November 23, 2008 2:53:46 CST
(Newser) – Michigan has gone blue in every presidential election since 1988, and it should have been an easy state for Barack Obama to win in November. But the presumptive nominee has an albatross around his neck: Jennifer Granholm, the intensely unpopular Democratic governor. Frustration with Granholm is just one of the factors imperiling Obama's campaign there, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Obama got a late start in Michigan, having refused to contest the state's problematic primary. He has also made critical comments about the auto industry, and the travails of Detroit's mayor haven't helped. But blame for the state's faltering economy has fallen on Granholm, and that could hurt Obama most. One furious voter calls her "the worst governor this state has ever had."
Source Wall Street Journal
Sep 6, 08 11:14 CDT Michigan has gone blue in four out of the past five presidential elections, but the crucial state is anything but a lock for Barack Obama this year. The Wall Street Journal assesses a slew of factors—the state's highly charged racial politics, John McCain's good standing among GOP moderates and independents, Obama’s absence from the state primary, and his association with the disgraced mayor—and finds that the bellwether state's 17 electoral votes are very much in play. More »
Sep 5, 08 3:53 PM CDT The fall of Kwame Kilpatrick could hurt Barack Obama’s chances in all-important Michigan, writes Keith Naughton for Newsweek. Long before the scandal broke, Obama embraced Kilpatrick at a Detroit event and told a crowd the “great” mayor would do “astounding things for many years to come”—a comment perhaps a little too prescient. Obama has since distanced himself, but those images are already appearing in GOP ads around the state. More »
Sep 5, 08 2:45 CDT Hours after pleading guilty to two felony perjury charges, disgraced Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick gave a televised address that the Detroit Free Press called part apology, part campaign speech. "This city always gets up," said Kilpatrick, pointing out the "standards for excellence" he has established. "I want to tell you, Detroit, that you done set me up for a comeback.” He will step down, serve four months in jail and give up his pension as part of a plea deal. More »
Sep 4, 08 10:52 CDT Detroit’s embattled mayor plead guilty to perjury charges today, admitting that he lied under oath during a police whistleblower trial, the Detroit Free Press reports. In a deal that requires him to resign, Kwame Kilpatrick will serve 4 months in jail on two felony counts of obstruction of justice by committing perjury, pay up to $1 million in restitution, and serve 5 years’ probation. More »
Sep 4, 08 3:16 CDT Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is weighing whether to enter a plea deal this morning that will cost him jail time, the Detroit Free Press reports. A lawyer for Kilpatrick, who faces felony perjury charges, said Kilpatrick was negotiating jail time, probation and retaining the right to run for future office. The mayor is due in court today, but a hearing could be canceled if he agrees to a plea deal and resigns. More »
Barack Obama • Detroit • Michigan • swing states • Kwame Kilpatrick • Jennifer Granholm
