August 9, 2018

Susan J. Demas: The Pink Wave Crashed in Michigan this Week

The headline of Tuesday's election is that pissed-off women are voting Democratic.

That's what propelled Gretchen Whitmer to win a straight-up majority in a three-way race for governor and all 83 counties. That's why women won key most of the key congressional races in the state — particularly in those Democrats need to flip in November, the 7th, 8th and 11th. That's why unknown women toppled two male state legislative incumbents and came close in others.

So if your analysis of Aug. 7 doesn't include women, you're missing a big piece of the puzzle.

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Announcing My New Travel Writing & Photography Section

Politics may dominate my thoughts (and much of my writing), but my heart belongs to the mountains. Over the years,  I’ve written about traversing Europe, trekking the Appalachian Trail with my daughter, and conquering a Fourteener solo. I’m pleased to share some of my pieces and photography from these journeys.

Susan’s Work Has Been Featured In:

Why I Write

Writer. Entrepreneur. Mother. Public Speaker. Political Analyst. Those are all just words to describe me. What you need to know, most of all, is what drives me to fulfill those roles. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was seven, scribbling down observations about people and events in ratty spiral notebooks. My mother always told me that my unique ability to understand people and feel what they were going through was both a gift and a curse. 

I struggled for many years to make ends meet, especially before my first child was born. I wondered if I’d ever be able to contribute anything of value, something to make the world a better place. I found my calling in journalism, honing my craft for the last seventeen years. Being a writer has always been who I am. But now it’s also what I do. 

I have an insatiable curiosity to investigate what’s going on in Michigan and the world. I believe in speaking truth to power and following Mencken’s rule to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” I’ve taken on the Old Boys Club in politics (and political journalism) and won, always preserving my integrity. All this has given me a distinctive voice and fearless style to communicate with people why things are happening and what can be done.