Mallory McMorrow's Budget Claims Don't Add Up, Mackinac Center Says

State Senator Stated Michigan's Population Grew 3 Million Since 1968, But Numbers Show Only 1.4 Million Increase

LANSING — State Sen. Mallory McMorrow made claims about Michigan's population growth and state revenue that don't align with the facts, according to an analysis by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

In a March 9 interview with MIRS News, Sen. McMorrow stated that "adjusted for inflation, the state of Michigan is operating with the same revenue we had in 1968 despite gaining more than 3 million people from then until today."

That assertion is not supported by the numbers, James Hohman, a fiscal policy expert at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, told Michigan Capitol Confidential.

Population Numbers Don't Match

Michigan's population increased from 8.7 million in 1968 to 10.1 million in 2025, an increase of 1.4 million — not the 3 million McMorrow claimed.

Revenue Claims Also Incorrect

McMorrow also said that state revenue has been flat since 1968. The record doesn't support that claim, Hohman said.

State revenue was $2 billion in the 1967-68 fiscal year. If the state government revenue trend were flat, state revenue adjusted for inflation would be $18.9 billion. Instead, it was $48.9 billion in 2024-25, an increase of 2,330%.

This means the state spent $2,178 per person in 1967-68 but $4,832 in 2024-25, for a 122% increase.

McMorrow's Budget Arguments

McMorrow did not respond to a request for comment on these corrections.

"We saw a presentation in state Senate Appropriations that shows that our revenues simply are not keeping up," McMorrow told MIRS. "However, the tax burden has shifted off of corporations and on to middle-income taxpayers. So I hear residents saying, 'I feel like I'm paying a lot. I'm not getting anything for it,' and we need a fairer tax structure that supports the revenue that we need to ensure we can appropriately fund our schools, our roads, our infrastructure and, especially right now, Medicaid."

Tax Proposals in Other States

Other states have recently increased their tax rates. Washington recently passed a 9.9% income tax, effective in 2028, on incomes over $1 million. Massachusetts enacted a 4% surcharge on incomes over $1 million annually. A similar tax proposal failed to garner enough signatures to reach the 2026 ballot in Michigan.

Context on McMorrow

Sen. McMorrow, who will run for a United States Senate seat this fall, represents the 10th District in Oakland County. She has been a state senator since 2019 and is seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in a competitive race.

Her budget claims came at a time when Michigan lawmakers are debating the state's fiscal future, with the governor proposing new taxes and Republicans seeking funding for local district projects.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a nonprofit organization that reports with a free-market news perspective, published its analysis through Michigan Capitol Confidential.