Michigan Voters Are Too Optimistic About How the State Is Doing Nationally, and It Makes Me Want to Move

I love living in a state where we experience all four seasons and an additional two just to make sure we respect the first four. Michigan has all that and a tiny bit more, and for all my life, the weather has been somewhat difficult at times, but not so rough that I decided to give in and leave.

Now, politics is something I watch both nationally and on a state level. Michigan has been a bit challenging on many things politically, but I have seen it go up and down in my adult lifetime like a roller coaster with no seatbelt.

Thankfully, we are not as bad as Minnesota for cripes' sake.

So just imagine my surprise when I came across this story in my local hometown paper, the Detroit News... a story with a title like this.

Voters overly optimistic about how Michigan ranks against other states, poll shows

Uh oh...I have a bad feeling about this.

About half of Michigan voters believe the state is headed in the right direction, but many are unaware of how poorly it ranks nationally on key metrics, according to a new statewide poll commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber.
The Glengariff Group poll of 600 registered Michigan voters was conducted from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 and surveyed respondents about a range of topics, including the economy, data centers and political civility headed into this year's midterm election.

Well, out of 600 voters (which is a tad bit under the usual number used), I don't think we can be hurt all that badly.

Can we?

“On nearly every metric we tested, Michigan voters believe the state is doing average against the other states,” said Richard Czuba, president of The Glengariff Group.
“The reality is that Michigan is doing far worse. Michigan voters have no clue how we stack up against the other states, even on those metrics where Michigan is at the bottom of the list," Czuba added.

I guess when you really think about it, Michigan can (does) suck.

Politically, though, the state has changed.

Gretchen Whitmer's Munich Moment About AOC Manages to Double Down on the Embarrassment

The last conservative Republican this state actually elected was Gov. John Engler in 1998. What that means is that in the next presidential election cycle (2028), it will have been 30 years since this state has elected a conservative Republican. Yes, I know that Rick Snyder was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014, but Gov. Rick Snyder would probably tell you he was not a dyed-in-the-wool conservative; he was more of a middle-of-the-road Republican.

Thankfully, the Detroit Regional Chamber might have some positive spin on the situation we currently find ourselves in.

Sandy Baruah, CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, said, “In many ways, our house is on fire. In just one generation, Michigan has fallen from a top 10 or 20 state to a bottom 10 state in per capita income and educational achievement, which is not a recipe for long-term economic success."

CRAP....Every word I want to use here, I know I can't.

Michigan is now at a crossroads, and I have no idea which way the state will go long-term. The Great Lake State is not the beacon it might have once been, and I'm not thrilled about it at all.

Yet, Governor Gretchen Whitmer had an exciting announcement about the population (expansion) in Michigan recently.

“In 2025, Michigan’s population grew for the fourth year in a row as we welcomed nearly 28,000 new Michiganders. Also, for the first time since the early 90s, more people moved into Michigan from other states than moved out.

We have 28,000 more people in 2025. Also, it is Michiganian, dangit, not Michigander.

Florida had 360,000 more folks.

Texas had 390,000 more people.

Hell, even Alabama had 40,000 more people in the year 2025.

Michigan has some huge problems ahead of it, and I love this state enough to try to work in the upcoming election for people who I believe will do the right thing by the vast majority of the people here. However, time is running short, and so is my patience.

Let's hope the state voters do the proper thing in Nov. 2026, or I might find a nice place in a lower tax state that has nicer weather and join those who have already left.