JOEY CAPPELLETTI

Statehouse and politics reporter

Cappelletti covers politics and state government for The Associated Press in Michigan. He is based in Lansing.

Stefanie Lambert, left, and her attorney, Daniel J. Hartman, stand outside the Oakland County Jail in Pontiac, Mich, after she posted bond Thursday evening, March 21, 2024. Lambert turned herself in Thursday morning after having been arrested in Washington, D.C. earlier this week as a result of a bench warrant issued by a Michigan judge. Lambert is facing felony charges of improperly accessing voting equipment in a search for evidence of a conspiracy to steal the 2020 election from Trump. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)

Pro-Trump attorney in Michigan released from jail after posting bail on outstanding warrant

Pro-Trump attorney Stefanie Lambert has been released from jail in Michigan after turning herself in and posting $10,000 bond to resolve an outstanding warrant.

President Joe Biden poses for a photo with Hurley "HJ" Coleman IV and his father Hurley Coleman III, left, as he arrives for a campaign event at Pleasant View Golf Club in Saginaw, Mich., Thursday, March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Biden skipped visiting a Black church on his recent Michigan trip, angering some community leaders

President Joe Biden headed to Michigan last week to boost his support with Black voters and possibly hedge against growing opposition that the White House’s staunch support for Israel has sparked with Muslim-Americans in the critical swing state.

Rachael Lang poses with her daughter, Delaney, 1, in Livonia, Mich., Monday, March 18, 2024. Lang and her husband share DNA and a surname with their daughter. But living in Michigan, the only state where there is a criminal ban on paid surrogacy contracts, has forced the couple to spend close to a year trying to adopt their daughter, who was born through a surrogate due to Lang's past cancer diagnosis. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan will become the last US state to decriminalize surrogacy contracts

Michigan lawmakers have given approval to a nine-bill package that will make the state the last in the country to decriminalize surrogacy contracts.

Stefanie Lambert attends a rally for Republican candidates at the Macomb Community College Sports & Expo Center in Warren, Mich., Oct. 1, 2022. The attorney facing criminal charges for illegally accessing Michigan voting machines after the 2020 election was arrested Monday, March 18, 2024 after a hearing in a separate case in federal court in Washington, D.C. (Todd McInturf/Detroit News via AP)

Pro-Trump Michigan attorney arrested after hearing in DC over leaking Dominion documents

A Michigan attorney who unsuccessfully sued to overturn former President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss has been arrested after a hearing on a separate case in Washington, D.C.

Afternoon sunshine hits parts of a mural in downtown Saginaw, Mich., Wednesday, March 12. The city's downtown has undergone mass transformation in the decades since it was one of the state's top automotive hubs. (AP Photo/Joey Cappelletti)

Biden visits Michigan county emerging as the swing state’s top bellwether

President Joe Biden travelled to Michigan’s premier bellwether county of Saginaw as he looks to shore up support in the key battleground state ahead of November.

A protester interrupts President Joe Biden during an event in Manassas, Va., Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The Democratic protest vote movement over the Israel-Hamas war spreads from Michigan to other states

An “uncommitted” campaign protesting President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war is seeing success in other states.

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, June 13, 2023, in Bedminster, N.J. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Divided Michigan GOP finds common ground in awarding all its presidential delegates to Trump

Michigan Republicans awarded all 39 of the state’s remaining presidential delegates to Donald Trump during a convention Saturday.

FILE - In this June 12, 2019, file photo, Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., listens to debate on Capitol Hill in Washington. Amash announced Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 that he would enter the race for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat. Amash will pursue the Republican nomination in the race. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Justin Amash announces Republican bid for Michigan US Senate seat after having previously left GOP

Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash announced on social media Thursday that he will run for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Abbas Alawich speaks during an election night gathering, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich. Some Democratic voters pledged to vote "uncommitted" in Tuesday's primary to let President Joe Biden know they aren't happy with his support for Israel in its response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Michigan’s largest Arab American cities reject Biden over his handling of Israel-Hamas war

Dearborn and two other Michigan cities with large Arab and Muslim populations turned against President Joe Biden in the state’s primary after Democratic leaders there warned for months that voters were angry about his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud speaks during an election night gathering, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich. Some Democratic voters pledged to vote "uncommitted" in Tuesday's primary to let President Joe Biden know they aren't happy with his support for Israel in its response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

‘Uncommitted’ wins 2 Democratic delegates in Michigan, a victory for Biden’s anti-war opponents

The “uncommitted” campaign protesting President Joe Biden in Michigan has enough primary election votes to win two delegates.

A voter fills out her ballot for the Michigan primary election in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024. Michigan is the last major primary state before Super Tuesday and a critical swing state in November's general election. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Key takeaways from Michigan primaries: What Haley support and ‘uncommitted’ votes mean for Biden and Trump

Joe Biden and Donald Trump have won their party’s primaries in Michigan. However, Tuesday’s results showed that both candidates have cause for concern in their bid to win the swing state in November.

Mona Marwari, of Dearborn, calls a voter for the Listen to Michigan uncommitted vote campaign in Detroit, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. Michigan voters are poised to cast ballots in their respective presidential primaries on Tuesday but a feeling of voter apathy has swept over the state. Both major parties have said that they must win Michigan to secure the White House this year but they're struggling to connect with voters. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Primary apathy in Michigan: Democrats, GOP struggle as supporters mull whether to even vote

Michigan voters are poised to cast ballots in their respective presidential primaries on Tuesday but a feeling of voter apathy has swept over the state.

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Ca., greets attendees after speaking to a group of college Democrats, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Khanna's visit to Michigan includes meetings with Arab American leaders in metro Detroit. The visit comes ahead of the state's Feb. 27 presidential primary. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Arab American Democrats upset with Biden’s actions in the Israel-Hamas war get their say in Michigan

Arab American leaders in Michigan have met with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California to discuss backlash towards President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign.

FILE - Kristina Karamo speaks to Michigan Republican Party delegates Feb. 18, 2023, in Lansing, Mich. The Michigan GOP, long a bastion of traditional conservatism, is in a cash crunch and power struggle within its ranks. Some are openly alienating lifetime Republicans and undermining the party's work in key swing states. Allies of Pete Hoekstra, Trump's chosen state chairman, are in court trying to force out Karamo, who was elected last year. (AP Photo/Joey Cappelletti, File)

Dueling pro-Trump factions in Michigan throw the swing state’s Republicans into disarray

The Michigan Republican Party is facing a cash crunch and there’s a power struggle within its ranks.

FILE - Michigan Republican Party chair Pete Hoekstra listens to Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Waterford Township, Mich., Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. Michigan Republicans are planning dueling presidential nominating conventions that will take place March 2, even though the national Republican Party said members properly removed former chair Kristina Karamo and recognized former Congressman Hoekstra as the party's new chair. Hoekstra announced Tuesday, Feb. 20, that he would hold a presidential nominating convention in Grand Rapids on the same day Karamo and her backers plan to hold one in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Michigan Republicans plan dueling conventions for presidential nomination as turmoil continues

Michigan Republicans are planning dueling presidential nominating conventions that will take place March 2.

FILE - Former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands and Michigan 2nd District Rep. Pete Hoekstra speaks to open the Michigan Republican Convention at Devos Place, April 23, 2022, in Grand Rapids, Mich. On Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, former Hoekstra was officially recognized by the national Republican party as the Michigan Republican Party chairman and ruled that Kristina Karamo was correctly removed from the position earlier this year. (Daniel Shular/The Grand Rapids Press via AP, File)

National Republican party sides with former Rep. Pete Hoekstra in battle over Michigan GOP chair

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Former Congressman Pete Hoekstra has been officially recognized by the national Republican party as the Michigan GOP chairman in a vote that also affirmed that Kristina Karamo was properly removed from the position earlier this year.

FILE - A protester waves a Trump flag during rally organized by a group called Election Integrity Fund and Force at the Michigan State Capitol, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, in Lansing, Mich. A fake Certificate of Votes was submitted to the U.S. Senate following Michigan’s 2020 presidential election, an official testified Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, during a preliminary hearing for six people facing forgery and other charges for allegedly serving as false electors. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)

Republican Michigan elector testifies he never intended to make false public record

A Michigan Republican accused of participating in a fake elector plot after the 2020 presidential election has testified that he did not know how the electoral process worked and never intended to make a false public record.

FILE - James Craig, a former Detroit police chief, announces he is a Republican candidate for governor of Michigan, on Sept. 14, 2021, in Detroit. Craig is ending his Republican bid for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan just over four months after launching his campaign, Craig told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Ex-Detroit police chief James Craig drops Republican bid for open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan

Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is ending his Republican campaign for an open U.S. Senate seat representing Michigan.

FILE - Michigan State University professor Marco Díaz-Muñoz talks during an interview, Feb. 16, 2023, at his home in Lansing, Mich. New gun laws take effect Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Michigan on the one-year anniversary of a shooting at Michigan State University that claimed the lives of three students and left five in critical condition. The gunman entered Díaz-Muñoz's class in Berkey Hall that day and killed two students and left others with critical wounds. (Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP, File)

New gun laws take effect on one-year anniversary of Michigan State University shooting

New gun laws take effect Tuesday in Michigan on the one-year anniversary of a shooting at Michigan State University that claimed the lives of three students and left five in critical condition.

Amana Ali joins about three dozen people protesting Israel's attacks in Gaza, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024 in Dearborn, Mich. The protesters gathered hoping to be heard by members of the Biden White House who were scheduled to meet in suburban Detroit with Muslim and Arab American leaders. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Biden aides meet in Michigan with Arab American and Muslim leaders, aiming to mend political ties

Biden administration officials are meeting with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan. It’s part of an effort to mend ties with a community that has an important role in deciding whether President Joe Biden can hold on to a crucial swing state in the 2024 election.

FILE - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. Whitmer on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, presented a $80.7 billion budget Wednesday that aims to boost education spending and deliver on her promise to provide students free education from preschool through community college. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)

Michigan governor’s budget promises free education and lower family costs, but GOP says it’s unfair

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants state lawmakers to prioritize increased funding to education in this year’s state budget.

FILE - President Joe Biden meets with UAW members during a campaign stop at a phone bank in the UAW Region 1 Union Hall, Feb. 1, 2024, in Warren, Mich. Biden is dispatching several senior aides to Michigan to meet with Arab American and Muslim leaders as the administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war continues to frustrate members of a key constituency in a 2024 battleground state. That's according to three people familiar with the matter. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Biden is sending aides to Michigan to see Arab American and Muslim leaders over the Israel-Hamas war

President Joe Biden is sending senior aides to Michigan on Thursday to meet with Arab American and Muslim leaders.

State Rep. Alabas Farhat, right, D-Dearborn, speaks with House Speaker Joe Tate on the Michigan House floor, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Lansing, Mich. Farhat would later introduce a resolution to condemn an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal that called Dearborn “America’s jihad capital". (AP Photo/Joey Cappelletti)

Opinion piece about Detroit suburb is ‘racist and Islamophobic,’ Democrats say

Two Democratic lawmakers have introduced a resolution condemning an op-ed piece that called a Detroit suburb “America’s jihad capital.” State Rep.

President Joe Biden addresses UAW members during a campaign stop at a phone bank in the UAW Region 1 Union Hall, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, in Warren, Mich. Looking on in background are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist and Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Biden meets with friendly autoworkers in Michigan, but avoids angry Gaza protesters

President Joe Biden has chatted cheerfully with a friendly union crowd inside a United Auto Workers hall in Michigan.

FILE - The Michigan State Capitol is photographed, Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in Lansing, Mich. Democratic candidates Peter Herzberg and Mai Xiong advanced in the race to fill open seats in two Democratic-leaning Michigan House districts. Xiong, a second-term county commissioner in Macomb, will face Republican Ronald Singer in the April 16 special election in the 13th House District. Herzberg, who has served on the Westland City Council since 2016, will face Josh Powell in the 25th district. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Democratic field set for special election that could determine control of Michigan House

Democratic candidates Peter Herzberg and Mai Xiong have advanced in the race to fill open seats in two Democratic-leaning Michigan House districts.

FILE - The Michigan Capitol is seen, May 24, 2023, in Lansing, Mich. Special election primaries are set to take place Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in two Michigan House districts following the departure of their Democratic representatives, which has left the legislative chamber in an even split since November. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

2 Democratic-leaning Michigan House districts to hold special election primaries

Two Michigan House districts will hold special election primaries to fill seats that were held by Democrats whose departures have left the legislative chamber in an even split since November.

Imam Omar Suleiman speaks at the Islamic Center of Detroit in Detroit, Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. President Joe Biden's campaign manager has traveled to Michigan, where many Arab American leaders are enraged over the administration's policy toward Israel, and found some top activists unwilling to meet. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Biden reelection campaign team gets shunned by some Arab American leaders while visiting Michigan

President Joe Biden’s campaign manager traveled to Michigan and found some top activists unwilling to meet with her.

FILE - Kristina Karamo speaks to Michigan Republican Party delegates on Feb. 18, 2023, in Lansing, Mich. Attorneys for the Republican National Committee say Michigan GOP Chairperson Kristina Karamo was properly removed from the position earlier this month. The national committee's letter on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, followed an initial review. RNC attorneys say a final recommendation will follow. (AP Photo/Joey Cappelletti, File)

Michigan GOP chair Karamo was ‘properly removed’ from position, national Republican party says

Attorneys for the Republican National Committee say Michigan GOP Chairperson Kristina Karamo was properly removed from the position earlier this month.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivers her State of the State address to a joint session of the House and Senate, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Michigan Gov. Whitmer focuses on education in State of the State ahead of key term for Democrats

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on lawmakers to pass increased investments in education in an attempt to save residents money in her sixth State of the State address Wednesday night.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer answers media questions after a roundtable discussion about the Lowering MI Costs plan at the Saginaw Fire Department, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Saginaw, Mich. (Kaytie Boomer/Saginaw News via AP)

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to ask lawmakers to make community college free for all high school graduates

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is planning to urge lawmakers to pass legislation that would provide free community college tuition for all high school graduates.