States & Candidates

The Opportunity 

Michigan is one of the three states that determined the 2016 election for Trump. After netting five seats in 2018, there is an even clearer path to winning a new legislative majority in the Michigan House: Just three seats would ensure that the state’s politics finally start working just for its citizens first and foremost.

The Stakes

Michigan's politics show that a Democratic governor is not enough. The existing majority in the legislature still won't play ball.  They used a lame duck session after the 2018 elections to undermine the will of voters at almost every turn—and they haven’t stopped.

• Worked to undo minimum wage and paid sick leave proposals Michiganders were pursuing through ballot initiatives

• Worked to undermine a 2018 ballot initiative creating an independent redistricting committee, that was passed with 70% of the vote.

• Blocked efforts to remove corporate influence and increase transparency in the legislative process.

• Taken every opportunity to resist efforts to improve K-12 schools, reduce student debt, and clean up polluted drinking water.

2020 Political Landscape

• In 2020, the entire House is up for election and Democrats only need to net three out of 58 Republican seats to flip the chamber.

• It seems exceedingly unlikely the state will be ignored by the Democratic presidential candidate again and a big effort would pay major dividends in this traditionally blue state.

• In 2018:

  • With an additional 1,200 votes across three districts, Democrats would have broken the Republican majority.

  • Future Now Fund endorsed all six Democrats who flipped Republican-held House seats in addition to the next three closest finishers who came closest.

  • Even though the Michigan House is ruthlessly gerrymandered by Republicans, Governor Gretchen Whitmer won four Republican-held districts, providing a clear path to break the current majority in the House.