The Metro: A conversation with new Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel
Sam Corey, The Metro February 25, 2025The former state legislator and congressional candidate joined The Metro to discuss the lessons Democrats learned in 2024 and their goals going forward.

Photo of Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel.
Photo credit: Photo provided by Hertel.
Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Democrats took a lot of hits in November at the national level. Republicans now control both chambers of Congress in addition to the Supreme Court and the White House.
In Michigan, the bleeding wasn’t as bad, but Democrats did lose the state House. Many claim they missed many opportunities during November’s lame duck session.
Losses can be painful, but they are also an opportunity to do something differently.
It’s a chance to win back power, and so far Democrats have been positioning themselves as a party of collaborators. This seems especially true after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer went to the White House on Saturday to “find common ground.”
Building trust with Republicans seems to be part of the plan.
Curtis Hertel Jr. is the new chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, a former state legislator and congressional candidate. He joins The Metro to discuss the lessons Democrats learned in 2024 and their goals going forward.
Hear more stories from The Metro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
Authors
-
Sam Corey is a producer for 101.9 WDET, which includes finding and preparing interesting stories for the daily news, arts and culture program, The Metro. Sam joined WDET after a year and a half at The Union, a small newspaper in California, and stints at a variety of local Michigan outlets, including WUOM and the Metro Times. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.
-