Greetings all. One of our original twelve House candidates, state Senator Sean McCann, dropped by a few days ago to give us an update on his critical race. Here is some of what I wrote when we first interviewed Senator McCann in March:
Senator McCann is an experienced legislator who as both a State House and Senate member has been part of an era of Democratic Party-led reform and progress in Michigan. As someone who has been working for years to help every day people get ahead I thought his description of how his opponent and Trump have let us all down in the last fourteen months was a very powerful part of our conversation today.
Think about it - tax cuts for billionaires, and what do we get? Tariffs and higher prices, a tougher job market, more expensive and weakened health care, higher gas and utility prices, and struggling small businesses and farmers. No wonder we are seeing record-breaking retirements from House Republicans - they know they’ve got nothing to sell to the American people this November.
I also thought Senator McCann’s description of the energy on the ground, and the power of No Kings, was very encouraging and similar to what we are hearing from other candidates across the country. Experienced politicians who’ve run races in other years keep talking to us about how this year feels different, how much energy there is, how willing people are to go to work to remove the MAGAs from power - how despite it all, there is an optimism that we can win and make things better for our communities and the American people, and people are ready to go to work.
Like many of the districts we have to win this time this is not an easy one - Trump won MI-04 by 6 points (Downballot); the Cook Partisan Voter Index (PVI) is +3 R; and the incumbent, Bill Huizenga, won by 12 points in 2024. But given the national shift from 2024 that is today at least 7 points we can win in districts like this one; we have a very good and experienced candidate; and the MAGA R temporarily in the seat has voted for the tariffs, for the war, for health care cuts, for cuts in clean energy subsidies, for larger deficits for years to come, and so much more. As we like to say at Hopium it is going to be hard, very, very hard for Bill Huizenga to defend the indefensible this fall.
Here is some of what we talked about in our new discussion. So many of these House Republicans we are working to defeat have abandoned the people of their district in every way you can imagine:
Simon Rosenberg: It’s just so shocking to me how much their politics really reflects their ideology……that they really are there to serve the interests of a handful of very wealthy people and for the rest of us, you know, we’re on our own. And it is not just ideological. It’s how they actually conduct their politics, too.
Sen. Sean McCann: Yeah, I mean, the president, the Congress... some of the blatant, ridiculous spending on things we were told tax dollars wouldn’t get spent on, the self-dealing and the corruption, it all plays into that exact dynamic of what you’re talking about. We’ve charted it — not since 2017 has the Congressman here, Huizenga, had a town hall, or a public availability. Yeah, he’s at a couple of these teletown meetings where you know, questions are curated, people are not let in if they’re your average citizen. So, clearly removed from everyday life. I know there was a clip of him being asked what the gas price was a few months ago. He was about a dollar off at that point.
The bottom line, as you will hear from Senator McCann - he is working hard and feels good; there is lots and lots of energy on the ground; his opponent doesn’t deserve re-election; and if we keep working hard we can win here this November.
You can support Senator McCann, both a proven winner in hard, tough districts, and a successful legislator who has delivered again and again for his constituents, by donating to our Winning The House campaign which splits donations among our twelve initial House candidates, or by giving to him directly here. You can also learn more here and volunteer no matter where you live.
Enjoy this interview with one of our top candidates this cycle, share it with others, hit like so more will see it, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and great candidates like Senator McCann to elect, together! - Simon
Bio - Michigan State Senator Sean McCann, US House Candidate Running in MI-04
Sean McCann has dedicated his career to making life better for people in Southwest Michigan.
From cracking down on slumlords, to leading disaster relief with the Red Cross, helping attract new jobs and businesses to Michigan and expanding tax relief for working families as State Senator, Sean believes when you work hard, put politics aside and focus on what matters, you can get things done.
Now, Sean is running for Congress because he knows Washington needs to focus on what matters to regular people – like protecting health care and Medicaid, not cutting it; getting costs down, not exploding the national debt; helping small businesses grow, not giving huge tax breaks to special interests; and letting women make their own health care decisions, instead of politicians making it for them.
Born and raised in Michigan, Sean attended Western Michigan University, became a Kalamazoo City Commissioner, State Representative and now serves as a State Senator in Southwest Michigan. He has built a reputation among Democrats and Republicans alike as a serious problem-solver and a strong voice for families trying to make ends meet.
As a husband and father helping raise his family, Sean will fight hard for everyone and is exactly the kind of leader we need now in Washington.
Learn more about Sen. McCann and his run for US Congress here.
