Can Pete Hoekstra hang on to lead in Republican race for governor?

Join Grand Rapids Press editors Jeff Cranson and Ed Golder for this week's Talking Michigan Politics. Topics include: 1. The race for governor Last week's poll (PDF), that found U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Holland, hanging on to a lead in the GOP primary. Is Hoekstra's solid support in Republican-rich West Michigan enough to propel him to victory in the primary? Does the Manoogian mansion civil case and innuendo continue to dog Attorney General Mike Cox, another GOP candidate? As Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard continues to lag in GOP polls, does he consider a run for Congress instead? 2. Congressional races. What's going on in the Grand Rapids-based 3rd district? Democrat Pat Miles issued a press release ahead of Thursday's campaign finance report filing deadline, saying he has raised $100,000. Republican candidate and state Rep. Justin Amash of Cascade Township talks to Grand Rapids-area business leaders at a breakfast event hosted by Amway President Doug DeVos. And what of the Tea Party's role in Bart Stupak's decision not to seek re-election in the northern Michigan 1st District? Jeff said last week that if Stupak stayed in the race, he would win despite the Tea Party opposition. After Stupak pulled out on Friday Jack Lessenberry posited: "I think that if he had run he would have won, easily. And he would have been helped by the fact that three bus loads of out-of-towners showed up to try to tell his neighbors to vote against him." Will the entire country be watching Michigan's 1st District in November? 3. Taxes. Sunday, the Press launches the April installment of the Michigan 10.0 series, focusing on tax structure and the crisis looming even before being expedited by a world-wide economic collapse. One topic explored: a push by some to lift exemptions on income tax for pensions. Conversation starters • Ed on the Washington Post's Gene Weingarten's Pulitzer-winning exploration of arbitrary judicial and law enforcement reactions to prosecuting parents whose children died after being left in cars. • Jeff on the citizenry's need to demand for disclosure of campaign contributions to secret, independent groups and real-time campaign finance disclosure. The Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for corporate and union contributions also said those groups can be required to disclose who donated the money that paid for the ads.