Republican memo blames Dixon • What Dem majority means in Lansing • Wayne County jail's new dashboard

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - An internal memo from the Republican Party reviewing why its candidates lost on election day put the blame primarily on its candidate for governor Tudor Dixon.

The report - which Dixon herself shared on Twitter - assessed that Dixon's low name recognition, as well as a lack of campaign finances and structure was a "nearly impossible" hurdle to overcome. Especially since the Democratic incumbent she ran against had all three.

The report was authored by the party chief of staff Paul Cordes on Nov. 10 and argued that abortion being on the ballot and anti-GOP ads setting the tone of the issue early was too difficult of an obstacle to overcome. Other sections mentioned "donors on the sidelines," and "the Trump effect" as being contributing factors.

"I'm sure the pundits and politicos will assign their blame in the coming weeks, but it is clear that independent voters were turned off by the top of the ticket in Michigan and it trickled down statewide," the report read at the end.

Political campaigns often perform "post-ops" of elections to figure out what went right and what went wrong. Rarely do those reviews become public knowledge so soon after an election, however.

Dixon shared the memo before blasting the party leadership for not taking ownership of Republican's losses during the 2022 Midterms this week.

 "This is the perfect example of what is wrong with the @MIGOP. It’s an issue of leadership - Ron Weiser, Meshawn Maddock, and Paul Cordes all refuse to take ownership for their own failures," she wrote on Twitter. "It’s easy to come out and point fingers now, but the truth is they fought against me every step of the way and put the entire ticket at risk. We need fresh leadership at the @MIGOP or Republicans will never have a voice in Michigan again."

Our state party failed on Let MI Kids Learn and Secure MI Vote. Because of their failure, we now have Prop 2. We have to do better than this current incompetent leadership," she added.

Republicans were swept in statewide races as candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump lost be wide margins in elections for governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. But as the memo states, independent voters that were turned off by the top of the ticket also didn't vote for state House and Senate candidates. 

Democrats as a result have secured majorities in both chambers for the first time in 38 years. 

The memo said that had Dixon kept the race to within 3-4% against Gretchen Whitmer, then both majorities in the legislature would have been safe. If she lost by 7-8%, they would be in danger. Instead, she lost by 11 points. 

"Michigan is historically a ticket splitting state, and our data, modeling, mail and field program were very effective. However, the hole created by Tudor at the top of the ticket was too much to overcome."

Marginalized groups excited about new Dem majority in Michigan

Following Tuesday's midterm election there’s a sense of hope among Democrats at the statehouse in Lansing. Democrats will control chambers of the House and Senate for the first time in almost 40 years.

"This is a Democratic party that includes everybody and values peoples’ diverse lived experiences," said Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield). Moss, who is gay, believes this new era of the state legislature will reflect the diversity of the state we live in now. He adds it’s a chance to step away from the hate embraced by some republicans during Trump-era politics.

"Like other states in our country, Michigan has seen an increase in homophobia, transphobia, attacks on folks getting gender-affirming care, and we have been scapegoats for other issues like Prop 3," said Jerron Totten, the social justice engineer for LGBT Detroit.

The LGBTQ+ community is one of several marginalized communities which has traditionally backed the Democratic Party, but Tottensays voters still must hold them accountable. Detroit NAACP president Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony agreed, imploring the party to not "waste time." 

Wayne County Jail's new dashboard

In an effort to be more transparent about how full the jail is, the Wayne County Sheriff's Department has created a real-time interactive dashboard to provide an inside look at who is in the jail. The dashboard was created after six years and started as a study of the jail's population makeup by Hudson-Webber Foundation, which aims to improve the quality of life for people in Detroit.

The sheriff said it was an effort to be more transparent. "The jail dashboard has and will increase visibility into operations," Raphael Washington said. "This gives us the daily population of inmates in the jail."

Some information that's available includes how long inmates have been incarcerated, demographic data, and a key feature - how mental health plays into jailing.

The group that studied the jail before releasing the dashboard said real-time information at the public's fingertips is significant for understanding the country's mental health issues. "We need the  data out there for judges, academics, and advocates to have access to the information," Melanca Clark said.

Detroit police shoot armed woman assaulted family

One person is dead after she was shot by Detroit police during a struggle Thursday night. According to Detroit Police Chief James White, officers responded to a call about a female who had assaulted her son, was in her underwear, and was in the middle of a mental health crisis in the area of Pilgrim Street and Meyers Road around 6:20 p.m.

According to White, the woman was schizophrenic. He said the caller, who he believes was the woman's mother, was assaulted with knives and was bleeding from the head. The caller said she previously had a stroke and was worried it would be aggravated by the injuries. She was also worried about having to harm her daughter.

"She was very worried she was going to have to shoot the assailant she described as her own child," White said. When officers arrived, White said police knocked on the door. At some point, the caller told police she was concerned the assailant was going to hurt her children. One child was struck in the head and bleeding, White said.

Police, including a crisis intervention trained officer, surrounded the house for about 40-45 minutes. The situation turned into a barricaded gunman that ended with police in the home where shots were fired.

Much of the information is preliminary, White reiterated, saying he was providing information to be transparent. 

Eastern Market Holiday Markets return soon

Seven Holiday Markets at Detroit's Eastern Market are scheduled to make sure you're ready for the season. The first market is Nov. 20.

Most markets will be on Sundays except for the Thanksgiving food shopping event Nov. 22 and the last minute gift and food market on Christmas Eve.

Sunday markets will include Michigan-made gits such as clothing, art, jewelry, beauty products, and more.

The markets are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Christmas Eve market is 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Here's a full list of the holiday fun on the way this winter

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Daily Forecast

Hope the 70s that washed over Southeast Michigan were enjoyed because that may be it for this year. Temperatures are going to fall Friday into the 50s and into the 40s this weekend. Snow flurries are also possible this weekend. 

What else we're watching

1. Wondering about where to get free food for Veteran's Day? Dozens of convenient stores and restaurants are offering discounts and deals to vets this Friday. See the full list here.
2. The World's Tallest Red Kettle has been erected in Metro Detroit for another winter season. The Salvation Army's installation comes with 26,000 LED lights and puts it up in Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit.
3. The number of children infected with RSV has reached a critical mass at Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. The surge in cases means the hospital is 100% full, a release said, exhausting pediatric beds.
4. Michigan State University is back in action in basketball Friday night with an historic game against No. 1 ranked Gonzaga. Both teams will be playing on the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego, an active nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that's docked at the port.
5. A Michigan woman will stand trial for running over and killing two bicyclists after she was on a ‘cocktail of drugs’ while driving on the west side of the state. Mandy Benn, 42, had tried passing a UPS truck when she struck five cyclists.

Paleontologists uncover strange new prehistoric sea monster

A research team has detailed the discovery of a new kind of prehistoric marine reptile. The specimen, which was discovered in 1995 by rancher Ann Pfister on her Wyoming property, was donated to the Glenrock Paleon Museum.

From there, a research team at the College of Charleston, led by geology professor Scott Persons, was able to study and analyze the specimen, where the shapes and sizes of the bones were compared with a group of animals called plesiosaurs. 

"It became clear that the specimen was unlike any species paleontologists had seen before," Persons told FOX Television Stations.