Mallory McMorrow on Senate Race and Fighting for Michigan

Summary

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The MeidasTouch Podcast: Mallory McMorrow on Senate Race and Fighting for Michigan

Date: September 28, 2025
Guest: State Senator Mallory McMorrow
Hosts: The Meiselas Brothers (Ben, Brett, Jordy)

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Episode Overview

This episode presents an in-depth conversation with Michigan State Senator and Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow, who’s running for U.S. Senate. The discussion centers on the real-world economic challenges facing Michiganders—particularly affordability and job loss—the failures of MAGA Republican leadership at both the state and federal levels, and McMorrow's vision to build a new “American Dream” responsive to working families. The dialogue captures the resentment everyday citizens feel about political gamesmanship, corporate greed, and the neglect of basic governance, offering both candid critique and an actionable, people-focused approach.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The MAGA Regime’s Impact on Michigan

• Shutting down essential programs:

  • McMorrow and the hosts highlight recent testimony (audio at [03:00]) revealing that Trump’s administration ended a Michigan program bringing solar energy to low-income communities, which could have lowered bills and created hundreds of jobs.
  • Michigan Senate Republicans avoided a hearing on this, revealing their disregard for working families’ concerns.
  • Quote from Sen. Dana Pole Hankey (played by hosts):

    "I'd like for the record to show that every single Republican, five of them on this committee either did not show up or left during your presentation. Is that how much they care? I am burnt up over this."
    — [03:00]

• Healthcare under threat:

  • GOP actions may close up to 13 rural Michigan hospitals—threatening the largest employers in these communities and forcing women to travel 50+ miles to give birth.
  • McMorrow:

    “Wouldn't you know, a hospital in the Upper Peninsula just closed its birthing unit, so there are women in the UP who are going to have to drive over 50 miles just to give birth.”
    — [07:38]

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2. Affordability Crisis and Corporate Greed

• McMorrow’s viral campaign ad:

  • Highlights the everyday impact of rising costs—chicken wings at $19, $5 chips, and expensive event tickets—driven by tariffs and unchecked corporate behavior.
  • Memorable excerpt:

    “Chicken, chips, tickets, beer, everything's getting more expensive. All the while, Donald Trump is telling us that prices are down at tremendous numbers while he's selling us out to the same corporations who are jacking up prices on the things that we love.”
    — Mallory McMorrow [05:56-06:47]

• Out-of-touch leadership:

  • Hosts slam Trump’s lavish lifestyle and the disconnect between his reality and everyday Americans:

    “It's like they're just giving us the middle finger. That's what I feel like every day. It's like, f you, f you. That's how I feel they're treating us.”
    — Podcast Host [09:01]

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3. Michigan’s Political Reality: Shutdowns, Gridlock, and the "MAGA Takeover"

• Avoiding government breakdown in Michigan:

  • Despite MAGA Republicans attempting to create dysfunction, Michigan’s Democratic Senate and Governor Whitmer secured a budget to avoid state shutdown and protect social programs.

    “Late last night. We have a budget deal to avoid a government shutdown on October 1 ... unlike on the federal level, we are protecting a lot of the programs that we put in as Democrats under Governor Whitmer. But on the federal level, if Republicans want this shutdown, they got to own it.”
    — McMorrow [12:23]

• Federal dysfunction and blame games:

  • Republicans plan to blame Democrats and marginalized groups for shutdown consequences despite controlling all branches of government.

    “They control the presidency, the Congress, and the Senate. You hold all of the power. If you want to avoid a government shutdown, do your job. Otherwise, it is on you.”
    — McMorrow [12:23]

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4. What Michiganders—and Americans—Really Want

• A broken system, a desperate public:

  • McMorrow emphasizes voters’ fatigue with endless partisan bickering and their desire for politicians who listen and truly represent them:

    “They're also just tired. They are sick of the fighting. They are sick of the political gamesmanship. They're frankly tired of Donald Trump. They're tired of the security theater that he is putting on ... they just want somebody to show up and be normal.”
    — McMorrow [14:32]

• Economic pain is real and widespread:

  • Affordability, unemployment (with Michigan suffering the second-highest rate), and pessimism about the job market—especially for young people—are urgent, unaddressed crises:

    "We are at a place for the first time since 2021 where there are fewer jobs than people to fill them. It is a terrible job market right now ... But people just want to know that there's a way out of this and that is the type of campaign that I'm running."
    — McMorrow [14:32]

• Authenticity and engagement:

  • McMorrow’s campaign is grounded in direct community engagement, prioritizing conversations with everyday people, especially the youth and workers rarely heard in politics.

    “I'm asking to be put in a room with apprentices who are younger and just starting their careers and may not be as politically plugged in ... they have been unloading on me in a way that is helpful to share how angry and frustrated they are at a very deeply broken system.”
    — McMorrow [14:32]

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5. Noteworthy Moments & Quotes

• On Republican neglect:

  “I've been in some of the reddest counties, some of the most rural counties. Michiganders do not want a handout. They do not want the government to do things for them. Farmers want to be able to sell their crops ... But if there are no customers for farmers to sell them to, having pennies put back in your pocket while Donald Trump is building this ballroom or filling the Oval Office with gold decor from Home Depot just feels insulting. It is beyond insulting.”
  — McMorrow [09:57]

• On Democrats delivering:

  “We have a budget deal to avoid a government shutdown ... we are protecting a lot of the programs that we put in as Democrats under Governor Whitmer. But on the federal level ... if you want to avoid a government shutdown, do your job. Otherwise, it is on you."
  — McMorrow [12:23]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:00 | Testimony on Republican walk-out from solar program hearing | | 05:56 | McMorrow’s affordability campaign ad (chicken, beer, tickets) | | 07:12 | Host transitions to McMorrow interview: "What's really going on?" | | 07:38 | McMorrow: Real Michigan impacts (hospital closures, ticket prices) | | 09:01 | Hosts on Trump/MAGA “grift” and the elitist disconnect | | 09:57 | McMorrow: Farmers don't want handouts, they want fair markets | | 12:23 | McMorrow: Budget agreement avoids shutdown in Michigan | | 14:32 | McMorrow on Michigan’s pain: affordability, jobs, cynicism |

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Conclusion

Mallory McMorrow’s appearance delivers a pointed critique of MAGA Republican policymaking and its consequences for Michigan families, while offering a vision of politics grounded in listening, accountability, and everyday reality. She situates affordability and jobs as the central challenges, calls out political theater for what it is, and insists on the value of authentic representation.

To get involved or learn more, McMorrow encourages listeners to visit: [mcmorrowformichigan.com]

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Notable closing quote:

“People want to get to know the people who represent them, not as politicians but as real people.”
— Mallory McMorrow [14:32]

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Podcast Host]

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[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

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[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

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[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

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[Podcast Host]

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[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

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[Commercial Narrator]

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[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Burns me up. And I'd like for the record to show that every single Republican, five of them on this committee either did not show up or left during your presentation. Is that how much they care? I am burnt up over this. You're emotional. I'm pissed. This is unbelievably sad.

[Podcast Host]

And that was Michigan State Senator Dana Pole Hankey. And you heard her right there as she learned during this testimony that the Trump regime was defunding and shutting down a state program in Michigan to bring solar energy to low income communities, which would have reduced energy bills by at least, at least 20% and could have created even more than 700 jobs. And you saw that the Michigan Republican state senators refused to even be there because they didn't want the optics on camera of what it is they're actually inflicting on the people in Michigan. You know, the people in Michigan are pissed. They see how the Trump regime's policies and the MAGA Republican policies there are hurting things based on their conspiracies about energy and how that's impacting jobs and affordability issues. And people see their health care being gutted as well. You know, in Michigan, you have the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats, you have the Michigan House, controlled by Republicans. And Governor Whitmer in Michigan is a Democrat, but you have a full fledged MAGA speaker of the House in the Michigan House. His name is Matt Hall. And you'll see here again, he says, you know, the hospitals that are shutting down, they should be saying, thank you, Donald Trump. Thank you, Michigan MAGA Republicans. Here, play this clip. Yeah. One of the biggest lies I'm hearing are from the hospitals. And I really think they should consider replacing their leadership. Is his name Brian Peters, not a very good leader. He's leading their organization in a direction toward the Democrat Party. But I look at this, I mean, you don't hear, when are the hospitals going to say thank you to President Trump for the $250 million Michigan's expected to get from the one big beautiful bill for rural hospitals cutting a trillion? When are you going to say thank you for that 250 million which is still going to result in you going bankrupt and affordability is a big issue in the Michigan Senate campaign for the United States Senate. I'll tell you, my favorite ad recently across the board throughout the country was state senator and the Majority Whip in the Senate, Mallory McMurray. She's running for United States Senate in Michigan. And her ad on affordability again, I think is the standout ad so far, at least of this political season. Here, play this clip.

[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Football is back. And seven hours of commercial free football.

[Podcast Host]

Whopper. Whopper. Whopper.

[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Whopper is not. This is just the latest example of corporate greed ruining the things we love. Because it's not just commercials on tv. It's also your grocery store run where chicken wings are gonna cost you 19 bucks or a bag of chips 5 bucks. Even beer is getting more expensive. It's a one, two punch tariffs that are making everything more expensive and corporations that are squeezing every last dime out of us. And if at some point this season you're headed to a game, you can expect to pay all kinds of fees on top of an already expensive ticket price. We have a system that caters to billionaires and corporations over everyday people. Chicken, chips, tickets, beer, everything's getting more expensive. All the while, Donald Trump is telling.

[Commercial Narrator]

Us that prices are down at tremendous.

[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Numbers while he's selling us out to the same corporations who are jacking up prices on the things that we love. And look, on this campaign, we are talking about creating a new American dream. A lot of times, that's the big stuff. Making sure you can afford to buy a house, you can afford to start a family, you can afford to save for retirement. Sometimes it's just making sure that you can afford to take a break on Sundays without breaking the bank.

[Podcast Host]

State Senator Mallory McMorrow joins us right here on the Midas Touch podcast. State Senator McMorrow, great to see you again. Talk to us about what's really going on in Michigan right now, because you see Donald Trump out there saying he's eliminated inflation. He says we're all living in a golden age right now and it's the best the economy has ever been. That's what he's out there saying. You saw that in your ad as well. What's really happening in Michigan.

[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

I mean, none of that is true. You can't just say things over and over again with no evidence and no reality and expect that people are going to let it slide. We had, you know, Dana in her committee was absolutely right. We've got Republicans who refuse to even acknowledge the situation. Matt hall was out there saying hospitals should be saying thank you for this backfill of dollars. It's pennies on the do for rural hospitals. We had a presentation in my Senate Appropriations Committee, where I serve as a member, that showed that the impacts of the big terrible bill could close up to 13 rural hospitals in Michigan. And the researcher warned, you know, that's not all going to happen at once, but they will start closing the least profitable units first. And wouldn't you know, a hospital in the Upper Peninsula just closed its birthing unit, so there are women in the UP who are going to have to drive over 50 miles just to give birth. On top of that, you got got the CEO of Ticketmaster who was on a panel this past week claiming that ticket prices are too low. So, yeah, if you want to take a break on Sunday and go see the lions, it's going to cost an astronomical amount of money because of corporate greed. So you're not going to be able to give birth or your hospital is not going to be around. And in many rural counties, that is the largest employer and you can't even take a break. That is what I'm hearing everywhere across the state is people are pissed and everything costs too much.

[Podcast Host]

Does it feel like Trump and his kind of MAGA cabal is rubbing it in our faces? It's like 90,000 square foot ballroom or Trump gallivanting in the UK in golden carriages, hanging out with the king in the uk and you know, they're turning the Rose Garden into Club Rose Garden for rich friends of theirs to, like, hang out and party. And also we're bailing out Argentina right now apparently, because, like, it just, I'm just watching this and I'm like, now we have to bail out our farmers, too. But Trump says he's going to take the tariff money, which he lies and claims there's 17 trillion. These makes up numbers and says that's how we're going to bail out the farmers. When the tariffs are what's harming the farmers. It just, it's all one big Ponzi scheme, but it's in plain view and it seems like they're just giving us the middle finger. That's what I feel like every day. It's like, f you, F you. That's how I feel they're treating us.

[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

It's just a massive grift operation. You know, you had Kai Trump, I think the granddaughter of Donald Trump, launching her new clothing line and she's taking pictures in front of the White House. Meanwhile, exactly to your point, farmers are being told that you're going to Be okay, because we're going to bail you out. I got to tell you, I have been all over the state. I have been in some of the reddest counties, some of the most rural counties. Michiganders do not want a handout. They do not want the government to do things for them. Farmers want to be able to sell their crops. They want to be able to buy farm equipment. They want to be able to have customers in a place like Michigan. The agricultural industry, it's a global industry. We expect to sell our blueberries and our cherries around the world. We grow more sugar beets than any state in the entire country. But if there are no customers for farmers to sell them to, having pennies put back in your pocket while Donald Trump is building this ballroom or filling the Oval Office with gold decor from Home Depot just feels insulting. It is beyond insulting.

[Podcast Host]

Friday, I guess Donald Trump was in the. At the Ryder cup, and he, by the way, he took credit for saving the Ryder Cup. He's like, my executive order that forced the unions not to go on strike, and the Long Island Railroad saved the Ryder Cup. And Beth Page, I'm like, okay, that's nothing to do with the thing. But he takes credit for saving that. But look, he's out there watching golf on Friday instead of meeting with the leaders in the Democratic Party to try to do a deal on the shutdown. You have the Republican leaders, MAGA Mike Johnson in the House, and Senator Thune, but particularly MAGA Mike Johnson, ordered people not to show up to work. How nice. Just don't show up to work. He said, don't show up on Monday and Tuesday, the two days before the shutdown. It seems that they want this shutdown, and now they're rolling out their playbook. They blame transgender people. Somehow, transgender people are to blame for transgender, for everybody. That's what they say. They go, crime, crime, crime. Just say the words over and over again. And Trump's in charge right now. What do you mean, crime, crime, crime. I thought you were saying that you made everything perfect again. And they just go back to that. And it's like, I don't know. The people in Michigan and people around the country just want people to be serious, like, can we just act normal? Like, can we act fricking normal here and just do our jobs?

[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Yeah, you need to. And I am really proud. You know, I am the Senate Majority Whip here in Michigan, and despite having a MAGA takeover of our Republican Party here, our leadership, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks and Matt hall and the governor announced Late last night. We have a budget deal to avoid a government shutdown on October 1, because compounding government shutdowns would be devastating for a state like Michigan. But unlike on the federal level, we are protecting a lot of the programs that we put in as Democrats under Governor Whitmer. But on the federal level, if Republicans want this shutdown, they got to own it. You know, they are trying to blame Democrats, they're trying to blame immigrants, and they're trying to blame the radical left or whatever it is today. They control the presidency, the Congress, and the Senate. You hold all of the power. If you want to avoid a government shutdown, do your job. Otherwise, it is on you. So when people start to see crime in their neighborhoods, when police officers are not getting paid, guess what? That's on Republicans and nobody else.

[Podcast Host]

I want to pick your brain about this political moment that we're in, though, because people should Remember back in 2018, you won in a red state Senate district. You flipped it. And it's been, you know, an important thing for you to speak to all people in Michigan and build consensus and bring people together, but also never sacrificing your values at all in order to do that, but just to speak powerfully. And people in Michigan respond. Respond to that. So, look, you're running for the Senate seat, United States Senate seat there. But as you're traveling Michigan, are you learning lessons or are you seeing things there that you think this is a. There's a broader thing that we're missing here in this country about where the American people are. I mean, I think your ad on affordability hits on the issue that most Americans are talking about now because people are scared. Could we afford rent or a mortgage? A. If people are lucky enough to have a house to begin with? That's where I think people are feeling. So. So talk to us about that before we go.

[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Look, affordability is real. This is what I am hearing all across the state. And Michigan has the second highest unemployment rate in the nation. So I always say to people, we are the canary in the coal mine. And what I think a lot of people are missing is younger people in this moment, particularly young college grads are struggling. They cannot get a job. We are at a place for the first time since 2021 where there are fewer job than people to fill them. It is a terrible job market right now. But what I am hearing from Michigan's is they're also just tired. They are sick of the fighting. They are sick of the political gamesmanship. They're frankly tired of Donald Trump. They're tired of the security theater that he is putting on and all of this content that isn't actually bringing down anybody's costs, but they just want somebody to show up and be normal. What I am hearing across the board is that there are a lot of people in Michigan who worry that that all of politics is corrupt and that there is nobody looking out for them. So that's why on our campaign we are doing as many events as we are right now. It's why we're on a statewide brewery tour. It's why when I am going to union halls, I'm not just meeting with the leadership. I'm asking to be put in a room with apprentices who are younger and just starting their careers and may not be as politically plugged in. Maybe haven't been voting and they have been unloading on me in a way that is helpful to share how angry and frustrated they are at a a very deeply broken system. But people just want to know that there's a way out of this and that is the type of campaign that I'm running. We are showing up. We are listening. We are running ads about my own life, right? Like, that's my grocery store. That's where I buy wings and beer and food for my daughter. And people want to get to know the people who represent them, not as politicians but as real people. So I hope people join us at mcmarrow for michigan.com everybody.

[Podcast Host]

Check it out. Thanks so much for joining us. State Senator Mallory McMorrow running for United States Senate.

[State Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Thanks man.

[Podcast Host]

Everybody Hit subscribe let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our [e-mail] you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content only [e-mail].

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[Commercial Narrator]

Experian from the Cascades to PDX to your kitchen we recycle like we live here. That's why governments, brands and recycling companies are all joining together to bring change to make recycling better. As in trusting that your recyclables end up in the right places to be made into new things and having brands help fund the cost of recycling. You can find the Latest updates at recycleon.org Oregon From Mount Hood to the bin under your desk. Together we can do this. From the Cascades to PDX to your kitchen, we recycle like we live here. That's why governments, brands and recycling companies are all joining together to bring change to make recycling better. As in trusting that your recyclables end up in the right places to be made into new things and having brands help fund the cost of recycling. You can find the Latest updates at recycleon.org Oregon From Mount Hood to the bin under your desk together we can do this.