Mike Shirkey

Michael J. Shirkey[1] (born December 5, 1954) is a Republican member of the Michigan State Senate and former member of the Michigan House of Representatives. He was first elected to the House in 2010 and to the Senate in 2014. His district, the 16th, covers all of Branch, Hillsdale, and Jackson Counties. As of 2020, Shirkey is the majority leader of the Michigan State Senate.[2]

Mike Shirkey
Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
Preceded byArlan Meekhof
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 16th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2015
Preceded byBruce Caswell
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 65th district
In office
November 30, 2010 – December 31, 2014
Preceded byMike Simpson
Succeeded byBrett Roberts
Personal details
Born (1954-12-05) December 5, 1954
Jackson, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationKettering University (BA)
University of Wisconsin, Madison (MA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life and education

He has a bachelor's degree from Kettering University and a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Shirkey worked for General Motors for 13 years before starting his own engineering company. Shirkey founded the Jackson-based assembly machine manufacturing company Orbitform.[3][4]

Tenure

In early April 2020, he criticized Governor Gretchen Whitmer for extending a "stay home" order until the end of April.[5]

In November 2020, Shirkey stated that he would not attempt to appoint a slate of electors in the Electoral College that would vote for President Donald Trump, following Trump's loss in the 2020 United States presidential election.[4] Trump invited Shirkey and several of his Republican colleagues to the White House following Shirkey's statement.[4] Shirkey and several of his colleagues in the Michigan Legislature met with Trump on November 20, 2020. Shirkey and others issued a statement following the meeting in which they stated that they would "follow the normal process" of certifying the state's election results.[6]

On December 23, 2020, Shirkey tested positive for COVID-19. He believed he was exposed to the coronavirus on December 19. On December 21, Shirkey attended Lee Chatfield's farewell speech at the Michigan State Capitol.[7]

Shirkey is ineligible for re-election in 2022.[4]

References
  1. "Michigan Committee Statement of Organization". Michigan Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  2. Cheney, Kyle; Montellaro, Zach (November 17, 2020). "In abrupt reversal, Michigan's largest county certifies election results". Politico. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  3. Eggert, David (July 6, 2020). "Firms tied to legislative leader, Senate candidate got loans". Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  4. Sullivan, Eileen; Thrush, Glenn (November 19, 2020). "Mike Shirkey, a Michigan Republican who will meet with Trump, said this week he would not override Biden's victory". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  5. "Sen. Shirkey says Whitmer is 'killing our livelihoods' with stay-at-home extension". mlive. April 11, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. Gray, Kathleen; Haberman, Maggie (November 20, 2020). "Michigan lawmakers, after meeting with Trump, reaffirm that they will honor the state's vote". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  7. "Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey appeared in Capitol with COVID-19". MLive. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
Michigan Senate
Preceded by
Arlan Meekhof		 Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate
2019–present		 Incumbent
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