Brad LaPlante
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Brad LaPlante
@bradlaplante.me
420 followers 400 following 690 posts
Covering national and state politics for @WLNS.bsky.social. Prev: @statenews.com, B1G+, SB Nation. Email: blaplante@wlns.com. Signal: bradlaplante.10
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Mike Rogers is claiming on the campaign trail that he lost the 2024 Senate election due to "a van in Detroit" that "showed up with ballots." First reported by @craigmauger.bsky.social at @detroitnews.com. www.wlns.com/election-202...
November 10, 2025 at 8:18 PM
bradlaplante.me
Tom Leonard says Republicans need to focus on solutions to win in 2026.

"Democrats gave the country a playbook last election for what happens when you don't know what you stand for and every day your focus is one person, you lose," he said.

Watch: youtu.be/wZ43_iSDMpA?...
November 7, 2025 at 4:24 PM
bradlaplante.me
I am floored by this election result from Bee Cave, TX.

Voters overwhelmingly support building a new library. But nobody wants to pay for it.
November 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
bradlaplante.me
Hillary Clinton says she lost the 2016 election because of China and TikTok.
November 3, 2025 at 12:02 AM
bradlaplante.me
Some Sunday content for you.

This week: Abdul El-Sayed says most Democrats are “too weak” to stand up to Trump because they are burdened by corporate interests.

Watch: youtu.be/r2eCqQ7zRX4?...
Listen: pod.link/1847062082?v...
November 2, 2025 at 5:24 PM
bradlaplante.me
this is better
November 2, 2025 at 4:30 AM
bradlaplante.me
This week on #TheMoment, @abdulelsayed.bsky.social says Democrats are "too weak" to stand up to Trump because of corporate interests.

"The only thing worse than sheer evil is weakness in the face of it," he said.

Watch: youtu.be/r2eCqQ7zRX4?...
Listen: pod.link/aHR0cHM6Ly9h...
October 31, 2025 at 8:42 PM
bradlaplante.me
This week on #TheMoment, @rephaleystevens.bsky.social says Republicans are putting tax breaks ahead of families.

"It's not acceptable," Stevens said. ""It's going to get even worse if we don't address these rising costs on health care."

Watch: youtu.be/nrXMwF1D1v0
October 19, 2025 at 5:35 AM
bradlaplante.me
Haley Stevens did not call Gaza a genocide in my interview with her this week. Both her opponents for MI Senate, Abdul El-Sayed and Mallory McMorrow, have. Watch: www.wlns.com/wlnsplus/mom...
October 17, 2025 at 5:11 PM
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This week’s #CapitalRundown: Michigan’s election tampering case begins, a cannabis group is challenging the marijuana tax and how lawmakers are responding to last month’s shooting in Grand Blanc. www.wlns.com/capital-rund...
Matthew DePerno listens to Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Waterford Township, Mich., Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. An attorney charged in connection with an effort to illegally access and tamper with voting machines in Michigan after the 2020 election says Thursday that he’s running for the state’s high court. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
October 13, 2025 at 3:22 PM
bradlaplante.me
New: A prominent cannabis group is suing to block the new marijuana tax from taking effect. www.wlns.com/capital-rund...
A graphic. The picture is of a man in Nevada buying marijuana. WLNS logo is in the top right. The text says "Michigan cannabis group sues to block 24% wholesale tax in 2026 budget." Photo credit: John Locher/Associated Press.
October 8, 2025 at 9:54 PM
bradlaplante.me
Over the weekend, Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow told a west Michigan voter "by definition" she'd call Gaza a genocide.

This morning, she issued a statement saying the "suffering has to stop," but did not use the term "genocide." www.wlns.com/election-202...
FILE - Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow speaks at the Democratic National Convention, August 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
October 7, 2025 at 2:26 PM
bradlaplante.me
Capital Rundown: Breaking down Michigan's $81B budget. www.wlns.com/capital-rund...
The Michigan State Capitol building is seen on October 8, 2020 in Lansing, Michigan. (Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
October 6, 2025 at 2:47 PM
bradlaplante.me
British conservatives drawing influence from an immigration crackdown so controversial that Germany’s far-right AfD, rivaling MAGA, doesn’t even acknowledge it.
X post: My message is clear: if you’re here illegally, you will be detained and deported. Our new Removals Force, modelled on US ICE, will deport 150,000 illegal migrants each year.
October 5, 2025 at 8:31 PM
bradlaplante.me
New: After a music video was filmed on the roof of a Lansing FD station, Schor signed an order banning filming inside public buildings for commercial use. www.wlns.com/news/lansing...
Photo of Lansing Mayor Andy Schor. Title text: Andy Schor signs order banning use of public buildings for private gain. Subtitle text: A music video was filmed on the roof of a Lansing Fire station on Labor Day. WLNS dot com logo is in the top right. Photo credit is for Paul Sancya for the Associated Press.
October 4, 2025 at 3:42 PM
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New: Michigan’s $81B budget passes with 24% wholesale tax on marijuana. www.wlns.com/capital-rund...
October 3, 2025 at 8:48 AM
bradlaplante.me
don’t worry, I’m stocked up on autism
October 1, 2025 at 10:37 PM
bradlaplante.me
Whitmer’s letter to Superintendents today. Says ‘free meals for all’ is negotiated into the new budget.

A vote is anticipated to take place Thursday.
Letter from Whitmer: The Michigan Legislature has committed to passing a balanced, bipartisan, full fiscal-year budget in the days ahead. Republicans and Democrats have already reached a deal on key elements of the school aid bill. The bill will continue funding free school meals for all. We are all in agreement that no children in Michigan should go hungry and they should have more resources in their classrooms to learn and grow. As we continue pushing the Michigan Legislature to finalize the budget, we urge you to feed every student you serve today, tomorrow, and every single school day after that too. We hope every student will continue to receive free school meals. Let's feed our kids. Best, Sutchen Witnes mihaalstice Gretchen Whitmer Michael F. Rice, Ph.D. Governor State Superintendent
October 1, 2025 at 9:57 PM
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and legislative leaders say a bipartisan budget will be finalized “this week.”

The constitutional deadline is midnight. Whitmer keeps saying government services will continue to run, but doesn’t say how.
LANSING, Mich. — Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, and Speaker Matt Hall issued the following statements on the Michigan Legislature’s bipartisan deal to pass a full state budget. The budget will ensure top priorities for both Democrats and Republicans are included in the bipartisan budget, such as funding to fix state and local roads, decreasing taxes for working families, protecting Medicaid and hospitals, record per-pupil education funding, free breakfast and lunch, public safety investments, modernizing Selfridge, and more. The administration and legislative leaders will continue meeting to finalize and pass the budget. As part of the bipartisan agreement, both the House and Senate will pass budget implementation bills as part of the budget process. Both chambers have adopted greater transparency measures to protect taxpayer dollars in the budget and committed to a negotiated permanent transparency law change. In the meantime, state government operations will continue, providing services to Michiganders. After the final pages of the budget are typed, the Legislature will vote. Then, clerks will prepare it for transmittal to the governor for her final review and signature.
September 30, 2025 at 10:54 PM
bradlaplante.me
The Jewish Federation of Detroit said it is “deeply disappointed” by Gilchrist’s comments, calling Israel’s offensive in Gaza a genocide.
A Facebook post by the Jewish Federation of Detroit: “We are deeply disappointed by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist's recent remarks labeling Israel's war against terror organization Hamas a "genocide" and using his campaign as a platform to vilify support for Israel. Gilchrist promotes an inaccurate and offensive narrative that also omits the horrific attacks of October 7th and ignores those that remain hostage in Gaza. “This inflammatory language is an attempt to foster divisiveness as a campaign tool. We expect our elected representatives to reject political rhetoric that plays into antisemitic tropes and instead promote peace and understanding among all Michiganders.”
September 30, 2025 at 8:14 PM
bradlaplante.me
This is the message you get when loading the official gov website for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

See for yourself: www.hud.gov
A pop-up message that says “The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people.”
September 30, 2025 at 8:04 PM
bradlaplante.me
NEW: Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist called the situation in Gaza a genocide over the weekend at an Arab American convention. "This is not something we should support," he said. The crowd cheered. www.wlns.com/capital-rund...
Garlin Gilchrist II, Democratic candidate for Michigan Lt. Gov., is seen during a campaign rally, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
September 30, 2025 at 5:10 PM
bradlaplante.me
BY THE NUMBERS: The Grand Blanc shooting at a LDS church is the deadliest of Michigan’s 12 mass shootings this year. www.wlns.com/news/michiga...
People meet at a reunification area at the Trillium Theater after an active shooter incident and fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Mich on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Lukas Katilius/The Flint Journal via AP)
September 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM
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He also didn’t say anything he needs to apologize for.
September 24, 2025 at 8:23 PM
bradlaplante.me
Arguing that Sinclair is a “local TV station” is a hilarious proposition. Nothing about these corporations is “local.”

Sinclair regularly adds political commentary into its stations’ newscasts from hundreds of miles away. These stations have no autonomy in what they want to air.
September 24, 2025 at 2:37 AM