Morning Digest: Why Democrats don't want this septuagenarian to run for Congress a fifth time

A long career in local politics has not translated into federal success for Carl Marlinga

Michigan Democrat Carl Marlinga (center) (credit: Carl Marlinga Facebook)

Leading Off

MI-10

Former Judge Carl Marlinga is reportedly considering a third campaign for Michigan's competitive 10th Congressional District—a prospect that is filling some Democrats with dismay.

Politico's Ally Mutnick reports that both local and national Democrats fear Marlinga "will once again tank their chances" at flipping the Macomb County-based 10th, with one unnamed insider offering particularly harsh words.

"Between his age, refusal to run a serious campaign, and the 'Pedophile Protector' hit— Carl Marlinga running in 2026 would be an absolute disaster for House Democrats," said a "top House Democratic operative," referring to GOP attack ads that slammed Marlinga for his work as as a defense attorney representing clients accused of sexual abuse.

The National Journal's James Downs, meanwhile, attributes to unspecified "national Democrats" the sentiment that Marlinga "would be the worst possible candidate to run again, especially after he lost by more the second time than the first."

Marlinga lost to Republican John James by an unexpectedly narrow 48.8 to 48.3 margin in 2022 after major Democratic groups wrote off his bid for what was then an open seat. But Marlinga, who is in his late 70s, was once again one of the weakest fundraisers among Democratic House challengers and lost by a wider 51-45 spread even though the House Majority PAC spent almost $7.5 million on his behalf.

Marlinga's career in local politics stretches back much further, beginning in 1984 when he was first elected Macomb County prosecutor. But his earlier bids for Congress went poorly: He finished in sixth place with just 8% of the vote in the Democratic primary for Senate in 1994 and then got blown out 63-36 when he waged a campaign for the previous version of the 10th District in 2002.

There may be alternatives, though: Mutnick mentions two state senators, Veronica Klinefelt and Kevin Hertel, as possibilities. Hertel's brother Curtis, a former member of the state Senate, ran for the 7th District last year but lost 51-47.

There's also uncertainty about what James, who was the GOP's nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020, will do next year. Local politicos have speculated that he could be a leading candidate to succeed Michigan's termed-out governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer. While James has yet to confirm if he's interested, Mutnick writes that Democrats think he's "likely" to go for it.

It's also possible that James could go after the Democrat who narrowly defeated him in 2020, Sen. Gary Peters, though columnist Jack Lessenberry wrote in the Toledo Blade last month that "there’s little sign" the congressman is considering a return engagement.

PA's Austin Davis on electing more LG's like him

Governors

AZ-Gov

A new poll for a conservative site shows far-right Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs leading in a hypothetical Republican primary for the right to take on Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, though most voters have yet to make up their minds.

The survey, conducted by Data Orbital for AZ Free News, finds Biggs up 32-12 on businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson, who is Donald Trump's favorite, while state Treasurer Kimberly Yee is at 7, and 45% say they're undecided.

None of these three candidates have yet to launch campaigns, though Biggs said Thursday that he's begun collecting signatures to appear on the ballot. The primary, however, is not until August of next year.

NM-Gov

Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, who hadn't ruled out a bid for governor next year, tells Semafor's Burgess Everett that he will not join the race. Heinrich's decision makes former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland the likely frontrunner for the Democratic nod to succeed term-limited Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. Haaland has yet to announce a bid but she's reportedly been staffing up.

NY-Gov

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is up for reelection this year, but he isn't ruling out a bid for governor next year. In the politician's classic formulation, Blakeman told Politico that he's focused on his current job but added that "two years is a long, long way away in politics."

It's really not, though. Blakeman faces a serious challenge from Democrat Seth Koslow in the November general election, but even if he wins, he'd have to immediately prepare for the GOP primary in June of 2026—a contest that Rep. Mike Lawler is likely to join.

And time is even more precious than that. Most statewide candidates in New York try to bypass the state's onerous petition requirements by winning the support of at least 25% of delegates in a vote at their party's convention; four years ago, Republicans held theirs on March 1.

Legislatures

MN State House

Minnesota Democrats got some very welcome news on Friday afternoon when the state Supreme Court ruled that 68 members must be present for the state House to conduct business, not 67 as Republicans had argued. As a result, Republicans will likely have to conclude negotiations on the power-sharing agreement the two parties had begun working on after the November elections yielded a 67-67 tie in the chamber.

Republicans walked away from that deal after a safely blue Democratic-held seat unexpectedly became vacant after Election Day, temporarily giving the GOP a 67-66 edge. They insisted that this brief advantage allowed them to run the House on their own and choose a speaker, prompting Democrats to stage a walkout when the legislature reconvened earlier this month to deny a quorum.

That didn't stop Republicans from holding a vote to ostensibly elect Rep. Lisa Demuth as speaker, but Democrats immediately filed legal challenges before the state's top court asking it to adopt their interpretation of what constitutes a quorum.

The justices agreed, ruling that "a quorum requires a majority of the total number of seats of each house." They added, "Vacancies do not reduce the number required for a majority of each house to constitute a quorum." As a result, the vote to elevate Demuth was void, meaning the two sides will have to reach an agreement on how to share power while the chamber remains divided.

The GOP had also threatened not to seat Democratic Rep. Brad Tabke, who won reelection by 14 votes in a race where 20 ballots were unintentionally discarded. Republicans had not budged from their stance even after a judge upheld Tabke's victory, but after the Supreme Court's ruling, they lack the power to declare his seat vacant. Had they been able to do so, they could have forced a special election and won an outright majority in the House.

Mayors & County Leaders

Buffalo, NY Mayor

Acting Mayor Christopher Scanlon announced Wednesday that he'd run to keep his new job in Buffalo's busy June 24 Democratic primary.

Scanlon was elevated from his post as president of Buffalo's Common Council to the mayor's office in October when 19-year incumbent Byron Brown resigned to head western New York's state-run gambling agency, and he wasted no time raising money to defend his post.

New campaign finance reports show that Scanlon posted a $560,000 to $490,000 advantage in cash on hand over his leading intraparty rival, state Sen. Sean Ryan, as of Jan. 10. Former city Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield was a distant third with $30,000 banked.

Minneapolis, MN Mayor

Jazz Hampton, who co-founded an app to help drivers reach lawyers during encounters with the police, is the newest candidate to oppose Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in November's ranked-choice contest. Hampton, who says he was inspired to create TurnSignl after police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in 2020, pitched himself as a political outsider who could resolve "gridlock."

Several other contenders announced their campaigns against Frey last year. The field in this loyally Democratic city includes pastor DeWayne Davis, state Sen. Omar Fateh, and Council Member Emily Koski.

Northampton County, PA Executive

In quick succession, a pair of major candidates just joined the open-seat race to serve as executive of eastern Pennsylvania's Northampton County, one of the most competitive counties in the entire country.

County Commissioner Tom Giovanni declared Thursday that he would seek the Republican nomination to replace retiring Democrat Lamont McClure. The commissioner says he'll make an official announcement on Feb. 6 with other members of his party's slate of candidates for local office, which indicates that he'll have the support of GOP leaders.

County Controller Tara Zrinski announced her own campaign the following day. Zrinski, who won her post in 2023, is also set to kick off her effort this week along with fellow Democrats seeking other offices.

Obituaries

Henry Marsh

Henry Marsh, a Virginia Democrat who became Richmond's first Black mayor in 1977, died Friday at the age of 91. Marsh, a prominent civil rights attorney, attracted national attention when his colleagues on the city's first majority-Black City Council picked him for the top job. (Richmond voters wouldn't directly choose their mayors until 2004.)

Marsh's rise to become leader of the one-time capital of the Confederacy came at a time when African Americans had begun winning elective office in greater numbers, and he brought many to Richmond in 1981 for a gathering dubbed the National Conference on the Black Agenda in the 80s. Just a year later, though, the white minority on the City Council pushed Marsh aside to install a different Black member, Roy West, as mayor, a maneuver that infuriated Marsh's allies.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch's Andrew Cain has much more on Marsh's long life and career, including his legal battles against Jim Crow and subsequent service in the state Senate, in his obituary.