Public Interest The ‘bats**t crazy’ jab, ‘religious freedom,’ attack ads and leaked recordings – this is the Mike Shirkey timeline Updated on Feb 19, 2021; Published on Feb 18, 2021 Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, speaking during an event in downtown Grand Rapids on Monday, May 18, 2020. Twitter Share Mike Shirkey is becoming a household name, as Michigan’s Senate Majority Leader makes headlines with controversial comments about the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. A Republican from Jackson County, Shirkey has been in politics since 2010. He’s been a conservative voice in the area for decades, after starting a manufacturing business in the 1980s.