Michigan Report for Friday, May 24, 2013

Snyder Facing First Adversity Of Term

For the first time in his nearly two and a half years on the job, Governor Rick Snyder suddenly is routinely on the defensive, rebuked so far by the Legislature on key priorities, rocked by multiple controversies involving his administration and forced to address a wave of reports from across the state of startling cutbacks in K-12 schools.

The setbacks of the past month stand in stark contrast to the almost charmed first half of his term in which he chalked up wins on most of his major legislative priorities and, up until the wild 2012 lame-duck session, enjoyed decent ratings in the polls.