Trump gives a Castro-esque nearly two-hour speech in Macomb County, promoting his Big Lie believing candidates for Michigan Secretary of State and Attorney General ... much to the consternation of non-Trumpist Republicans.

A tale of two campaigns: Congressman Fred Upton decides he's had enough, and would-be Attorney General Tom Leonard is pushed to the exits by his party's chairperson.

Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr.

Joining Mark and Jeff this week for a wide-ranging conversation is state Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. (D-East Lansing).

Sen. Hertel came to the Senate after more than a decade of service in local government as an Ingham County Commissioner and later the county’s Register of Deeds. As a county commissioner he successfully led the charge for creating the Ingham Health Plan, a low-cost program to provide uninsured residents with basic heathcare. As Register of Deeds Hertel pioneered a program to protect homeowners against having their homes stolen by identity thieves and foreclosure scams.

In the state Senate he is minority vice chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Speaker Curtis Hertel, Sr.

Sen. Hertel’s family has a long history of public service. He is the son of former state House co-Speaker Curtis Hertel. His uncles, Dennis and John Hertel, both served in the state Legislature with Dennis serving 12 years in Congress. His younger brother, Kevin, was elected to the State House of Representatives in 2016 and is currently running for the state Senate in Macomb County. In addition, his wife Elizabeth serves as director of the state‘’s Department of Health and Human Services.

This week's podcast is sponsored by EPIC/MRA, the state's top-rated public opinion research service.

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