Peters still confident Dems will hold Michigan US Senate seat, despite Biden uncertainty

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) has been living on the edge since 2020 — and not because of his annual motorcycle tour of Michigan.

Four years ago, he won a nailbiter race for reelection against now-U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) at the same time that Republicans were falsely claiming that there was mass voter fraud in Michigan. President Joe Biden defeated then-President Donald Trumpby more than 154,000 votes. 

Peters then was named chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) for the 2022 cycle, which was thought to be a thankless task, as both the U.S. Senate map and history favored Republicans that year. But despite the Democrats holding the White House and Biden posting dismal approval ratings, the party added a seat to score a 51-49 majority.

The second-term senator is back in the saddle at the DSCC for this election, but it’s been a rough few weeks for Democrats since Biden’s widely criticized debate performance has sparked concerns about his age and health. Since then, over two dozen members of Congress have called for him to drop out and several leaders, like U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), have reportedly had private conversations with Biden telling him he can’t win.

Peters has stood by Biden, saying last week that he “absolutely” thinks the president can defeat Trump again. 

“I believe President Biden can win,” said Peters. “And I believe that we’ll be able to hold the Senate majority, and I think we also have a good shot of expanding it.”

But the political fallout has hit Michigan, with the Cook Political Report downgrading Democrats’ chances in holding the seat left open by retiring by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) from “Lean Democrat” to “Tossup.”

Trump has endorsed former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) for the seat. Other Republicans running in the Aug. 6 primary are former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (I-Cascade Twp.), Dr. Sherry O’Donnell and businessman Sandy Pensler. Democrats are set to nominate either U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) or actor Hill Harper.

Nonetheless, Peters is maintaining his optimism.

“Michigan will always be competitive,” he told the Advance this week. “As DSCC chair, I have made significant investments in the state already and will continue through the election. We will win Michigan.”

But there’s been even more uncertainty in the 2024 election, with the shooting at Trump’s Pennsylvania rally last weekend, which left he and two others injured and one man dead.

As chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters announced this week he’s launching an investigation into the assassination attempt, saying the panel is “focused on getting all of the facts about the security failures that allowed the attacker to carry out this heinous act of violence.”

“There is no place for political violence in our nation, and Saturday’s shocking attack should never have been allowed to happen,” said Peters. 

The Michigan Advance sat down with Peters at the Mackinac Policy Conference in late May about Biden’s poll numbers in Michigan, the Michigan U.S. Senate race and how abortion will impact the 2024 election compared to 2022.

Peters also discussed the Israel-Hamas war, problems with the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Supreme Court and more.

The following are excerpts from that interview:

Michigan Advance: So what do Democrats have to do to keep the Senate this year?

Peters: Basically, we’re going to use the same strategy that we used last cycle when I ran the DSCC [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] last cycle, if you recall. And no one thought we could hold the majority, much less expand it, having the party in power in White House — historically, it was against you. But what we ended up doing was something that hadn’t been done since 1934.

What was the mechanism there? It was first that we had clear contrast between candidates. Candidates really matter in the Senate race, and we were able to paint the kind of clear contrast that voters could make a decision over. … But just having a better candidate — you’ve followed politics a long time — the best candidate doesn’t necessarily win. You also have to run a really good campaign, and if you don’t run a good campaign, you’re not going to win. And we ran really good campaigns. One thing we did at the DSCC that had not been done before, and something I felt very strongly about, was that we invested substantially in the ground campaign to actually turn out our voters.

All of our races, by definition, were battlegrounds and they were going to be close. And so close races in my mind are determined by — especially in a midterm — by identifying who wants to vote for you and making sure that they get there. In fact, for the first time in history for the DSCC, we spent more money on the ground than we did on TV or media. That’s never been done before, and we’re going to do it again this time. 

And it’s the same thing: Candidate quality matters. Some of the same dynamics — we had a couple dynamics going on last cycle. We had usually the most extreme Republican candidate would come out of a Republican primary, especially if it was a contentious primary, and that would allow us to have a clear contrast. Or Republicans recruited wealthy folks who they thought could fund their own races, but they tended to have very tenuous contact with the state that they were running it. … .And those same things are happening this year.

… Obviously all the issues are real important in these contests, but you should never underestimate in these Senate races that voters are not just making the decision using their head, they’re using their gut. What’s their feel? Can you trust this person? Are they really going to stand up for me and have any idea of what my life is about as they’re making decisions?

Michigan Advance: I know that Michigan’s Senate race usually doesn’t make the top list of competitive races, but do you think that it could be a sleeper race for Republicans? How concerned are you?

Peters: Michigan is a competitive state, by definition, as a battleground state. So I expect this to be a very close race. When you say it doesn’t top our list, it’s because Montana and Ohio are really hard places for us to hold. … Here, the numbers will be close. 

… I certainly remind folks around the country that Michigan’s results that we had last cycle where we have to remember it happened because of Prop 3 [the abortion rights ballot initiative]. Prop 3 was really the difference-maker. We had, as you know, massive turnout for Prop 3. We had the highest turnout of 18 to 30 year olds in the country. It was the top vote-getter — everybody else, Democrats were helped because of Prop 3. 

So we’re going to regress to the mean, which is Michigan is a competitive state. I remember when I first ran in 2014 for the Senate, and I would have people say, ‘Well, Gary, you’re in a blue state. You should be fine.’ I go, ‘Well’ — and you’ll appreciate this because you were there — I said, ‘Well, we have a Republican governor [Rick Snyder]; a Republican secretary of state [Ruth Johnson]. We have a Republican attorney general [Bill Schuette]. We have a Republican state House and a Republican Senate. What part is blue?’ That’s Michigan. … Our Democratic candidate will have to paint a very clear contrast with whoever emerges from the Republican primary. And I think that’s going to be fairly easy to do. And then it’s about running a good campaign and making sure you turn out your voters.

Michigan Advance: You mentioned Prop 3, and I know that you shared your personal abortion story. Do you think that abortion will be a top issue, because it does seem to have fallen down the list this time around?

Peters: It depends somewhat on the state. So one of our top states [for Senate races] is Arizona, and we have an abortion proposition in Florida, as well. Florida is a pickup opportunity that we believe we have a shot at.  … So I think in those states, it’s going to have a real big impact. 

Michigan, it’s still going to be still on the ballot because you still have positions that candidates have. And if [GOP former U.S. Rep.] Mike Rogers, for example, were to be the nominee, he was a co-sponsor and a leader on bills that would’ve effectively outlawed IVF and vitro fertilization, he’s going to try to run from that, but you can’t run from your record. It’s going to be very clear as to how out of step he is with the majority of people in Michigan. It’ll still be a driving factor.

Michigan Advance: Is there any concern about a level of complacency in blue states like Michigan? Because we did protect abortion in our constitution, and people aren’t necessarily connecting what might happen with a Republican presidency or this Supreme Court where they could even overrule state law?

Peters: Yeah. And that’s exactly right. You can have a national ban and a lot of Republicans are talking about doing that. … And so it’s our job in the campaign to make sure that people realize you’re not out of the woods yet, this is an ongoing battle, and one that you have to stay vigilant, or we could lose even more ground. In places even like Michigan, you’re not safe. And fundamentally, too, is that a woman should be able to make choices for her health and reproductive freedom regardless of what state she lives in. … It’s still very much on the ballot.

Michigan Advance: Why do you think that President Trump is leading President Biden in most Michigan polls right now?

Peters: Obviously, it’s complicated and if you look at some of the polling results, one is that if you just ask people a poll about who you support, you do get Donald Trump up a little bit. But if you ask that same question to people who are likely voters, these are people who have actually voted recently, President Biden’s up a little bit. So this is a battleground state, so it’s already going to be tight, but that shows you why ground campaigns are so important and actually getting your voters out. But the fact is, I would rather be up with likely voters than just folks in general, because it’s only actual voters that determine the election.

Michigan Advance: Do you think that President Biden could lose Michigan over the Israel-Hamas war?

Peters: I’m confident he’s going to win. He’ll be able to win. There’s just such a clear contrast between Joe Biden and Donald Trump that voters in Michigan are going to make a decision who they want to be the president for the next four years. And it’s going to be clear that he will win. And certainly if any people who are concerned, and rightly so … I’m concerned about innocent Palestinians who are caught in the middle of the war. But Donald Trump’s record when it comes to Arab-American, Muslim-American … communities, and the statements he has made about Gaza should be pretty clear that he would not be on the side of those who are concerned about the people in Gaza.

Michigan Advance: But I’m sure you’ve spoken with Arab-American leaders, and they’re very upset. And there is the Abandon Biden movement. But you don’t feel like it’s significant enough that it could cost Biden the state?

Peters: I don’t think it’ll cost the state, but it’s something we should all take very seriously. So I don’t mean to diminish it in any way. … I’m certainly hopeful that we will see a ceasefire before election time, and it will look a lot better. I know President Biden is working aggressively to achieve that end. And he’s certainly the person to achieve that end. It wouldn’t be Donald Trump. It would be only Joe Biden’s ability to do that. And I’m hoping he will be successful before election time. And then we’d be talking about something very different in two or three months from now.

Michigan Advance: Have you talked with any Jewish leaders about their concerns about rising antisemitism?

Peters: Oh, yes. Oh my God. Yeah, I’ve heard it here from several of them.

Michigan Advance: Can you talk to me a little bit about what they’re seeing out there and what they would like to see change?

Peters: Well, they feel that the rhetoric is very harmful — the anti-Israel rhetoric that people are using. And as one person described it, to the common person, when they hear ‘Israel,’ they hear ‘Jew.’ … So when you’re attacking Israel, it’s attacking the Jewish people, as well, in the minds of a lot of people. And you can’t separate it, according to their view. And so they feel that there are threats to them and it could lead to violence, unfortunately. 

Certainly, they’re fearful of their sons and daughters who are in college or in universities right now. I’ve talked to many students who also feel threatened on campus and don’t feel safe on campus. And so certainly people have the right to protest. But in that protest, you should not violate the rights of other individuals who have a right to go to school and have a right to get an education and have a right to feel safe on campus.

Michigan Advance: U.S. Rep. Tlaib (D-Detroit) has been a long-time critic of Israel and was censured by Congress and a move that was opposed by most Democrats. Do you think that she has gone too far in her rhetoric?

Peters: I would say I would’ve said things differently than what she would say, and I would just hope any member of Congress. So this is not just to Congresswoman Tlaib, that every member of Congress, especially on this issue, is so emotional for so many people, that you need to be extremely careful in the words that you use because they can be very, very hurtful.

Michigan Advance: Has this been a discussion amongst the congressional delegation about the Israel-Hamas war? Because it has been somewhat divisive in the Democratic Party.

Peters: Well, we’ve discussed it in the Senate. I haven’t talked … with the House members.

Michigan Advance: Does the delegation still meet at all or has that fallen away?

Peters: We do, but it’s not a regular thing. It kind of depends on an issue, and it’s usually always an issue that’s Michigan-facing. Like we talked about here — the Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the Great Lakes, the Soo Locks.

Michigan Advance: The stuff you can agree on.

Peters: Yeah. All the things we can agree on. Let’s get together and figure out how we can accomplish our goals.

Michigan Advance: Do you expect that there will be any movement on immigration before the election?

Peters: No, I wouldn’t expect that. The bill that I was referencing was really more about border security than immigration, although it had immigration aspects in there because of the asylum rules and things. But because of that, it’s not… It’s just too polarized. And we know that former President Trump said he doesn’t want to do anything on that because it could help Biden.

Michigan Advance: I know you’ve talked a lot about the need for civility and bipartisanship. Do you feel like this Supreme Court has crossed the line into becoming a partisan institution with some of the rulings on abortion and voting rights that we’ve seen in the last couple of years?

Peters: Yeah, I think they have. They’re losing some of their legitimacy as a result of those decisions that you have. And part of it is the process, the hyperpartisan process of confirming judges where you see the Republicans would not even take up a nominee from a Democratic president.

Michigan Advance: You’re referring to after Justice [Antonin] Scalia died when [Barack] Obama was president in 2016?

Peters: Right. And then the strictly partisan votes — there was a time in the not so distant past where Supreme Court justices would get 70, 80 votes. And now they’re strictly party-line. And so the judges that are getting through that process have passed a variety of litmus tests that are based on politics and not based on sound constitutional law.

Michigan Advance: I know you’ve been working to push back on some of the changes for the Postal Service, and I know you had some success with the Iron Mountain Processing Center. But there’s been a lot of anger about what Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has been doing over the years. And the biggest argument that I hear from progressive activists is they just want him removed. So can you talk about that issue and the obstacles?

Peters: Well, the process is that … he works for the Board of Governors. He doesn’t work for the Congress. He doesn’t work for the president. So the president can’t fire him. The Congress, we can’t fire him. I don’t know if we can impeach him. You just can’t do that. It’s quasi-independent, governed by the Board of Governors. … The president nominates, and we confirm the Board of Governors, but it’s up to them to make that decision. And it’s usually a bipartisan kind of vote. 

Michigan Advance: How concerned are you about the issues that we experienced in 2020 with mail-in voting and delays? Here in Michigan, obviously, we’ve seen mail-in voting explode [since the passage of voting rights reforms in Proposal 3 of 2018].

Peters: Yeah, I’m very concerned about that. And that’s why I asked the postmaster general to pause the changes. Now, let me preface this by saying the Postal Service needs reforms. They need to do things differently. The business has changed dramatically over the years. We’re not sending as many letters, first-class letters, for example.

And we’re sending a whole lot more packages. … So all of that requires changes in processes. It’s going to require a lot of thoughtful decision-making as to how you make the Postal Service more efficient. But while I say that, they should not sacrifice service while they’re doing that. Because it makes no sense to me, or any business for that matter, to say we’re going to actually harm service to our customers and expect our business to grow. That usually doesn’t happen. We’ve got to maintain the service. And particularly in rural areas. 

… So in Iron Mountain … you had a processing center that processes primarily U.P. mail. And yet with the change that [DeJoy] was proposing, that means all mail from the U.P. would first have to go to Wisconsin before it came back to the U.P. And so you’re mailing something from Marquette to Munising, it’s going to go to Wisconsin before it gets to Munising. And that’s not easy in the best of times, but just imagine the Michigan U.P. winter. It’s going to not work. And that’s why I asked for the pause and said we need to have an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission, the PRC. And the Postal Regulatory Commission oversees the Postal Service. So you got the Board of Governors, you got these two bodies.

And you can request, and the Postmaster General can request, an advisory opinion from the PRC. They would review the plan and then give advice. And usually it’ll just kind of spell out what are the pluses and minuses of that. … Postmaster General DeJoy has said that he is going to ask for that advisory committee. I’m not sure the scope of it. I’ve pushed him to try to be as broad in scope as possible. And I will tell you, I’ve actually talked to every member of the Board of Governors and asked them to do the same, and they seem to be very open to do that. But we’re going to wait to see how they rule. But I’ve been certainly weighing in with the Board of Governors directly on that issue.

And what started it is, I had a postal hearing because they’ve made some of these changes. The two most notable were in Richmond, Va., and Atlanta, Ga. And in both of those cases, we saw the … on-time delivery drop dramatically. It got worse. And not only did the delivery times take longer, but also the costs were higher. So that’s like the worst of all worlds. So less service and more cost. 

[But DeJoy is] convinced that in the long run it’s going to work. And I’m like, ‘OK, I’m a data guy. You’re a data guy.’ He’s a business guy. So right now it isn’t. But why don’t we pause and see if you actually can fix that? And then when lessons learned, then you start doing it in other places around the country. That’s a long answer to your question, but that’s where we are.

The post Peters still confident Dems will hold Michigan US Senate seat, despite Biden uncertainty appeared first on Michigan Advance.