EAST LANSING, Mich., September 19, 2023 – Today, the Insitute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) at Michigan State University announced that Jonathan Martin, the Politics Bureau Chief and Senior Political Columnist at Politico, will serve as the keynote speaker for the 2024 Michigan Political Leadership Program Fundraising Dinner. The event, which will be held Tuesday, April 16, 2024, is in its 31st year and helps to support the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP), a bipartisan political training fellowship whose goal is to give promising political talents the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in elected office.
Prior to assuming his role with Politico, Martin was the senior political correspondent for the New York Times, and a political reporter for both the National Journal and the National Review. Highly respected for his political coverage and commentary, Martin co-authored the book This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future, which spent three weeks on the New York Times's Best Seller List, in 2022.
"With his dedication to his profession and relentless pursuit of the facts, Jonathan Martin has proven to be one of the best political reporters in the country, and we are thrilled that he will be our guest for the 2024 Michigan Political Leadership Fundraising Dinner", said Matt Grossmann, IPPSR Director. Grossmann continued, "Seeing that 2024 is a Presidential election year, I look forward to the insights and behind-the-scenes knowledge about the campaigns that I'm sure Jonathan Martin will provide our dinner guests."
Each year, MPLP recruits 24 fellows from around Michigan, evenly split between Republican and Democrat applicants, making it unique because most political leadership programs are not bipartisan. After selection, the twenty-four fellows tour Michigan and discuss significant issues facing the state and local communities with local renowned experts. Since 1992, MPLP has trained over 750 fellows, with the majority going on to serve in elected office.
More information on MPLP can be found here. Applications for the 2024 class are open until September 29. Those interested in political office are encouraged to apply.