Pete Buttigieg

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August primary sets stakes for big Michigan November election

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When Leelanau County voters cast their ballots in the primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the outcome of their decisions may resonate far beyond these sunny summer days. Who wins the closely watched intraparty contests for Michigan Governor, U.S. Senator, and Congress could set the paths forward for the Democratic and Republican parties at a time of political upheaval in this country. This story breaks down the Democratic primary race between Callie Barr and Kyle Blomquist, who are bidding to take on incumbent Republican Jack Bergman in the November race for Congress—and why Barr and Blomquist, and fellow Republicans challenging Bergman in the Aug. 4 primary, believe the incumbent is vulnerable in 2026.

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Congressional candidate Callie Barr wins Pete Buttigieg endorsement

Callie Barr, a Democrat running to represent Northern Michigan in Congress, picked up a coveted endorsement today from Pete Buttigieg, a fellow Traverse City resident and former Transportation Secretary during the Biden administration. Barr, who lost during a previous run for Congress in 2024 to incumbent Republican Jack Bergman, faces a primary challenge this year from Upper Peninsula resident Kyle Blomquist. Michiganders will vote in the primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

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Coach “joy” pumps up the Park Place

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Just before Democratic Vice Presidential hopeful Tim Walz approached the lectern to address an enthusiastic, packed crowd in the ballroom of Traverse City’s Park Place Hotel on Friday, Nov. 1, he turned around and fist-bumped supporters flanking him on stage with Harris-Walz campaign signs. Grand Traverse County Commissioner Ashlea Walter and her daughter Phoebe were among them. Upbeat and enthusiastic, with John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” playing in the background, Walz arrived early and spent 23 minutes during his pep rally with the Northern Michigan crowd of progressives and Democrats, reminding them that polls in the Nov. 5 presidential election would close in under 100 hours, and encouraging them to vote, and turn out others to vote, for Kamala Harris for President, and push away the vitriol and and dark vision of Republican candidate Donald Trump. Polls show that Michigan, a crucial swing state, is very close.

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President Biden’s Cabinet All Hands on Deck to Accelerate Energy Transition and Adapt to Climate Change

We asked Northport resident and environmental policy guru Skip Pruss how President Joe Biden and his cabinet of environmental all stars will combat the climate crisis and what the federal government’s effort could mean for Michigan and the Great Lakes. Pruss is co-founder of 5 Lakes Energy, former board chair at the Traverse City-based nonprofit FLOW (For Love of Water) and former director of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth under former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, who is Biden’s nominee for Energy Secretary.

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