The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan announced Thursday it will spend $2.3 million on voter education projects for down-ballot races this fall as it promotes abortion access and voting rights issues in contests for two open seats on the Michigan Supreme Court and a trio of key legislative districts.
The investment represents a significant amount of money being poured into the Michigan Supreme Court races, which don't always see the same level of political spending as other contests on the ballot.
But leaders for the ACLU of Michigan say after successfully backing ballot measures which expanded absentee voting access and enshrined abortion access in Michigan in 2018 and 2022, voting rights and reproductive health care remain at the forefront of its priorities.
“This campaign is really to educate voters about the differences between candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court, as well as some of the House races,” said Merissa Kovach, legislative director of the ACLU of Michigan.
In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Kovach said the majority of the $2.3 million is planned for radio ad buys, where the candidates’ positions on issues like abortion access, voting rights and LGBTQ+ rights will be compared. The endorsements candidates have received will also be compared in the ads, Kovach added.
Along with the two Michigan Supreme Court seats on the ballot this fall, Kovach said the campaign will also target legislative races in Michigan, particularly pointing to the 27th, 55th and 103rd House Districts, which cover parts of Wayne and Oakland counties and the Traverse City area, respectively. All three districts are considered important to deciding the balance of power in the Michigan House of Representatives, currently controlled by Democrats, and were decided by narrow margins in the most recent legislative elections in 2022.
At least $2 million in spending is targeted for the Michigan Supreme Court races, while $300,000 is planned for the legislative contests.
While the ACLU of Michigan states it is a nonpartisan organization, its positions on issues like abortion and others largely line up with Democrats. Kovach said the organization's efforts are driven toward making voters aware of where candidates stand on issues, namely abortion, voting access and LGBTQ+ rights.
The $2.3 million investment being made in Michigan is part of a $25 million national investment in down-ballot races announced by the ACLU’s national chapter in June. A federal political action committee, the ACLU Voter Education Fund, is providing the majority of the funds, according to the ACLU of Michigan.
4 major-party candidates vying for 2 Michigan Supreme Court seats
There are two seats on the Michigan Supreme Court for voters to decide in the Nov. 5 election — one for a partial, four-year term and the other for a full term of eight years.
While the contests technically fall under the nonpartisan section of the ballot, to appear in the November election, candidates must be nominated by a political party.
At their August nominating convention , Democrats again backed Justice Kyra Harris Bolden as their nominee for the four-year term. Bolden joined the state’s high court in 2023 after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed her to complete former Chief Justice Bridget McCormack’s term after McCormack retired the year before.
Because Bolden was appointed to the bench, she must run for reelection to complete the full eight-year term that McCormack originally was elected to in 2020. Bolden previously ran for a seat on the court in 2022 but received the third-most votes in that election.
Bolden is the lone incumbent justice seeking reelection after Justice David Viviano announced in March he would not seek another term on the bench.
For the eight-year term, Democrats nominated Kimberly Ann Thomas , a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, and the director and co-founder of the university's Juvenile Justice Clinic. Thomas also was previously appointed to the Michigan Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform in 2021-22.
Republicans, at their nominating convention, selected a state lawmaker and an incumbent circuit judge as nominees for the state's high court.
For the four-year term, Republicans nominated Patrick William O’Grady . O’Grady has been a judge in Branch County’s 15th Circuit Court since 2008. Before joining the circuit court, O’Grady worked as an assistant prosecutor and a Michigan State Police trooper, according to his website.
State Rep. Andrew Fink , R-Hillsdale, is the GOP nominee for the full eight-year term. He was first elected to office in 2020, having practiced at his family law firm and previously spent time as a judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps. In the Legislature, Fink is the Republican Vice Chair for the House Judiciary Committee.
Investment also targets 3 swing legislative districts
Democrats currently hold a 56-54 edge in the Michigan House of Representatives, meaning a single flip this fall would change the power dynamic in the chamber.
Since taking control of the House (as well as the Senate) last year, Democratic lawmakers have passed bills eliminating some abortion restrictions in Michigan, almost exclusively along party-line votes. Lawmakers have removed the need for a special insurance rider for abortion patients , for example, building off a 2022 ballot measure approved by voters in Michigan which enshrined the right to reproductive freedom in the state's constitution.
"As we're talking to voters, as we're seeing where voters are this cycle, abortion is rising as a very top issue that they care about," Kovach said. "So shining a light on where candidates fall on that issue is important to us."
Kovach highlighted races in three House districts, all expected to be competitive, that the ACLU of Michigan is investing in.
27th District: Rep. Jaime Churches, D-Wyandotte, won election in the 27th House District by less than 2,000 votes in 2022. The Downriver district is one of a handful Democrats won in 2022, despite former President Donald Trump having carried the district in 2020. Rylee Linting, a Wyandotte Republican who is an organizer with conservative group Turning Point Action, is challenging Churches in November.
55th District: In the 55th House District, state Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester, is seeking a third term in Lansing but faces Democrat Trevis Harrold, also of Rochester. Like Churches, Tisdel's margin of victory in 2022 was less than 2,000 votes. The 55th House District, which covers Rochester, Rochester Hills and part of Oakland Township, is one of two districts won by President Joe Biden in 2020 that Republican lawmakers won in 2022.
103rd District: No Michigan House district had a closer margin in 2022 than the 103rd House District, a northern Michigan district which encompasses Traverse City and several other municipalities. Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City, defeated former Rep. Jack O'Malley R-Lake Ann, by 765 votes in 2022, a margin of less than a single percentage point. Traverse City Republican Lisa Trombley will challenge Coffia in November.
Contact Arpan Lobo: alobo@freepress.com
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: ACLU of Michigan will spend millions to highlight Michigan Supreme Court, key House races
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