As Michigan gears up for the upcoming election season, the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference’s PAC Reception: A Toast to Michigan served as a pivotal moment, illuminating the state’s path forward in key areas of business, bipartisanship, and civic involvement.
In addition, the Chamber PAC is comprised of business leaders representing diverse perspectives across the political spectrum, reflecting a range of industries, business sizes, and geographic locations.
For the discussion, a recent statewide Detroit Regional Chamber poll revealed that “only 67% of respondents agree that democracy is the best form of government.”
With these startling reports, the conversation among the Senate leaders across parties resonated around the theme of recognizing history and not being defeated by the feedback.
“History is a great teacher,” Tate said. “It doesn’t help you have all of the answers, but it helps you ask the right questions … if you look back … we always have these ebbs and flows; at the end of the day … how are we ensuring that our institutions are supported?”
The PAC Reception shed light on the pressing issues confronting Michiganders, particularly emphasizing the importance of fostering bipartisan engagement and constructive dialogue to build better bipartisan relationships.
“Events like [the Mackinac Policy Conference] are a great opportunity for us to come together across the aisle, across our state,” Brinks said. “We’ve got business [and] government represented here … so, for us to be able to have those civil, productive conversations to really stay focused on what our state needs from their government to really work toward competent, core functions of what people should be able to get from their state government. All of those conversations should be the point of what we’re doing.”
According to Hall, despite the appeals for bipartisanship, their efforts are hindered by the declining trust in government.
“People are losing trust in our government,” he said. “They see some of the injustice going on in our judicial system at the federal level. They see [housing prices increase] … and that kind of stuff creates distrust in leaders. I think people are looking for leaders who are going to restore trust.”
Addressing the needs of Michiganders feeling left behind by the government proved a critical point in the conversation.
“Small towns and small urban areas are feeling like they’re behind,” Nesbitt said, adding, “America’s strong. We’ll get through this, and I think there’s hopelessness at times … at the end of the day, we’re Americans, and we’ll figure it out.”