MichMash: Michigan politics in 2023 and what’s to come in 2024

 December 29, 2023

A lot of major stories occupied the headlines last year, including the 10-year anniversary of Detroit’s bankruptcy.

Downtown Detroit skyline

The downtown Detroit skyline.

2023 has had some major political news stories, and 2024 will be no different. Sarah Rahal, City Hall reporter for The Detroit News, sat down with MichMash host Cheyna Roth, to let us know which stories stood out this year in Detroit and what we should look forward to in 2024.  

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In this episode:
  • The 10-year anniversary of Detroit filing for bankruptcy
  • The local, statewide and national elections in 2024
  • Detroit adding a new area code
Rahal said a lot of major stories occupied the headlines last year, including the 10-year anniversary of Detroit’s bankruptcy. “It was the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history,” she said, adding that Detroit has recovered in many ways since then. “This is the ‘Paris of the Midwest,’ and it’s thriving. It’s got art, groundbreaking, small business entrepreneurship, medical breakthroughs, chart-topping music and just so much spirit.” She also acknowledged that the bankruptcy left lasting effects, with some retirees facing higher health care costs or reduced pensions as a result who have yet to be made whole.  Looking ahead to 2024, there are a lot of big changes and exciting elections coming up in the city, including the race for Michigan’s 13th congressional district. With the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit on the horizon in April, city officials have taken many steps to clean up the city, investing in beautification efforts and other upgrades to city services. “It’s been Duggan’s motive the entire year to turn blight into beauty,” Rahal said. “So there has been just so much ramping up with demolitions in residential neighborhoods, as well as commercial buildings and even getting started on the Packard plant. There’s so much going on.” More from MichMash:

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Author

  • Hernz Laguerre
    Hernz Laguerre Jr. is a Multimedia Journalist at 101.9 WDET. He is one of the co-host for "Detroit Evening Report," one of the weekend anchors for "Weekend Edition," the producer for our political podcast, "MichMash," and reports on arts, culture and politics.

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