In a clear attempt to remedy the mistake of Democrats overlooking and eventually losing north midwestern states like Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016 to then candidate Donald Trump, the party has tasked newly elected Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan with its party’s traditional State of the Union response.

The move likely seeks to provide results in a joint effort to emphasize the state’s importance going into 2020 and elevate a younger member of the party into a more national spotlight.

While this year’s State of the Union will provide an increasingly likely uniqueness, as the Senate has postponed the vote on the articles of impeachment, submitted by the U.S. House of Representatives, to Wednesday and Democrat presidential candidates look to make their final pushes in the first primary state for the Iowa caucuses, Whitmer’s response is widely believed to stick to a predictable line of political hits that most will have grown familiar.

President Trump’s speech on the other hand is also likely to touch on issues he believes will be at the root of his 2020 presidential run, namely the economy, border security and immigration, foreign policy successes and his usual brand of attacks on his rivals in the media and Democratic Party. It is rumored that the speech will largely be written in partnership with Stephen Miller, a political advisor to the president and speech writing veteran for Trump.

One thing seems certain and that is that the impeachment proceedings will be a large topic of discussion during both the State of the Union and response, regardless if the Senate has held their vote. This will be a State of the Union that is sure to be remembered.

This Week in Politics:
Iowa Caucuses – February 3rd
State of the Union Address – February 4th at 9pm Eastern
SOTU Democratic Response – February 4th & Follows SOTU
Senate Impeachment Vote – February 5th
Democratic Primary Debate – February 7 at 8pm Eastern