Throughout the coming months, MSMS will be doing special editions of the legislative update that is specifically for the elections. This year Michigan will see Presidential candidates parade through the state with one of Michigan's former sons Mitt Romney pinned against President Obama. Michigan traditionally has been a blue state since the 1990's with Ronald Reagan and most predict the trend will not change, but some say that Romney's ties to Michigan could help sway some voters to cast their vote for one of their own.
On a state level, the House of Representatives sees the action this year, along with justices on the Supreme Court and US Senator Debbie Stabenow looks to face competition what is a field of several candidates on the republican side. Lets review the different races effecting Michigan directly:
US Senate:
Senator Stabenow looks to continue her tenure as one of Michigan's two senators to the US Senate. She currently sits as the chair of the Senate Agriculture committee, a position that has several positives for Michigan. Stabenow sits on quite the campaign nest egg, positing in her last campaign finance filing have almost $7 Million cash on hand, dwarfing any of the republicans candidates hoping to unseat Stabenow.
On the Republican side of the ticket, former US Representative Pete Hoekstra leads the other challengers in the money game by having just over $2.7 Million on hand. Clark Durant is the next hopeful having just under $2 Million in the bank, with the rest of the field still under the $200,000 ceiling. Many pundents say that the possibility of a Republican unseating Stabenow is very unlikely due to the amount of money and clout Stabenow has.
US House:
Lets take a quick look at the US House races around the state:
1st: The first district has Michigan's only physician in congress with Dr. Dan Benishek facing off against this opponent from the last go around Gary McDowell. McDowell a former Michigan House member has once again been recruited to run as the democrat. The district picks up the Northern Michigan stronghold of Traverse City which has been leaning more liberal in years past. This race will be an interesting one to watch.
2nd: Representative Huizenga is running unopposed in his coming election, which will give him the ability to help out his Republican colleagues with their coming elections.
3rd: Representative Justin Amash, Republican, has two democratic challengers in his coming election. Rep Amash is expected to win being from one of the more conservative districts in Michigan.
4th: Rep. Dave Camp, Chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, will be facing a virtually unknown democratic opponent in November. Rep. Camp is expected to win handily.
5th: With the stepping down of Rep. Dale Kildee in the 5th, this will be one of the open seats in Michigan's congressional races. Dale's nephew Dan Kildee will be seeking the seat on the democratic ticket. For the Republicans, Jim Slezak, who was a member of the Michigan House as a Democrat has switch parties and is now running against Kildee as a Republican. Slezak will have a primary with Tom Wassa.
6th: Long term and Chairman of the House Commerce committee Fred Upton sees a primary challenge from former Michigan House member and former US Senate candidate Jack Hoogendyk. Jack has a unique base that has been compared by some as being similar to Rep. Ron Paul. It is projected that Upton will win the primary but could see some stiff competition from Hoogendyk. Mike O'Brien, a name not familiar with most will be on the Democratic side.
7th: Current Rep. Tim Walberg faces two opponents before he even gets to November. Dan Davis and Mike Stahly have filed as Republicans for the 7th. Who ends up coming out of the primary in August will have to face either Richard Haskell or Ruben Marquez.
8th: Rep. Mike Rogers faces a primary in August from Brian Hetrick and Vernon Molnar. Rogers is expected to come out of the primary the victor facing either Lance Enderle, or Michael Magdich.
9th: Rep. Sander Levin, brother of US Senator Carl Levin, is expected to skate through his election facing either Don Volaric or Gregory Dildilian in this widely blue district.
10th: The 10th features Rep. Candice Miller in a primary-less contest looking forward towards November to face either George Quinn or Chuck Stadler. It's expect that Miller will have a return trip to Washington in this predominately red district.
11th: Rep. Thaddeus McCotter faces a primary this go around with Kerry Bentivolio. McCotter is expected to work his way through the primary to face either William Roberts, or Syed Taj in the general election in November.
12th: The 12th features the Dean of the House, the longest serving member, Rep. John Dingell. Dingell is expected to return to the House passing Daniel Marcin in the primary and either Karen Jacobson or Cynthia Kallgren in the general election.
13th: Rep John Conyers faces a tough primary this coming August with some high profile names in Detroit politics throwing their names in the ring. Michigan Senators Glenn Anderson and Burt Johnson and Michigan House member Shanelle Jackson seek the primary win against Conyers. Other names in this six person primary are Godfrey Dillard and John Goci. Whoever emerges from the primary they will be facing Harry Sawicki, small race compared to the primary.
14th: With redistricting Michigan loses one congressional seat in the US House, which at the end pins two sitting representatives against each other. We find that race here in Michigan's 14th where current Reps. Hansen Clarke and Gary Peters are pinned against each other in the primary. Joining them though are other profile names, Brenda Lawrence, who was the Lieutenant Governor pick for the Democratic gubernatorial ticket last election and Mary Waters a former member of the Michigan Legislature. Out of those, whoever is the winner of the primary will face John Hauler in the November general election.
Michigan House:
With the seats being redrawn due to redistricting many changes have been seen in who lives where and also party changes. One of the biggest surprises in the election happened on Tuesday May 15th, the state's filing day for those wishing to run for elected office where Representative Roy Schmidt a Democrat switched parties at the last minute to the Republican party leaving the Democrats scrambling finding someone to run for his seat. This hasn't happened since Sal Rocca did the same maneuver int he early 90's. The switch, safe to say, left a bitter taste in the mouths of the House Democrats, lashing out at their former colleague for his last minute party switch.
All Detroit members have a primary which isn't unusual for Detroit. Mirs news reports that the last time a Detroit member was unseated in a primary election was in 2002 with Rep. Belda Garza and Steve Tobocman. Surprising many Republicans are facing primarys as well. Some of the Republicans considered vulnerable and are facing a primary this coming elections are: Rep. Paul Muxlow, Rep. Andrea LaFontaine, and Rep. Kurt Damrow who was kicked out of his own county's Republican party due to what some call shenanigans on the part of Damrow.
This year with only the Michigan House up for election, they are seeing the majority of the campaign dollars flow their way. The House Republicans filed their April campaign finance report and had just over $1 Million of cash on hand for the coming elections. The House Democrats being in the minority still had a pretty respectable report by having just under $650,000 cash on hand for the coming election. With just under a month left in the Lansing, House members will be feverishly raising money before they take off for the summer break.
Lets support those that support Michigan physicians! Go to http://www.mdpac.org to help MSMS keep supporters of Michigan phyiscians in the legislature.
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