Second Time’s the Charm?

Lansing, MI – Today, the Democrat-led Michigan Senate voted again on nine bills that Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed earlier this year. After former Speaker of the Michigan House, Democrat  Joe Tate, failed to properly present them at the end of the 2023-24 legislative session, the bills sat in limbo for more than a year. When the bills ended up on Gretchen Whitmer’s desk, she vetoed all nine, to the chagrin of her allies in Lansing.

The governor was swiftly condemned by Democrat legislators and interest groups across Michigan, including a joint statement from the UAW and AFL-CIO and the MEA:

Even Senate Majority Leader and now-Democrat nominee for lieutenant governor, Winnie Brinks, released a statement saying she was “extremely disappointed” by the governor’s decision:

Brinks made the decision today to pass those bills through the Senate again, despite their previous veto, choosing to play politics in the Legislature rather than focusing on the issues that matter to Michiganders.

Since vetoing those nine bills, Whitmer’s approval rating dropped a whopping 17 points among Democrats and has fallen to only 43% overall.

“Winnie Brinks has finally shown up for work, but only to play political games,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network. “If she plans to spend the rest of her term campaigning and coasting, the least she could do is stop using the Michigan Senate as a political football.”