| On Thursday, Lt. Gov. John Cherry picked up another slew of endorsements from every county-wide elected official in Macomb County, just north of Detroit. While it's another notch on a growing list of endorsements that are coming in from around the state, well over a year before the actual election itself, the most impressive thing is that it came from Macomb County. Some might not realize it, but Macomb is where the now famous phrase "Reagan Democrats" was coined. Since then, it's been the bellwether spot for the state. From the conservative National Review - The locals have a history of picking winners on Election Day. Yet Macomb County is more than just another battleground in the Midwest--it's the iconic home of Reagan Democrats, the breed of voter whose defection to the GOP in the 1970s and 1980s signaled the end of liberalism's high tide and the emergence of conservatism as a national force. Ever since, the county's white, middleclass residents have taken on a symbolism that far outweighs their numerical clout. Stories about voting behavior in Macomb County have become a quadrennial staple of political journalism, as reporters from everywhere beat a path to these suburbs just north of Detroit. An Irish television crew recently dropped in, to the amazement of absolutely nobody. These media pilgrims pay homage to a resilient piece of conventional wisdom. In Macomb County, more than Michigan's 17 electoral votes may be on the line. It might be said that the way Macomb County goes, so goes the nation.
The endorsements are the first for Cherry as an entire slate of county-wide officials in the Metro Detroit area, and even more notable because Sheriff Mark Hackle is counted among them. Hackel was also the top Macomb countywide vote getter last election -- the only countywide candidate on the ballot in Macomb County to win over 300,000 votes, so his endorsement carries some sway. You might recall last December that Hackel announced his intent to run for governor to the Macomb Daily, causing a bit of a stir. Most insiders had chalked that up to pure interest but lacked real intent. So as the Cherry bandwagon picks up steam and supporters, still with more than a year left, it will be more than interesting to see where this is headed, particularly given that there has been little to no news from the other rumored contenders, both declared and not. |
