MI Dems Push National Popular Vote In Final Moments Of Power
Michigan Democrats are pushing National Popular Vote Compact measures during their last weeks in power. While former President Donald Trump won Michigan and the national popular vote, the majority-Democrat state House may still try to pass the bills on Thursday, according to a tentative agenda obtained by The Federalist.
“I can’t believe that they’re really willing to put this up, given we’re on the heels of this last election when a Republican took the national popular vote,” Republican state Rep. Rachelle Smit, who was recently elected as House speaker pro-tempore, told The Federalist.
Democrat state Rep. Carrie Rheingans sponsored HB 4156 and HB 4440, which would make Michigan join the National Popular Vote Compact, binding the state’s presidential electors to the winner of the popular vote. The compact would only take effect if enacted by states totaling 270 electoral votes. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia currently have National Popular Vote laws in place.
With vote counting nearing completion, Trump is winning the popular vote by 3.5 million, according to The New York Times. The last time a Republican won the popular vote was in 2004 when George W. Bush was the presidential candidate. Failed Democrat VP nominee Tim Walz had even called for a national popular vote, as The Federalist reported.
Smit shared a tentative agenda with The Federalist, and the agenda shows that the bills are set to go to the House floor for a vote on Thursday. She said House Democrats may still pull the bills from the floor if they don’t have enough votes.
“They’re looking out for the long game, and one last opportunity with their trifecta to accomplish some of these things,” Smit said. “I think this is more for a ‘whipping’ tactic to see where their caucus is on this.”
Democrat state representatives may not all show up, as many are upset over the election results, according to Smit. She said House Republicans are united against the National Popular Vote compact, so wavering Democrat support could doom the bills.
“You just don’t know how many of them are actually going to show up either between now and end of the year, because they’re mad at their leadership; they’re mad that they didn’t win,” Smit said. “One person doesn’t show up, and we all stick together, it doesn’t pass.”
While Smit said this could be an internal tactic to gauge House Democrat unity, she said Republicans should not “let our feet up off the gas.”
Republican state Rep. Ann Bollin told The Federalist “at least four” state Democrats told her they do not want the National Popular Vote bills to come up for a vote.
“If my caucus stands together, they do not have the votes,” Bollin said.
Bollin said she is “very, very vocal in opposition” to the National Popular Vote bills, which she confirmed are on the tentative agenda for Thursday.
“I’m going to spend much of my week working to get it shut down,” Bollin said. “We never know, but we have to fully expect that it is ‘lame duck.’ They’ve lost the majority in the state House, and they’re going to try to push this through at the most inopportune time.”
Bollin said the National Popular Vote bills would reduce Michigan’s voice in the electoral process.
“Michigan casts its electoral votes by popular vote in our state — the voices of Michigan residents — and they should not be drowned out by the residents of New York, California, Pennsylvania, [or] any other state,” Bollin said. “It leaves out the voice of many Michiganders. We are not a large state. … Our urban voice will be silenced as well as our rural voice.”
Interrupting Democrat Rule
The state House is in session from Tuesday to Thursday and is then out of session for a few weeks before returning in December. Not only did Trump flip the state from blue to red in last week’s election, but Republicans took back control of Michigan’s state House, so Democrats are currently in a “lame duck” session.
Both Bollin and Smit said Democrats’ current strategy is to push bills through before losing power. Bollin said she has proposed a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority to pass bills during a “lame duck” session.
When Republicans take control of the state House, it will likely interrupt Michigan’s “trifecta” of Democrat rule, which consists of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the state Supreme Court, and the state legislature.
Smit said that as the elected House speaker pro tempore she has worked with Republican leadership, including Speaker-Elect Matt Hall and Majority Floor Leader-Elect Bryan Posthumus, and found a unified approach. Since Democrats still control the state Senate, she said the state House will work to stop Whitmer’s policies.
“We’ve been steamrolled over and over the last two years and shut out,” Smit said. “It’s not like we can undo much of anything, but our biggest thing is going to be stopping and blocking and really shutting down Governor Whitmer.”
The Federalist reached out to Rheingans, but she did not comment in time for publication.
Logan Washburn is a staff writer covering election integrity. He graduated from Hillsdale College, served as Christopher Rufo’s editorial assistant, and has bylines in The Wall Street Journal, The Tennessean, and The Daily Caller. Logan is originally from Central Oregon but now lives in rural Michigan.