I’ve been in Michigan the last few days and will be here most of the week. This weekend is spent in Detroit and lounging at my parent’s farmhouse about 40 minutes south in the middle-of-nowhere near Ohio. Throughout the coming week I’ll be working in Flint, Saginaw, and Lansing as well before heading back to Pennsylvania so I’ll be getting the grand tour of the state.

It’s been non-stop political ads on TV for both governor and senator. The Republicans are pouncing on the Democrats up here hard and the Democrats are taking no chances. Every fifteen minutes I see an ad for Jennifer Granholm or Dick De Vos, and Debbie Stabenow or Mike Bouchard. The Republicans are capitalizing on the massive layoffs going on throughout the state from The Big Three and Ford didn’t do the D’s any favor on Friday when they announced another 10,000.

There is potential, a lot of potential, here in Michigan for big Republican pickups. The Democrat Governor is very unpopular and polls have her and Republican challenger De Vos in a dead heat. Bouchard is trailing Stabenow still for the Senate but he has been gaining ground. The question is, will the people of Michigan seriously embrace change or will these heavily Democrat voters behave like those in my own city of Pittsburgh, like lambs to the slaughter, reelecting a failed governor and a do nothing Senator with a disdain for Slim Fast all because their arms might turn gangrenous and fall off if they even graze the Republican lever.

My prediction:

De Vos picks off Granholm in a very close race. Bouchard gives Stabenow a major run for her money but barely misses the brass ring.