Michigan

Michigan Republicans
by Sotiriou Sotiroula

           MICHIGAN STATE
           Michigan State is located in the East North Central United States. It consists of the Lower and Upper Peninsulas completely separated by water. Having more than 11,000 lakes and many kilometers of coastline on four of the Great Lakes, Michigan is the 11th largest of the U.S. states with an area of 250,465 sq km. The name of the state is taken from that of Lake Michigan. The interior location in the northern part of North America results in a continental climate, characterized by four definite seasons with moist, mild to hot summers and snowy, cold winters.
           Michigan ranks as the eighth most populous state. Its population in the 1990 national census was 9,295,297. Most of the population is concentrated in the industrial cities in the southern Lower Peninsula. The Upper Peninsula is a less populated region of great natural beauty that is known as a recreation and wilderness area.
           Detroit is Michigan’s largest city with a population of 1,027,974 according to the 1990 census. Nearly half the population lives in the Detroit metropolitan area. Lansing is the state capital with 127,321 people.
           During the colonial period, when Michigan had few European settlers, fur trapping and trading were the principal economic activities. As the region became more populated farming, lumbering, and mining occupied the settlers. Mining allowed Michigan to develop a manufacturing economy and the state became a center for producing motor vehicles and associated equipment.
           MICHIGAN GOVERNMENT
           Michigan is governed under a revised constitution that went into effect in 1964. The state elects two senators and sixteen representatives to the Congress of the United States, giving the state eighteen electoral votes in presidential elections.
Michigan was one of the birthplaces of the Republican Party, which was founded in Jackson in 1854 and swept the state in the elections later that year. Through the 1920’s, Michigan was one of the most Republican states in the nation. In the years that followed the Democratic Party ascended. Historically, politics divided Michigan between the Detroit metro area and Outstate. Thus, in 1960 John Kennedy carried metro Detroit 62%-38% and Richard Nixon carried Outstate 60%-39%. Now that difference has diminished: George Bush in 1988 and then Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 carried both regions. New divisions have been created. In the Detroit metro area, the economically growing regions usually vote Republicans while Outstate, Democrats still run well. In 1998, John Engler, a Republican, became governor of Michigan. That was not the first time for him. Engler was first elected to lead Michigan in 1990 when the state was an economic disaster. Unemployment was rampant, taxes were high, and the states outlook was grim. Governor John Engler cut taxes over 21 times, business rebounded and over one-half million new jobs were created. Furthermore, the per person income growth was the fastest in the nation.
           In 1996 Engler was mentioned as a candidate for vice president but he was subject to some ridicule when it was revealed he had been deferred from the draft for being two pounds overweight! Michigan Republicans took a whipping in 1996 but the victory came two years later, in 1998, when Engler became governor again.
           MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN’S ISSUES
           Michigan Republicans do not have any individual platform; they just follow the platforms of the Republicans National Committee. At their 1999 State Convention they passed the following issues:
           1. Resolved, that the Michigan Republican State Committee shall support Governor Engler’s plan to cut the state income tax to 3.9% or lower, coupled with continued cuts and reductions in state government spending.
           2. Resolved, that the Michigan Republican State Committee shall support continued reform of Michigan’s public education system, including support of legislation that would give parents tuition tax credits that follow their children to the schools of their choice.
           3. Resolved, that the Michigan Republican State Committee shall support strengthening our national defenses, including the support of a missile defense program.
           4. Resolved, that the Michigan Republican State Committee shall support legislation that strengthens the enforcement of Michigan Campaign Finance laws.
           During 1999 and in his annual State of the State message, Governor John Engler outlined a “bold, broad and ambitious agenda” featuring a wide range of new initiatives to keep Michigan ahead of the competition and make Michigan first in the 21st century. Engler’s across-the-board tax cut saves Michigan taxpayers more than $3 billion, adding to the $11 billion in cuts enacted since 1991. In addition, the Governor renewed his call to lock in the gains taxpayers’ have made by requiring a 60% vote of the legislature to raise the income tax, sales tax or single business tax. In his plan to raise the skill level of Michigan workforce, Governor Engler includes elevating the Office of Workforce Development to cabinet status and modernizing Economic Development Job Training by increasing the use of distance learning to reach an additional 10,000 workers each year. During the 1990’s, Michigan’s business climate advanced from one of the worst to one of the best. Michigan is number one in new factories and expansion projects. Engler’s goal is Michigan to be a “Smart State” in every possible aspect.
           In Engler’s plan to reform education system is the creation of the $2,500 Michigan Merit Award for students who master reading, writing, math and science. The scholarship can be used for either college or training at any Michigan school and is open to all students, including children who attend public, private or home schools. In addition, the award will be enhanced by $500 for students who pass their MEAP tests in the 7th and 8th grades, making the total award $3,000.
According to David Hill, President of Hill Research Consultants and advisor of the Michigan Republican Party on political strategy, the first step toward victory in 1998 was learning the lessons of 1996. Taking nothing for granted, the Michigan Republicans now turn toward 2000 with the hope and opportunity to build upon their recent success. Recruitment will continue and their leaders will beat the bushes. In the area of direct contact, grassroots campaigning and get-out-the vote efforts the state party revamped their list operation for the better. In the crucial area of message development and advertising that message the Michigan Republicans realized that on key issues from crime to schools to taxes they have to use language that connects their goals to the lives of ordinary Michiganders. Another factor that counted for the party’s success in 1998 and will be helpful in the 2000 race is the field of attracting women and minorities. According to the exit polls, Engler received the votes of 59% of females (70% of white females) and 27% of African Americans. Finally, the Michigan Republican’s fundraising successes will contribute to their ability to get their message out because they believe that, “a party without a well-funded treasury is not going to be successful.”