Democrats swept the 2026 midterms, winning control in Washington and across Michigan. But what were voters really saying — and what will they expect now? Stephen Henderson talks with NPR veteran political correspondent Don Gonyea, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Bridge Michigan reporters and callers from across the state about political realignment, divisions that remain, and the challenge of turning an electoral landslide into meaningful change.

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Monroe County, in the far southeast corner of Michigan along the western shore of Lake Erie, went twice for Barack Obama, and then to Donald Trump for the next three elections.

There aren't many places in the nation like that.

So we went to Monroe, just a week and a half before the 2026 mid-term elections, to talk with voters - Democrats, Republicans and independents, about what's on their minds.

What we heard, mostly, was concern about local issues -- a community college, farms and businesses, how the national immigration debates are playing out in a small community.

What we didn't hear, mostly, was talk about the political parties and their bitter differences. When we did hear about that, it was when people said they were tired of party interfering with solution-making.

Of course, that's not an uncommon sentiment. But there was something powerful about hearing voters talk specifically about how wide they believe the margin is between their concerns, and what gets the political parties' attention.

Many thanks to Randy Richardville, former state senate majority leader from Monroe, for assembling the voters we talked with.

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The U.S. Senate race between Abdul El Sayed and Mike Rogers is disrupting traditional political alignments in the Black and Jewish communities in southeast Michigan.

In this episode Stephen goes to talk with voters and organizers in both communities about how they're managing difficult conversations about El Sayed's Arab American and Muslim background. The show includes interviews with canvassers who are knocking doors on Detroit's west side, and organizers of a house party where members of the Jewish community gathered to talk about the election's

In studio, we were joined by former congressman Andy Levin, Branden Snyder of the Working Families Party, Kermit Williams of Oakland Forward and Eli Williams-Szenes of Bend the Arc.

Callers from around the state shared intimate stories about their experiences sorting through these issues in the election.

Call us anytime at 734-412-7155, or email us at MIweneedtotalk@gmail.com

Join our online community at www.MIweneedtotalk.org