Public Media from Michigan State University

Peters Sees Greater Chance For Bipartisanship As He Enters Senate In Minority

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Jake Neher/MPRN

Democrat Gary Peters is optimistic he’ll be able to work with Senate Republicans to pass measures he’s championed as a candidate.

But as Michigan Public Radio’s Jake Neher reports, he’s unlikely to achieve some of those goals as a member of the minority party.

Peters believes he’ll get bipartisan support for some of his priorities. Those include opening up more loans for small businesses and helping people burdened with student loans.

“I’m a practical, common sense problem solver,” he says.  “And there are other folks in Congress that are that way as well. So we want to make sure that we get everybody together.”

The three-term congressman also says he thinks it’ll be easier to work across the aisle in the Senate because of its smaller size.

But Peters admits doing things such as raising the federal minimum wage will be tougher with a Republican-controlled Congress.

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Jake Neher is a reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He covers the State Legislature and other political events in Lansing.