Michigan Democrats make history, pick first woman and Black man to lead legislature

Michigan Democrats made history again Thursday with the elected officials they chose to lead the state Senate and House, lawmakers' first big moves following the takeover of both legislative chambers in the midterm election.

Senate Democrats chose state Sen. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, as the new Senate majority leader. Brinks is the first woman in Michigan's history to serve in the leadership role. Later Wednesday, House Democrats picked state Rep. Joe Tate, D-Detroit, as the new House speaker. He'll be the first Black man to lead the chamber when he officially takes over in January.

"It's historic. It's a great opportunity, but also a great responsibility," Tate said, after emerging as the speaker-elect following a nearly three-hour meeting of the House Democrats.

"I'm going to bring my experiences...this House is for the entire state of Michigan, so making sure that we are doing things that are going to improve the quality of life for people."

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Buoyed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, supporters of an amendment to include abortion rights in the state Constitution and fairer legislative districts, Democrats won slim majorities in the House and Senate this week.

Whitmer congratulated both new leaders late Thursday, noting what their elections mean in the history of the state.

“I am so excited to work with my friends Majority Leader Brinks and Speaker Tate to get things done on the fundamental issues," Whitmer said.

"Both incredible leaders will make history — Senate Majority Leader Brinks as the first woman ever to hold that position and Speaker Tate as the first Black Michigander ever to be elected Speaker in our 185-year history. And both are committed to putting families first and moving Michigan forward. I know they will work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get things done."

It marks the first time Democrats will control the governor's mansion and both legislative chambers since 1983, a power shift the leaders don't plan to relinquish any time soon.

"We're going to pull up our lists, we're going to compare, we're going to talk to the House and we're going to talk to the governor's office, and we're going to put together a list of things that puts the people of Michigan first," Brinks said.

"I feel very prepared to lead, having watched a number of leaders in the past − both minority and majority − and I'm ready to bring the full power of that experience to serve the people of Michigan."

The Democratic power shift puts an unprecedented number of women in power. In addition to Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel won reelection. In the House, 33 of the 56-member Democratic caucus are women. In the Senate, 12 of the 20 Democrats are women, as Brinks noted in a news release announcing her leadership win.

"It's been hundreds of years that men have been in charge and it's high time that women are having a seat at the table, and in Michigan we have lots of seats at the table," Brinks said.

Brinks, 54, leads the 20-member Senate Democratic caucus after trouncing her GOP challenger, state Rep. Tommy Brann, R-Wyoming, in the midterm. This will be her second term in the state Senate, following three terms in the state House. When she won her House seat in 2012, she was the first woman to represent Grand Rapids in the state Legislature in nearly a century.

Before serving in the Legislature she worked for a nonprofit employee support organization. She has a bachelor's degree in Spanish from Calvin College. A native of Mt. Vernon, Washington, she's married and has three daughters.

"I'm a very collaborative leader. I like to have a lot of high-quality voices in the room, I like to listen to them, I want to hear what people have to say. And I really value all the experiences our caucus members bring," Brinks said.

"I'm still learning about some of our new members and the depth of their resumes, but I'm confident we have a fantastic group."

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Tate, 41, enters his third term in the state House. Before entering politics, he starred on the Michigan State University football team and briefly played the sport in Europe. After the end of his football career he joined the U.S. Marines, deploying twice to Afghanistan, according to his legislative biography.

"I grew up in team environments in athletics and the military, and that's going to be my approach. We're going to look at consensus building from the get-go, but also we are going to make sure that we are marrying and bringing and understanding of our constituents' values to the table," he said.

He'll be the first House speaker from Detroit since Curtis Hertel, Sr. led the chamber in 1997 and 1998. Current House Democratic Leader Donna Lasinski, a Scio Township Democrat who's leaving due to term limits, gushed about Tate and what his ascension means for the state.

"For over 200 years, the halls of the speaker's library are rimmed with photos of white men. For us to take majority, to represent the state of Michigan, we have to look like the diversity of Michigan," she said late Thursday.

"And when you look at Joe's incredible background...he is a man who always puts others first and who believes, to his core, in the democratic values."

It's a joyous day for outgoing Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, and fellow longtime legislator state Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing. The pair talked about the efforts they've put in over the years to increase Democratic strength in the upper chamber, and how they think the party is prepared to keep power by acting on policies that help people.

"I think (Brinks) is going to do great. I think she's decisive, she's a person who wants to get everyone's opinions and make sure everyone's voice is heard. She knows that she's got a diverse caucus and she's going to make sure everyone of them have, to be best of her ability, their priorities met by the time the term's over," Ananich said.

Senate Republicans picked Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, as the minority leader. A former lottery commissioner under then-Gov. Rick Snyder, Nesbitt praised the strength of his GOP caucus.

"I'm looking forward to serving with all of them as we continue to try to advocate for our common sense conservative values of empowering individuals over the state, helping entrepreneurs and small business owners prosper and grow here in the state and trying to stop the most excessive left-wing activism that the governor may try to push and the new Democratic majority may try to push," he said.

In the House, Republicans chose state Rep. Matt Hall, R-Comstock Township, as minority leader. The third-term lawmaker led a powerful tax committee last session and helmed the Oversight Committee; its hearings after the 2020 presidential election garnered national attention after Trump-affiliated attorney Rudy Giuliani and others testified.

“We are willing to work with the governor when she is moving in the right direction, but we'll fight like hell when she pursues policies that threaten Michigan families or our local economy," Hall said in a statement.

The new legislative session starts in mid-January.

Contact Dave Boucher: dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Dems pick first woman, Black man to lead legislature