Dana Nessel moves into Bill Schuette's office Jan. 1 whether or not they shake hands or say anything to each other.
So it's just curious, not critical, that Michigan's Republican attorney general hasn't spoken with his Democratic successor since Election Day, when he lost the governor's race.
Dana Nessel's 2012 pose seems fitting in this context. (Facebook photo)
The other top three incoming state officials -- Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov.-elect Garlin Gilchrist and Secretary of State-elect Jocelyn Benson -- have met with the current officeholders they'll replace, Susan J. Demas reports at Michigan Advance.
The . . . transition of power has been very collegial overall, with three of the four top new leaders meeting with their term-limited counterparts. However, Attorney General Bill Schuette . . . said on Monday that he had yet to meet with Democratic Attorney General-elect Dana Nessel.
"I traded a message with her," Schuette said, per The Detroit News. "I'm sure we will [speak]. We just haven’t had a chance. Her schedule, my schedule, the holidays and all that." . . .
While Schuette’s and Nessel’s staffs have met regularly, it’s notable that the two principals have not.
Demas, editor-in-chief of the two-week-old news site based in Lansing, notes that Nessel and Schuette were on opposite sides in a high-impact legal showdown three years ago.
Nessel was the attorney fighting Michigan's same-sex marriage ban, which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned in a landmark 2015 decision. Nessel will become Michigan's first openly gay top statewide elected official.
Schuette was one of the attorneys general fighting against LGBT marriage.
