MichMash Politics

Even though Michigan's 2026 state budget was already passed and signed into law, the drama continues as the Senate and House disagree about a bill calling for more transparency with enhancement grants known as "earmarks." This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow explain what earmarks are and what role they play in the recently-passed budget.

Then, they sit down with Budget Director Jen Flood to dig into the details of what was included in the state budget.

With a little more than a year to go until Michigan's next congressional election, we take a look at the current state of affairs for congressional candidates in Michigan. This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben explore who's running in the state's US House and Senate races, and where their fundraising stands.

Later on, Charles Griffith from the Ecology Center stops by to discuss how a recently passed gas tax will impact electric vehicles.

Although there are already laws barring non-citizens from voting in Michigan elections, a group is pushing a ballot initiative to have voters show proof of citizenship. This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow unpack the issue with supporter Paul Jacob of Americans for Citizen Voting and opponent Melinda Billingsley of Voters Not Politicians.

Michigan lawmakers passed a state budget early Friday morning for the 2026 fiscal year. In this bonus episode of MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben discuss the details of the budget with Crain's Detroit Senior Reporter Dave Eggert.

We are past the October 1 deadline and an official state budget still hasn't been passed. What does this mean for Michigan? This week on MichMash, Cheyna Roth and Alethia Kasben break down whether a budget will pass sooner or later. 

There is progress in the state budget and we have the update on the breaking details. As part of the weekly WDET series, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what is likely in the state budget and how things will look as we approach the October 1st deadline. 

The Michigan GOP held their biennial leadership conference at Mackinac Island this past weekend. In this episode of MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben sit down with Baldy Bipartisan's John Selleck to discuss whether the conference is still beneficial for the Michigan Republican party.

Plus, Cheyna and Alethia discuss a proposal to move the state’s primary election from early August to May.

With less than two weeks til the budget deadline, there is still no state budget in sight. This week on MichMash, host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben break down what could be done by October 1st. They sit down with both State Senator Sarah Anthony, the Senate Appropriations chair, and State Representative Ann Bollin, the House Appropriations chair, to hear the gameplan for the remainder of the month.

In 2020, 15 Republicans allegedly tried to cast Michigan's electoral votes for President Trump, even through President Biden won the state by 154,000. In this episode of MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow break down how the legal case against these electors unraveled. 

Then, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Counties Steve Currie joins the show to talk about how the state budget affects local governments.

As Michigan schools return to classes this week, the uncertainty of the state budget is causing some schools to cut programs just in case there are any issues with funding. In this episode of MichMash, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what needs to be done in order for the legislature to make the October 1 deadline.

Then, Robert McCann, Executive Director for the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, joins the show to talk about how the uncertainty of the budget is affecting school districts.