Student Contributions

The 2022 Midterm Election: Michigan’s Blue Wave and the Defying of Midterm Trends

- Michael Buzzy

The forecast for Democrats going into this year’s midterm election was stormy to say the least. Hanging on to the majority in Congress by the slimmest of margins with a 50-50 Senate and a 2-seat lead in the House of Representatives, issues such as inflation, crime, increase in the cost of living, and no sign of near-term economic relief for the American people seemed to create the perfect set of circumstances for the Republican party to win big. And Republicans were confident in their chances of success, too. A Fox News election forecast conducted a day before the midterms predicted that Republicans would take 53 seats in total in the Senate and would gain 30 seats in the House (Morris & Murray, 2022). As election night results rolled in, it became all too clear that things were not going as Republicans had planned. Democrats managed Senate victories in crucial battleground states such as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, and staved off a Republican victory in the Georgia Senate race which is now headed to a runoff (Ulloa, 2022). Such victories represent a stunning reversal in the classic majority-party-midterm-loss trend, and with control of Congress still unclear as of November 12th, what went so wrong for Republicans this election cycle? The midterm election results in Michigan may give us one answer. Michigan witnessed a record-breaking midterm election turnout this year with 4.45 million Michiganders having voted (Fifelski, Rich, & Li, 2022). Michigan Democrats won big with Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson all having won against their Trump-endorsed Republican challengers. In another stunning outcome, Democrats managed to secure majorities in both the State House and State Senate resulting in complete Democratic control of state government for the first time since 1984 (Fifelski, Rich, & Li, 2022). Given the unfavourability of the political environment for Democrats going into election day, such results seem extraordinary. One major hindrance of Republicans in Michigan appears to be the “Trump effect.” The main Michigan GOP nominees, Tudor Dixon, Michael DePerno, and Kristina Karamo were all Trump-endorsed candidates which carried with it the “Big Lie” conspiracy baggage regarding the 2020 election (Egan, 2022). With Trump looming large and other candidate specific elements such as their strong anti-abortion stance, such facts of the GOP candidates appears to have greatly hindered their appeal to the broader Michigan electorate resulting in their defeat (Egan, 2022). With similar defeats occurring for other Trump-aligned GOP candidates across the board, voters seem to be sending a strong message that more moderate, less ideological candidates are desired. This also sends a message that GOP distancing from Trump is also desired as his endorsed candidates are unable to win crucial elections. In an interview just before the election, GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy said, “majorities are not given — they’re earned” (Singman, 2022). If Republicans want any chance of earning majorities in Michigan or elsewhere in 2024, they are going to have to rethink their hard right ideological alignment.

REFERENCES

Egan, P. (2022, November 10). Michigan GOP memo delivers scathing election post-mortem on Trump-backed candidates. Detroit

Free Press. https://bit.ly/3GdHbFu Fifelski, A., Rich, S., & Li, I. (2022, November 10).

Michigan makes history: 2022 state-wide midterm election results. The Michigan Daily. https://bit.ly/3TrpbKJ Morris, K., & Murray, A. (2022, November 7).

Political experts issue midterm election predictions, most conclude GOP will take

House and Senate is toss-up. Fox News. https://bit.ly/3O4ZjDq Singman, B. (2022, November 3). Midterm

Elections: McCarthy says Republicans will put

America 'in a new direction' if they take back the House. Fox News. https://fxn.ws/3EpBToO Ulloa, J. (2022, November 11). Mark Kelly Wins

Arizona Senate Race, Putting Democrats a Seat From Control. The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/3NZpTh3

The Purple Haze

- Evan Charles Carlson

The historic nature of the 2022 Midterm Elections has not yet been recognized by the American public. In what should have been a banner year for the Republican Party they did not just come up short, they fell flat on their faces. They had the perfect conditions to completely wipe out Democratic control of Congress and state capitols, yet faltered. An unpopular president, record high inflation, and fears about an upcoming recession should have been a boon for them in the pursuit of the control of Congress, Governor’s Mansions, and State Legislative Chambers. Yet, Republicans nationwide failed in a purple haze that marinated across the country. What did it take for the Democrats to hold their own against what has once been coined a “red tsunami? Republican underperformance nationwide indicates that the electorate is not buying what they are selling. This includes brash candidates, election denial, and overall extremism. A perfect example of Republican failures this year is state legislative chambers. Their party failed to pick up a single legislative chamber, something the party out of power has not done since 1934. I think this can be attributed to the toxicity of the issues Republican candidates ran on. Down-ballot candidates were drug down by the top of the ticket underperforming with more moderate and independent voters. The perfect example of this is my home state of Michigan. Many pundits were projecting close races for the executive offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. Voters have a different idea of what they wanted. Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer was re-elected by an 11-point margin. The leader of the ticket was Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who won a decisive re-election in a 14-point landslide victory. Rounding out the Democratic ticket was Attorney General Dana Nessel who won by 8.7 percentage points. This proves Democrats in Michigan, and across the country can win big, even when facing national headwinds. Instead of engaging in culture wars with the Republican opposition Democrats diffused the talking points and pivoted towards issues favorable to their party. Issues like this include abortion, protecting democracy, and voting rights motivated the democratic base and were more effective in motivating people to vote Democratic than transgender playing sports and critical race theory. If Republicans would have run more traditional candidates and campaigns focused on bread-andbutter issues the results from the midterm election could have looked much different. By Republicans not focusing on inflation, economic issues, and taxation they essentially ceded territory to the Democratic Party which led to robust wins in essential races across the country, many of which broke for the Democrats. While Republicans ultimately flipped control of the House of Representatives and Nevada’s Governor’s Mansion, they came short of their goals. The party now needs to enter a time of reflection to account for their mistakes. Without a course correction, the Republican party may no longer be a viable party in much of the United States in the following elections.

REFERENCES

Douglas E. Schoen, opinion contributor. “What the Democrats’

Surprising Midterm Means for the Party.” The Hill, The Hill, 14 Nov. 2022, https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3734253-what-the-democratssurprising-midterm-means-for-the-party/. “Michigan Election Results.” The New York Times, The New

York Times, 8 Nov. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-michigan.html. Rascoe, Ayesha, and Domenico Montanaro. “Midterm Results

Show Trump’s Politics Don’t Hold up in Purple States.” NPR, NPR, 13 Nov. 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/11/13/1136342566/midterm-resultsshow-trumps-politics-dont-hold-up-in-purple-states. Donegan, Moira. “We Were Told Abortion Wasn’t an Important

Election Issue. How Wrong That Was | Moira Donegan.” The Guardian,

Guardian News and Media, 11 Nov. 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/ commentisfree/2022/nov/11/abortion-important-election-issue-wrong.

MICHAEL BUZZY WINS 2022 MAXINE BERMAN AWARD

About

Established in 2018 by Dr. David Jesuit and friends of Maxine Berman. Maxine was an American politician who served on the Michigan House of Representatives between 1983 and 1996. Berman was raised in Oak Park and graduated from the University of Michigan. She then taught at Oak Park High School until running for political office. She was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1983 to 1996. Upon leaving office, Berman established Capitol Strategies, Inc., a consultancy firm, and led the Women’s Health Network of Michigan. Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed Berman as director of special projects in 2003. She left the post in 2008 and became the Robert and Marjorie Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government at Central Michigan University the next year, retiring in 2013. In 2015, Berman was elected to the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. She died at the age of 71 on March 2, 2018, of lung cancer, in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Maxine Berman

Criteria

The Award recognizes the academic accomplishments and promises of a student enrolled in one or both of the seminar courses taught by the Griffin Chair (PSC 300/301). • Recipients will embody the qualities epitomized by Maxine Berman’s long public service to Michigan and reflect her concerns for social justice. • Minimum GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale. • The award will be made only if highly qualified applicants apply. • Nominations are made by the Griffin Chair and, if there are multiple nominees, recipients are selected by the School of Politics, Society, Justice and Public Service.

About the Recipient:

Michael Buzzy

Michael Buzzy is the recipient of the 2022 Maxine Berman Scholarship Award. He is a 4th year Honors student double majoring in political science and philosophy. At Central Michigan University Buzzy has served as a HON 100 TA for CMU’s Honors Program, the Lead TA for HON 100/300 for CMU’s Honors Program, and as the Vice Chair of the Honors Council. In addition to this, Buzzy has served as the Ambassador of Persons, Places, and Ideas for the Centre for International Ethics leading international educational initiatives based on the pedagogy of public-facing scholarship. Buzzy has also been the recipient of a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship for Persian in 2021 and designated as a David L. Boren Award Alternate for Japan in 2022. After graduation Buzzy plans to continue his education by attending law school.

Abstract

Like many states in the US, Michigan state law permits children under the age of 18 to marry with the permission of at least one guardian or parent. Child marriage has been statistically proven to have both short-term and long-term negative impacts on the health, education, and economic standing of married American children. The legalization of this undermines statutory rape laws, enables human rights abuses, and makes the state of Michigan a destination for child marriage due to reduced restrictions. To remedy this, I propose to amend Act 128 of 1887, Section 551.103 to strictly prohibit marriage to persons under the age of 18 without exception as well as void all existing child marriages.

1. Child Marriage

According to the international outreach organization Girls Not Brides, child marriage is defined as “any formal marriage or informal union where one or both parties are under 18 years of age. It is rooted in gender inequality (“About child marriage”, 2022).” It is a national problem and state problem that has affected over 300,000 American children in the past two decades alone. Only a handful of states prohibit child marriage without exception and there is no federal age requirement for marriage. In Michigan, 5,259 child marriages were recorded between the years of 2000 and 2018, primarily between teenage girls and

PSC 301 STUDENT PAPER

The final assignment for students in PSC 301 is to assume they were successfully elected to the Michigan Legislature and propose their first piece of legislation. The following proposal was submitted by student Natalie Stetler.

adult men (“Child Marriage – Shocking Statistics - Unchained At Last”, 2022). Child marriage originates from gender inequality and “is made worse by poverty, lack of education, harmful social norms and practices, and insecurity. Its drivers vary between communities, and it looks different across – and within – regions and countries (“Why it happens”, 2022).” In the United States, researchers have identified a few potential drivers of child marriage despite limited data. First, a recent study found that American Indian and Chinese American children have disproportionately higher rates of child marriages (Brides, 2022). This suggests that ethnicity may be a driver of child marriage in the United States. Second, the same study found that immigrant children were more likely than U.S.-born children to marry. “Prevalence among children from Mexico, Central America, and the Middle East countries was two to four times that of children born in the United States. In the majority of cases, children from these countries were married off after they arrived in the United States (Brides, 2022).” This suggests that migration could potentially be a driver of child marriage in the United States. Finally, there is “anecdotal evidence of girls being married off to perpetrators of sexual violence so the men can avoid being prosecuted (Brides, 2022).” Although statutory rape is a crime in Michigan, married couples are an exception. Therefore, an adult cannot be prosecuted for having sexual relations with a 16-yearold or 17-year-old if the adult can receive permission from at least one of the child’s parents. This suggests that the weak federal and state legal frameworks for child marriage may be a driver of its existence in the United States (Brides, 2022).

1.1 History of Michigan Act 128 of 1887,

Section 551.103

Under Michigan Act 128 of 1887, Section 551.103, a “person who is 16 years of age but is less than 18 years of age may contract marriage with the written consent of 1 of the parents of the person or the person’s legal guardian (“MARRIAGE LICENSE [EXCERPT] Act 128 of 1887”, 2022).” This statute became effective September 28th, 1887. Although it has since faced many amendments, child marriage of 16- and 17-year-olds remains legal in Michigan with parental permission despite public outcry.

2. Motivation Behind Bill

Child marriage must be outlawed. International outreach program Unchained, at Last, has identified three main reasons that child marriage should be prohibited without exception (“United States’ Child Marriage Problem: Study Findings (April 2020) - Unchained At Last”, 2022). First, child marriages can often be forced marriages due to the limited legal rights of children when it comes to leaving home, entering a shelter, and retaining an attorney. Children who seek to escape forced marriage and flee their families are legally considered runaways. This means that if they are found, the police may return them to their families. Anyone who assists a child in leaving their home, even if it is to escape a forced marriage, could be subject to arrest (“United States’ Child Marriage Problem: Study Findings (April 2020) - Unchained At Last”, 2022). Children who runaway from forced marriages are often not accepted at domestic violence shelters as unaccompanied minors. Youth shelters accept runaway children but are not viable for children in forced marriages as they focus on family reunification. Children seeking to flee forced marriages can rarely retain attorneys. “Contracts with children, including retainer agreements with attorneys, usually are voidable... Only the most generous attorneys would agree to represent a child (“United States’ Child Marriage Problem: Study Findings (April 2020) - Unchained At Last”, 2022).” Fall 2022 | The Griffin 15

Second, the U.S. State Department itself considers marriage before the age of eighteen to be an abuse of human rights that “produces devastating, lifelong repercussions for American girls, destroying the education, economic opportunities, and health (“United States’ Child Marriage Problem: Study Findings (April 2020) - Unchained At Last”, 2022).“ Child marriage “significantly increases a woman’s risk of experiencing domestic violence” and “almost always ends in divorce (“United States’ Child Marriage Problem: Study Findings (April 2020) - Unchained At Last”, 2022).” There is no positive impact of child marriage and criminalizing it will exclusively harm child predators.

“In the United

States, “60,000 marriages since 2000 occurred at an age or spousal age difference that should have been considered a sex crime.”

Third, child marriage protects statutory rapists by making sexual relations between a child and an adult legal instead of a crime. This gives statutory rapists a loophole to allude prosecution from authorities if they can marry their victim. This can result in forced marriages as well as the perpetuation of long-term sexual abuse. In the United States, “60,000 marriages since 2000 occurred at an age or spousal age difference that should have been considered a sex crime (“United States’ Child Marriage Problem: Study Findings (April 2020) - Unchained At Last”, 2022).”

3. Anticipated Impact on Michiganders

In the past two decades, there have been over five thousand legal child marriages in Michigan. Passing this amendment will void those and all other previous legal child marriages in Michigan. This amendment will also prohibit any new marriage licenses to be granted for persons under the age of eighteen without exception. Given the nature of this law, it will simply act as a barrier to adult men seeking to have a legal relationship with underaged girls in Michigan.

4. Interest Groups

I will primarily work with four interest groups to pass this amendment: Equality Now, UNICEF USA, ICRW, and Unchained at Last. Equality Now is an advocacy organization that seeks to remove sex-discriminatory laws worldwide. “Unchained, at Last, is the only organization dedicated to ending forced and child marriage in the United States through direct services and advocacy (“Home - Unchained At Last”, 2022).” These two organizations partnered together to create the National Coalition to End Child Marriage in the United States which serves to unite organizations and individuals seeking to federally outlaw child marriage in the United States. UNICEF USA, also a member of the National Coalition to End Child Marriage in the United States, is an organization focused on creating “an equitable world for every child (“About Us”, 2022).” I will also involve the ICRW, the International Center for Research on Women, whose main goal is to “advance gender equity, social inclusion, and shared prosperity (“About ICRW - ICRW | PASSION. PROOF. POWER.”, 2022).” Other interest groups I would include are Michigan’s Children, MI Nurses Association, National Association of Social Workers-Michigan, Michigan’s Women Commission, Child and Family Services, Child Labor Coalition, and the more than 30 Zonta Club chapters across Michigan (“Bipartisan Legislators Take Action to Put an End to Child Marriage”, 2022). There are many ways interest groups and the lobbyists that represent them will be involved in the amendment. First, “interest groups and lobbyists enlist candidates for legislative office” that share their position (Rosenthal, 2009). In this case, our interest groups against child marriage will enlist candidates for legislative office that also seek to prohibit child marriage in Michigan. Second, “lobbyists and interest groups endow candidates through endorsements, funding, and campaign staff” as well as “provide campaign funds and independent expenditures (Rosenthal, 2009).” In this case, interest groups involved with my amendment will utilize endorsements and donations to support myself and other legislators that advocate for the passing of the amendment. Third, “lobbyists and interest groups enable legislators by directing assistance toward their efforts as representatives and lawmakers (Rosenthal, 2009).” In this case, I will work with interest groups to concentrate advocacy and funding efforts toward ending child marriage in the state of Michigan. Another key way that interest groups will support the passing of this amendment is by assisting me in forming and conducting a strategy for the opposition. They do this in a few ways including mobilizing grassroots, utilizing lobbyist opposition strategy and assisting in public relations efforts. Involved interest groups will mobilize grassroots efforts by organizing sit-ins and protests at the state capitol. Our interest groups will also follow lobbyist opposition strategy: put together a coalition advocating for the bill, identify legislator allies for indirect lobbying, ask for things no one is likely to object to, persuade legislators, conduct head counts, and frame child marriage as a bipartisan human rights issue (Rosenthal, 2009). Finally, our interest groups will fight to inform the public about child marriage and our proposed amendment through the media and public relations. We will also work to inform legislators about the widespread public support for the amendment (Rosenthal, 2009).

5. Similar Laws in Other States

Less than 10 years ago, child marriage was legal in all fifty states. However, recent legislation has led to six states enacting total bans: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and New York. Child marriage is also illegal in the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (“United States’ Child Marriage Problem: Study Findings [April 2020] - Unchained At Last”, 2022).

6. Chances of Success

The success of my amendment largely depends on the environment of my issue, the current composition of the legislature, my interest groups, and their resources (Rosenthal, 2009). The environment of issue is child marriage and the protection of human rights which makes it largely uncontroversial. This significantly raises the chance that the amendment will receive bipartisan support from both legislators and

the public. The current composition of the Michigan government is mixed which increases the need for bipartisan support. Democrats control the Michigan Senate and Republicans control the Michigan House of Representatives. The Governor is a Democrat, but the amendment must pass through both legislatures before it reaches her desk. It is my hope that most reasonable people will agree that child marriage should be illegal and that partisanship can be overcome for the common good. When it comes to interest groups, I believe the number of interest groups who support my amendment will significantly increase the likelihood my amendment will pass. Child marriage is a human rights issue, a child protection issue, a human trafficking issue, and a family issue. Interest groups and individuals who care about any of these things will care about this amendment. Although many of them are relatively small apart, they are a force together that will undoubtedly impact future elections and legislation. For these reasons, I believe my amendment will be successful.

MARRIAGE LICENSE (EXCERPT) Act 128 of 1887. Michigan Legislature. (2022). Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(vugkb5jdqjtlqg3lxyfzhd32))/ mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=mcl-551-103.

About child marriage. Girls Not Brides. (2022). Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https:// www.girlsnotbrides.org/about-child-marriage/. Child Marriage – Shocking Statistics - Unchained At Last. Unchained At Last. (2022). Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https:// www.unchainedatlast.org/child-marriage-shocking-statistics/. Why it happens. Girls Not Brides. (2022).

Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https://www. girlsnotbrides.org/about-child-marriage/ why-child-marriage-happens/. Brides, G. (2022). Girls Not Brides Atlas.

Atlas.girlsnotbrides.org. Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https://atlas.girlsnotbrides.org/ map/united-states. United States' Child Marriage Problem:

Study Findings (April 2020) - Unchained At

Last. Unchained At Last. (2022). Retrieved 11

April 2022, from https://www.unchainedatlast.org/united-states-child-marriage-problem-study-findings-april-2021/. Home - Unchained At Last. Unchained At

Last. (2022). Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https://www.unchainedatlast.org. About Us. UNICEF USA. (2022). Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https://www.unicefusa.org/ about.

About ICRW - ICRW | PASSION. PROOF.

POWER.. ICRW | PASSION. PROOF. POWER. (2022). Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https:// www.icrw.org/about/. Bipartisan Legislators Take Action to Put an End to Child Marriage. housedems.com. (2022). Retrieved 11 April 2022, from https:// housedems.com/bipartisan-legislators-takeaction-to-put-an-end-to-child-marriage/. Rosenthal, A. (2009). Engines of

Democracy: Politics and Policymaking in State

Legislatures. CQ Press.

CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight (see http://www.cmich.edu/ocrie). 20490 MGX (01/23)