This is just one of those articles that I absolutely hate to write, but I feel compelled to because the state of the American political system is a steaming pile of ***** and I didn't bring enough marshmallows to roast on the hot embers of what is currently left. 

So, instead of getting a sugar buzz from eating said marshmallows, I'll just jot down my thoughts about what is happening in my home state and let the rest of the country know it's a bigger mess than you ever could imagine.

So, let's start with the easy part first.

Former Michigan Republican Congressperson Mike Rogers announced Wednesday that he will throw his hat into the ring seeking the GOP nomination to be the Republican on the ballot next November to replace retiring Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow. 

In my ever so humble estimation, Rogers would be an absolute upgrade compared to the two senators we currently have representing us in Washington DC for the once Great State of Michigan. Rogers' time as a United States Representative revealed that he was much more of a workhorse than a showhorse. He was also entrusted with chairing the House Intelligence Committee, which oversaw guarding some of the nation's top secrets — and was low-key doing it.

On a personal note, I have met Mike Rogers a couple of times and found him to be a very low-key individual, much in the same vein as former congressman and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. For my money, I would love to see more people like both of them in elected office than some of the people who will jump in front of a live camera at a moment's notice and spew any hot take that will get them some publicity.

Now that I have gotten the niceties over. 

Michigan is a deep blue state and a solid candidate like Mike Rogers most likely will be wasting his valuable time running for office in this state. 

Yes, I said it. 

Michigan is a DEEP BLUE STATE and not only did Joe Biden win here but he did it handily. If you are screaming bloody murder at me right now, go take your blood pressure pills and take a gander at this article where I back up this assertion with F-A-C-T-S. Michigan Is a BLUE State and Lying About It Won't Change That Fact

From that article.

So, let me start with some basic facts to make sure we are all on the same page.

Michigan, since the 2002 election of Jennifer Granholm and her re-election in 2006, has elected progressive-leaning candidates. The hiccup of “republican” Rick Snyder who raised your taxes, let the Flint water debacle happen, and was pro-abortion, was Democrat-Lite. Now with Whitmer elected in 2018 and just re-elected in 2022, this trend continues with the state’s chief executive.

Michigan has not elected a Republican United States Senator since 1994 with Spencer Abraham, who was defeated by now-retiring Senator Debbie Stabenow. In case you are wondering how long that is, due to your time in the state’s floundering public school system, in 2024, it will be a full 30 years since you sent a member of the GOP to D.C. to occupy a seat in the upper chamber of Congress.

Please don’t use the excuse that the GOP has picked establishment hacks to face off against hapless Democrats like Stabenow and Peters. You had newly elected (barely) to a House seat John James, face off against both Senators two years apart and lose. In fact, James only won his seat last November by just under 2,000 votes.

Michigan Republicans just lost both the State House and Senate control for the first time since before John Engler left office. The only bright spot the GOP had was control of the legislature, and now that the redistricting is out of the hands of the legislature and given to a group of citizens who are picked through some weird process, you can bet the GOP won’t be getting a favorable district any time soon.

Plus the Michigan GOP is currently the political picture of the Hindenburg on May 6th, 1937.

Michigan GOP Is Functionally Bankrupt, According to Audio Recording of a Closed Meeting

Two years ago, in 2021, the party was dead but not broke—so look back on those times as the good ole days.

I know some people will dispute this but facts are facts, and feelings are for liberal Democrats.

The bad news was delivered earlier this week in a report here, and it revealed the party is rapidly sinking towards the final resting place of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior, cue Gordon Lightfoot.

The Michigan Republican Party has about $93,000 in its bank accounts 16 months before the November 2024 presidential election, a revelation GOP insiders said paints an alarming financial picture for a political party that had full control of state government five years ago.

The leadership team of Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Kristina Karamo updated the state GOP committee on the party’s budget during a closed-door meeting at the Doherty Hotel in Clare on July 8. The Detroit News obtained a recording of the gathering that one participant described as a “Festivus-style airing of grievances,” complete with verbal feuding, a physical altercation and questions about how the party would be able to pay off its debts.

The discussion pulled back the curtain on details of the Michigan Republican Party’s finances that would normally remain secret and pointed to continued hesitations among longtime funders to open their wallets. While the party has some accounts that must file public reports on their contributors and expenditures, other accounts never have to, making it difficult to determine how much fundraising has occurred.

“What I will confirm right now is that we have $93,231.90 in our accounts,” the state committee’s budget chairman, Dan Bonamie, said at one point during the July 8 meeting. “We have not taken loans out. We are working on the debt.”

The party’s general counsel, Dan Hartman, volunteered during the state committee meeting that the GOP had previously been “threatened with default” on a loan. But Karamo said the state Republican Party was now working “side by side” with the bank.

It does not bring me any joy to tell the fine people reading us here at RedState that Michigan is a blue wasteland, but I'm not gonna lie as many in the GOP flat-out do here each election cycle. The results are clear from over 25 years of elections. This state was purple and the people in charge of the conservative wing of the GOP over that time wasted numerous opportunities to try and stem losses and build a solid foundation, thus, here we are.

A deep blue state.

I have no doubt that Rogers will be able to raise oodles of cash, but that alone is not enough in this state.

In the race to win the primary, he will have to explain his view of what happened on January 6th and if Donald Trump won here in 2020. If he does not answer those questions sufficiently, he will be blasted and damaged for the general election, if he wins the primary, and the Democrats will once again win by five or six points.

So how does a quality GOP candidate win while the party he belongs to is a flaming pile of dung?

I have no idea, yet Rogers is a smart guy, and maybe he can figure out the path. 

We currently have an "official" GOP that is broke and run by someone who thinks Donald Trump has never done anything wrong and must be supported at all costs, and a shadow GOP raising money behind the scenes and saying the same thing but giving everyone a slight wink.

As my friend Kurt Schlicter said on the platform formally known as Twitter: 

Don’t tell me to be loyal to a politician. It makes me think you’re insane.

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) September 6, 2023

While I can't speak for Mike Rogers — or anyone except myself — I have a sneaking suspicion Rogers holds the same view. He leans more toward holding ideals close to him. So while I think there are way too many hurdles in this state for a quality candidate like Mike Rogers to overcome, I do wish him well, and if he makes the general ballot in November in 2024, I will happily vote for him.

I'm just going to stick with Michigan is too blue a state right now for a rational person to win statewide and that makes me sad.

Even though I'm not personally blue.

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