sentencing was immediate. No jail time. No probation. No community service. Lombardini’s fine was…wait for this…$125. “This wasn’t Dana Nessel’s finest hour. I feel sorry for Sandy Baxter. “How many tax dollars were expended over the course of this legal saga? How many billable attorney hours did Lombardini run up to escape with a $125 fine?“This slap on the wrist ‘punishment’ won’t deter massive campaign finance violations; it will only encourage political players now that they know they can launder millions of dollars with no liability for the ringleaders and pennies-on-the-dollar fines for the underlings. ”***************************************************