Day 23: Election Prayer Focus Michigan

Michigan - Wolverine State

Motto: If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you

Capital City: Lansing

Largest City: Detroit

Michigan is a key swing state in this election.

Leaders

Governor Jennifer Granholm (D)

Senator Carl Levin (D)

Senator Debbie A. Stabenow (D)

1. Bart Stupak (D)
2. Peter Hoekstra (R)
3. Vernon J. Ehlers (R)
4. Dave Camp (R)
5. Dale Kildee (D)
6. Fred Upton (R)
7. Tim Walberg (R)
8. Mike Rogers (R)
9. Joseph Knollenberg (R)
10. Candice Miller (R)
11. Thaddeus McCotter (R)
12. Sander M. Levin (D)
13. Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (D)
14. John Conyers, Jr. (D)
15. John D. Dingell (D)

Prayer Points

*Declare revival comes to Michigan.

*Declare that signs and wonders follow the preaching of the Word in Michigan.

*Declare Christians in Michigan get out and vote.

*Declare the large Catholic community in Michigan votes according to its pro-life principles.

*Declare divine strategies come to Christian leaders to evangelize the large Muslim population.

*Declare the leaders of Michigan walk in wisdom and the fear of the Lord.

*Declare legislation in Michigan is in accordance with the Word of God.

*Declare prosperity comes to Michigan.

*Declare a strengthening to the economy of Michigan.

*Declare protection over the state of Michigan.

*Declare protection over the National Guard, military personnel, and military bases.

*Declare an accurate accounting of the vote in Michigan.

Bordering on four of the five Great Lakes, Michigan is divided into Upper and Lower peninsulas by the Straits of Mackinac, which link lakes Michigan and Huron. The two parts of the state are connected by the Mackinac Bridge, one of the world's longest suspension bridges. To the north, connecting lakes Superior and Huron, are the busy Sault Ste. Marie Canals.
While Michigan ranks first among the states in production of motor vehicles and parts, it is also a leader in many other manufacturing and processing lines, including prepared cereals, machine tools, airplane parts, refrigerators, hardware, and furniture.
The state produces important amounts of iron, copper, iodine, gypsum, bromine, salt, lime, gravel, and cement. Michigan's farms grow apples, cherries, beans, pears, grapes, potatoes, and sugar beets. Michigan's forests contribute significantly to the state's economy, supporting thousands of jobs in the wood-product, tourism, and recreation industries. With 10,083 inland lakes and 3,288 mi of Great Lakes shoreline, Michigan is a prime area for both commercial and sport fishing. (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108228.html)

Politics

The Republican Party dominated Michigan until the Great Depression. In the 1912 election, Michigan was one of the six states to support progressive Republican and third party candidate Theodore Roosevelt for President after he lost the Republican nomination to William Howard Taft. In recent years, the state has leaned toward the Democratic Party in national elections. Michigan supported Democrats in the last four presidential elections. In 2004, John Kerry carried the state over George W. Bush, winning Michigan's seventeen electoral votes with 51.2% of the vote. Democrats have won each of the last three, nine of the last ten, and fifteen of the last eighteen U.S. Senate elections in Michigan. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, recently won a second term, defeating Republican candidate Dick DeVos. Republican strength is greatest in the western, northern, and rural parts of the state, especially in the Grand Rapids area. Democrats are strongest in the east, especially in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, and Saginaw.
Michigan was the home of Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States. He was born in Nebraska and moved as an infant to Michigan and grew up there. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan)

Religion

The largest denomination by number of adherents in 2000 was the Roman Catholic Church with 2,019,926; The largest Protestant denominations were the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod with 244,231 and the United Methodist Church with 222,269 adherents. Over 300,000 Michigan residents trace their roots to the Middle East. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan)

Economy

Michigan's economy is the worst in the nation. It leads the nation in home foreclosures and the number of people of Food Stamsp. Michigan also has the lowest numbers in job creation.

The Michigan economy leads in information technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. Michigan is commonly known for its auto industry. Michigan ranks fourth nationally in high-tech employment with 568,000 high-tech workers, including 70,000 in the automotive industry. Michigan typically ranks second or third in overall research and development expenditures in the United States. Its research and development, which includes automotive, comprises a higher percentage of the state's overall gross domestic product than for any other U.S. state. The state is an important source of engineering job opportunities. The domestic auto industry accounts directly and indirectly for one of every ten jobs in the U.S. Some of the major industries/products/services include automobiles, cereal products, information technology, aerospace, military equipment, copper, iron, and furniture. Michigan is the third leading grower of Christmas trees with 60,520 acres (245 km2) of land dedicated to Christmas tree farming. The beverage Vernors was invented in Michigan in 1866, sharing the title of oldest soft drink with Hires Root Beer. Faygo was founded in Detroit on November 4, 1907. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan)