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MichMash Politics

WDET FM

Unjumble Michigan politics with MichMash. Each week, Cheyna Roth, Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben interview lawmakers and politicos, and unpack the statewide issues that affect you. MichMash is produced by WDET Detroit Public Radio in collaboration with Gongwer News Service. Part of the NPR Network.

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  • 30 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 28 min
  • English

Episodes 30

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Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • October 2 · 27 min

    Will Michigan temporarily suspend the gas tax?

    All across the country, states are trying to alleviate the pressure at the pump with a gasoline or diesel tax suspension. Will Michigan be next? This week on WDET's MichMash, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss the latest news and the potential of relief for Michigan drivers. Then later in the episode we have Republican political consultant, Jason Roe, give his outlook on the 2026 midterm elections.

  • September 25 · 26 min

    Do Michigan voters want to rewrite the state's constitution?

    Is it time to rewrite the Michigan's constitution? Voters will decide in about a month during the midterms. This week on WDET's weekly series MichMash, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss the likelihood of that happening. They sit down with PR professionals John Sellek and Mark Fisk who oppose the constitutional revision.

  • September 25 · 25 min

    Do Michigan voters want to rewrite the state's constitution?

    Is it time to rewrite the Michigan's constitution? Voters will decide in about a month during the midterms. This week on WDET's weekly series...MichMash. Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss the likelihood of that happening. They sit down with PR professionals John Sellek and Mark Fisk who oppose the constitutional revision.

  • September 18 · 20 min

    Top 10 Michigan House seats that might flip in the 2026 midterm elections

    Control for the Michigan legislature is on the line in this year's midterm elections. As part of WDET's weekly series... Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discusses the ten races they believe might flip from one party to another. They are joined with Gongwer's Assistant Editor Elena Durnbaugh who covers the state house.

  • September 11 · 27 min

    An analysis of the Michigan gubernatorial race and the state's midterm elections

    With only a couple of months left until the midterms, the gubernatorial candidates are trying to build support to become the state's next governor. This week on WDET's MichMash...Gongwer News Service Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss how this race for governor is different than previous ones. They are joined by founder of the public relations firm, Bitely Communications, Andrea Bitely.

  • September 4 · 28 min

    Abdul El-Sayed makes his case for the Michigan US Senate seat

    As we near the 2026 midterm elections, MichMash will sit down with some of the major candidates that will be on the ballot. This week we have US Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss El-Sayed's campaign and the overall race.

  • August 21 · 32 min

    Should Michigan opt in to the federal education freedom tax credits?

    Governor Whitmer as well as governors across the country have a decision to make regarding a federal program in connection with the Reconciliation Program. This week on MichMash...WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow unpack the details of this program. They are joined by Prof Josh Cowen of Michigan State University and Peter Spadafore who leads the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity.

  • August 14 · 23 min

    Michigan Progressives push past the primaries

    The progressive wing of the Democratic party made some noise in the recent primaries. What has been the key to their success so far? This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow chat with Chris Gilmer-Hill...one of the progressives who won his race. Gilmer-Hill shares why he feels like he was able to win.

  • August 7 · 27 min

    A review of the 2026 Michigan primary results

    The 2026 Michigan primaries not only affected the state but may have national implications as well. This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben break down the results and what they may forecast for the midterm elections. They are joined by Associate Press reporter, Joey Cappelletti.

  • July 31 · 38 min

    A preview of the 2026 Michigan primary election

    This year's primaries feature some competitive races that will mark battle lines come November and may even point to national trends. This week on MichMash, WDET'S Cheyna Roth, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss some of the key things to look out for in Tuesday's elections. They are joined by Gongwer reporters Nick Smith and Lily Guiney.

  • July 24 · 30 min

    State House Speaker Matt Hall weighs in on spending proposals and the Republican primary

    With Former Michigan Attorney General, Mike Cox, dropping out of the gubernatorial race, how does that shape the Republican primary? This week on MichMash...WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben discuss the remaining candidates and they hear from a prominent Republican leader on their thoughts on the race. Then later on Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall stops by to talk about the race and some recent spending proposals.

  • July 17 · 28 min

    Whitmer clashes with state Democrats after vetoing the party's bills; MEDC revives economic development incentive

    Tensions are high in Lansing among the Democrats with Governor Whitmer vetoing a series a bills from her own party. This week, on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Services' Zach Gorchow unpack the 18 months of legal battles that led to this moment. Then later on, David Meninga, senior vice president for Community Development Programs & Execution at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation stops by. He talks about reviving the transformational brownfield program, a state incentive that ended a few years ago but will soon come back once Governor Whitmer signs bills that passed the Legislature on July 3.

  • July 10 · 29 min

    Candidates clash during Michigan primary debates

    Both the Democratic US Senate debate and the Republican gubernatorial debate showed the divides among the party's candidates. This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben and Zach Gorchow break down the major components of the race. Spoiler alert: MichMash may have been indirectly mentioned in one of the debates.

  • July 3 · 16 min

    What is your favorite state park?

    This 4th of July weekend, some Michiganders are celebrating by going to their favorite parks to go swimming, hiking, camping and fishing. This week on MichMash, WDET's Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow discuss the recent investments put into parks. They are joined by Kristen Kosick. She is the Chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation division. Mentioned in the episode: 'Monumental' upgrades at Michigan state parks are nearly complete—here's where $273M went by Lindsay Moore

  • June 26 · 29 min

    Summer Roundup: A review of the major political stories in the past couple of months and a forecast of what's ahead

    The Republican gubernatorial race just had a major shake up with President Donald Trump making an endorsement. This week on MichMash, WDET'S Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service's Alethia Kasben discuss how surprising the endorsement was and what this means for the upcoming primaries. Also, with Cheyna being back, we thought we would catch her up on the major political stories from the past couple of months and look ahead to see what the rest of 2026 has in store.

  • June 12 · 24 min

    Michigan primary voters could pick nominees for secretary of state and attorney general

    Michigan is one of three states that nominates candidates for secretary of state and attorney general at party conventions. There is currently a push to put those nominations to the statewide primary ballot instead. This week on WDET's MichMash, Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss the factors being weighed with this decision. Then Lon Johnson, former chairperson of the Michigan Democratic Party, stops by and explains why he supports this proposal.

  • June 5 · 24 min

    Money Out of Politics group is "very confident" that their proposal will overcome foreseeable challenges

    A ballot measure that would prevent political spending by Michigan’s regulated utilities and large state contractors might be on the November ballet. As part of WDET's weekly series...MichMash...Gongwer News Service's Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what is in the proposal and how opponents and supporters of the measure are reacting. The co-chairs of Michiganders for Money out of Politics, Sean McBrearty and Christy McGillivray, stop by to talk about their proposal.

Showing 1–20 of 30 episodes