Well, it's a slight bit earlier than normal.
But still well within my normal last-minute timeframe.
Election day is this Tuesday, which means it's about time for the usual comprehensive rundown of everything that's going to be on your ballot. Every candidate that will appear on your ballot for a particular race is included, even the ones that exist in name only and for no particular reason other than ballot access, like the U.S. Taxpayers Party and the Natural Law Party. There may be updates between now and Tuesday as my vacation schedule allows if something major is overlooked. You may notice the lack of entries for the various boards of regents for your public universities. As I am not a graduate of any of these fine institutions (go Mott... Bears, I think?), I don't feel particularly qualified to dispense advice there, apart from imploring you to vote out any incumbents at Michigan State University for obvious reasons. With all that out of the way, let's get off to the races...
- Governor. This one shook out about as expected, as Brian Calley's attempts to paint himself as an experienced politician who is also a political outsider who is also Rick Snyder 2.0 fell flat, the money and experience won out on the Democratic side, and sanity won out on the Libertarian side.
Bill Schuette (R)- He's been campaigning for governor pretty much since Rick Snyder took office. Of course, he lost your not-so-humble correspondent's vote at any point in the future when he took the fight against gay marriage to the Supreme Court at great taxpayer expense. Despite claiming he'll respect the will of the voters on Proposal 1, that didn't stop him from shutting down dispensaries when Michigan legalized medical marijuana. Nor did it stop him from fighting for the state's voter-overturned emergency manager law by claiming that voters don't have the right to elect their local officials. Nor did his previously stated deference to federal law stop him from filing suit to dismantle the Affordable Care Act while claiming he wants to protect coverage of pre-existing conditions, while offering up no plan for how he'd do so. Claimed Apart from his role in prosecuting the Flint water crisis, Schuette's tenure as Attorney General has mostly been marked by high-profile fights for mostly ideological causes that don't really help the average citizen in this state, plus the Flint water crisis investigation in which there has not yet been a single conviction while simultaneously defending the state in Flint water-based lawsuits and getting called out by a federal judge for "superficial posturing." If any two words best describe Schuette, it's those.
Gretchen Whitmer (D)- The "establishment" candidate on the Dem side. Which means, at least, that she has some semblance of experience in actually getting policy passed. Of course, it also means things like being in the pocket of Blue Cross Blue Shield, where her father was formerly a CEO, and which naturally leaves her opposed to any attempt at single-payer health care. Other than that, she checks most of the Democratic party-line boxes, including a $15 minimum wage and marijuana legalization. Claims she can "fix the damn roads" with $2 billion in additional spending funded by fuel taxes. Has the support of the UAW and the MEA, as one might expect.
Bill Gelineau (L)- From the primary: "We may have found a capital-L libertarian that actually deviates from the typical "taxation is theft/let businesses do whatever they want" playbook. In a pleasant surprise for a libertarian candidate, he fully believes in climate change and clean energy, that businesses shouldn't be allowed to avoid their responsibility to be good corporate citizens, and that the state should have some role in protecting the environment. Naturally, he's also fully in support of marijuana legalization and assisted suicide, and against using National Guard troops to fight any foreign conflict where Congress has not passed a declaration of war."
Jennifer Kurland (G)- School board trustee in Redford. Devotes far more time and space on her website to the Flint water crisis than anybody else running. Other than that, it's standard Green party fare here, particularly in environmental issues (including a call to shut down Enbridge Line 5), which even her spiel on economic issues comes back to quite a bit. Wants to get rid of school-of-choice and charter schools altogether, as well as offer free tuition to public universities.
Todd Schleiger (U.S. Taxpayers, technically?) An independent in all but name, as he doesn't support much of the U.S. Taxpayer's Party (Constitution Party in every other state) platform, which includes criminalizing sexual behavior it deems immoral, opposes the federal Voting Rights Act, and is generally the Tea Party without that pesky "separation of church and state" thing. As such, they essentially refuse to support his campaign, and there is no mention of the party on his campaign website. Proposes to eliminate the state property tax on primary residences, plans to reallocate lottery funds back to schools, and otherwise restructure the tax system, in addition to bringing 500,000 jobs back to Michigan.
Keith Butkovich (Natural Law)- Another candidate whose party is irrelevant here; Butkovich himself refers to it as the "Ballot Access Party." Doesn't appear to have much of a stance on many issues, but we do know that he wants to make auto insurance voluntary, eliminate income tax (he expresses a general belief that "taxation is theft"), abolish roundabouts, and reduce the State Board of Education. Basically a Libertarian in all but name.
- U.S. Senator. This one's pretty straightforward. Three-term incumbent takes on a political newcomer, an ideological purist, and a couple completely incoherent people.
Debbie Stabenow (D)- The incumbent, and senior senator in the state, at that. The rare Dem in this state that actually has the backing of major farmers' groups; she's the lone statewide Democrat to carry the Michigan Farm Bureau's endorsement. Her record, for better or worse, really speaks for itself at this point. Has been touting her legislative attempts to drive down the cost of prescription drugs, as well as efforts to make sure the federal government does business with manufacturers who make their products in the U.S.
John James (R)- A businessman and military veteran with no prior elected experience. Says all the things you'd expect somebody running on the Republican side of this race to say. Carries Donald Trump's endorsement, for what that's worth, and as such shares all his policy beliefs with the exception of trade issues. Ran by-and-large a positive campaign both in the primary and general elections, instead until recently primarily focusing on where he stands on the issues with a minimal of extravagant promises.
Marcia Squier (G)- Originally planned to run for a House seat in Oakland County, decided to do this instead. Claims Stabenow isn't progressive enough and is too "corporatist."
George E Huffman III (U.S. Taxpayers)- Member of a few boards in Shiawassee County. As far as can be told from a glance at his Facebook page, which is the only place any info on this guy exists, he believes Taxation is theft, the Great Lakes need to be protected, and doesn't respond to questions about any other views he might have.
John Howard Wilhelm (Natural Law)- This interview with my radio colleague Tom Sumner is about all the info I can dig up on this guy. Sounds like he, like Butkovich, views the party strictly as ballot access. Wishes to abolish term limits, for similar reasons as I've stated in the past: term limits put the institutional knowledge in the hands of lobbyists and non-elected staffers. His website lays out some other... interesting positions from there..
- U.S. House. Incumbent in a solidly red district taking on surprisingly, not the lobbyist and career politician who ran against him last time, but said lobbyist's progressive primary challenger. Also, an independent whose stances are impossible to pin down and a Green Party candidate, for some reason.
Paul Mitchell (R)- Still not the hair care guy. Still, more or less, unresponsive to his constituents back home, especially in Lapeer County, his supposed home these days. Still the first person in line to defend anything the president says or does, and has spent most of his term in office doing just that and not much else. Claims to want to protect the Great Lakes, but good luck finding anything he's done to that end.
Kimberly Bizon (D)- An environmental activist who decided to run for political office. Supports health care for all, more funding for public schools and teachers, fair policies for family farms, and is solidly in the progressive camp on most issues. Though she does point out that, contrary to the stereotype, she's not looking to take anybody's guns away. That said: if the mix-up with Lapeer's Treat Walk is any indication, her campaign staff may want to invest in a calendar or two.
Jeremy Peruski (I)- Possibly the hardest to pin down of any candidate in this race. As far as we can tell, he's anti-tariff, pro-simplifying the tax code while in support of closing corporate loopholes, opposes Trump's handling of environmental issues and the EPA under Scott Pruitt in general, and has made much of his support for skilled trades and vocational training.
Harley Mikkelson (G)- Green Party, for everything that's worth. Little to no information online.
- State Senate. No matter who wins, you're basically getting a Republican here. Two candidates who've been in politics for quite a long time. Of all the races not to have a third-party challenger.
Kevin Daley (R)- Consumers Energy *really* likes them some Daley, and have put some serious money behind him. Of course, having your primary opponent making vaguely threatening statements against the reps of said energy companies does that. Unapologetic supporter of "right-to-work" who also voted against Medicare expansion.
Cynthia Luczak (D?)- Bay County Clerk. Her website is rather light on all but the most generic of stances, and there's a reason for that: other than perhaps Lapeer County commissioner Cheryl Clark, Luczak is probably the most conservative Democrat running in any race locally. Lines up fairly well with the NRA's stances on firearms, and she's anti-abortion to boot. Makes one wonder why she bothers running as a Democrat.
Note, however, that in Sunday's County Press write-up for the seat, Daley was rather vague on answers for issues like protecting our Great Lakes and curbing the opioid crisis, while Luczak's answers to those questions were more concrete. - State Representative. When last we left this seat, Gary Howell beat out about 88,317 challengers to replace Todd Courser in the state House, then handily beat Margaret Guerrero DeLuca again to win a full term in office. It'd be an uphill battle this time around if the Dem were even trying, but... well, more on that in a minute.
Gary Howell (R)- The incumbent. I've had a few issues with Howell's votes and stances in the time he's been in office, but by and large, he's done exactly what he's said he would do, and has made an effort to push new transparency laws through the House. Has been seen around town and responding to his constituents far more than the guy he replaced in the office. As he's already won this seat twice handily, there's not much reason to think he faces much of a challenge.
Chris Giles (D)- Part of me half expected (and kind of hoped) ex-Imlay City mayor and two-time runner-up for this seat DeLuca would go for it again. But as such, political newcomer Giles is the only candidate running. Strongly aligned with the Bizon-Batterbee "progressive" wing of the area party. Hey, when you're already cannon fodder against an incumbent in a solidly red county, why not go for broke? That said: he hasn't been easy to track down at all, having done virtually zero campaigning and holding no town hall/meet and greet events since jumping into the race. Hell, what might be the only liberal-friendly forum in Lapeer county had no luck booking him! Claims he'll implement a "Statewide Guaranteed Jobs Program," and offers no further details on that. Also claims he'll expand FOIA to the governor's office. Y'know, the bills that Gary Howell regularly introduces that end up getting left to die in the Senate. - Secretary of State. Ruth Johnson is out, so this one is up for grabs.
Mary Treder Lang (R)- Supports no-reason absentee voting, but wants any change to require showing up at a Secretary of State office with ID. Believes current campaign finance law is being adequately enforced. Wants to purge the voter rolls of the deceased and those who are registered in multiple states. She does, however, admit there's no evidence of voter fraud based on the above.
Jocelyn Benson (D)- Former Wayne State University Law School dean. Supports expanding voting access, including the provisions that make up Proposal 3. Also wants to make Michigan's political system more transparent, as evidenced by her call to require instant disclosure of all political and lobbying money.
Gregory Stempfle (L)- Wants to repeal no-fault insurance, extend the length of driver's license renewals, and is in support of no-reason absentee voting and automatic voter registration. Might have my vote just for his support of ranked-choice voting, which is an objectively a better and more accurate system of picking electoral candidates than the current first-past-the-post system.
Robert Gale (U.S. Taxpayers)- No website. No social media. No info anywhere online. Why do these people even bother running? - Attorney General. Since Bill Schuette is term-limited out of the post he's been using to campaign for governor for the last 8 years, this one is wide open.
Tom Leonard (R)- Former state Speaker of the House and former Genesee County assistant prosecutor. Supports specialty courts for the mentally ill and drug offenders, as well as making it easier for criminal offenders to find employment after being released from jail.
Dana Nessel (D)- You may remember her as the lawyer who brought the case that overturned Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage. Naturally, supports both Proposals 1 and 2. Like her GOP opponent, supports specialized courts in each jurisdiction. Wants to establish a police conduct review team and another unit to look into wrongful convictions.
Lisa Lane Gioia (L)- The only candidate to not have been a practicing attorney at any point, or to even have a law degree. You may remember her as the Libertarian candidate for the U.S. House seat now occupied by Paul Mitchell. In that race, she stuck largely to the company line of nonintervention, ending the IRS and the Department of Education, and in general getting the federal government out of... well, everything. As far as issues relevant to this race, she's against civil asset forfeiture and prosecuting non-violent drug-related crimes. Supports Proposal 1 and claims Proposal 2 doesn't go far enough, in that the two major parties still essentially would control the process.
Chris Graveline (I)- Former assistant prosecuting attorney in Detroit. As a strongly nonpartisan candidate, has no desire to take on partisan policy issues in office. Does not support Proposal 1, but says he will not fight against it if it passes. Supports Proposal 2.
Gerald T Van Sickle (U.S. Taxpayers)- No website. No social media. No info anywhere online. Why does this party even exist? - County Commission. Only one district actually has a challenger this time around, as Brenden Miller has thrown his hat into the ring to replace incumbent Cheryl Clark. And this is an odd race indeed, as Clark appears to have very little support from her own party; in fact, for much of last week, you could find signs for Clark's Republican challenger at the Lapeer County Democratic Party office! Of course, the fact that Clark's stances don't really line up with her party (she's on record as being against gay marriage and has stated she believes in the doctored Planned Parenthood videos as well) and that she isn't much seen by her constituents may have something to do with that. That said, Miller was very much on board with Gary Glenn's candidacy for State Senate, and regular readers know my thoughts on Glenn are well documented.
- Probate Judge. For the first time in 18 years, Justus Scott has a challenger in this race. Mike Sharkey, still in his first term as county prosecutor, has become the latest contestant in Team Konschuh's attempt to pack the courts with more favorable staff. The first question that came to mind, and indeed the one I posed to Judge Scott, is "how did you piss Byron Konschuh off enough for him to sic his lawyer after you in this race?" Because clearly there is only one reason Sharkey would already be looking to move up from his current post. Scott wasn't even sure of this; he'd recommended Konschuh for prosecutor originally, and hired Konschuh's wife when she was let go elsewhere! No good deed goes unpunished, I suppose.
When I posed the question to Sharkey as to why he was already gunning for higher office not even half a term in, and further why he felt Scott needed to be challenged, he responded that he believes there is a great amount of corruption in the county courthouse that needs to be fought, and that he can... somehow... fight it better as a judge instead of as prosecutor? Naturally, he appears entirely unaware that plenty of said corruption centers around the man he fought on behalf of in court, and that about none of it has to do with probate court. He's the first prosecutor to decide he can't handle the caseload of the office, asking the county to hire a separate counsel. Still hasn't figured out why Konschuh having an outstanding debt to Sharkey to the tune of $400,0000 in legal fees might be a slight bit of a conflict of interest. It doesn't mean he needs to be elevated to higher office, it means he should probably step down from the one he's in now. - Lapeer Community Schools Board. Peggy Bush and Wendy Byard are both stepping down from the board, leaving four newcomers and a former board member to fill two seats.
Allen Landosky- You might remember him as one of approximately 65,273 candidates who filed to run against Todd Courser in the recall election against him. Didn't do a whole lot to distinguish himself from the crowd (his campaign page racked up a whole 20 likes and offered virtually zero information about him). Go ahead and read up on his few comments from that race here and here. Has done virtually zero campaigning this time around; I don't even have a damn link to post!
Austin Franzel- Has made some very, very unfortunate statements in recent years, and his attempts to explain them away (not so much apologizing as blaming "reverse racism") ring somewhat hollow And to hear some people who know him tell it, he's not exactly a great character guy apart from the alleged racism. As far as his actual platform... well, he really, really likes guns. That's about the extent of it. Seriously; other than the initial write-up from the local papers of record, it's all his campaign page consists of.
Bradly Haggadone- Possibly the youngest candidate ever to get elected to the office, Haggadone served one term, only to lose in the next election to Lisa Novak and (regrettably) Jan Peabody. Endorsed by both retiring board members, Wendy Byard and Peggy Bush, as well as the Lapeer Education Association.
Summer Putnam- Member of the Lapeer Schools District Advisory Council, for what that's worth. Haven't found much on her platform that extends beyond this flyer, but admittedly, it's largely a more realistic and substantive platform than most of her competition. Also has the support of the LEA and former board member Jan Watz.
Maurice Freed- Another candidate with virtually no online presence, instead choosing to communicate solely through poorly written flyers. Apart from the fact that he apparently wants to fix a lot of things that have already been fixed or that would be out of his control as a local board member, a few questions stand out for me...
-What does obesity have to do with opioids? Hell, what does "the family unit" have to do with obesity? Having both my parents around didn't stop me from getting fat.
-How is any of his work experience (all of it as a real estate agent, mortgage broker, and... a PI?) relevant to the position? Does he have any experience that might actually be relevant?
-Why! Are there so! Damn! Many! Exclamation points!
Carries endorsements from the "Tea Party Patriots" and that's about it. Take that for what you will.
. - State Supreme Court. The two Republican-nominated incumbents are Kurtis Wilder and Beth Clement. Well, sort of. The state GOP essentially pulled its support from Clement because of her vote to allow Proposal 2 to make it onto the ballot, going so far as to leave her off party campaign literature. The two Democratic-endorsed candidates are Sam Bagenstos and Megan Cavanaugh, whose father served on the court.
- State Board of Education. Two seats to fill here. Republican Richard Zeile is the lone incumbent. The other Republican, accountant Tami Carlone, has no background or experience in education. The Democrats are Judy Pritchett, a former educator and
chief academic officer for the Macomb Intermediate School District, and Southfield Community Anti-Drug Coalition director Tiffany Tilley, who also has no educational background. Libertarian candidate John Tatar is insane. (Refer back to the gubernatorial section of my last primary guide for more on that.) The other Libertarian, Scotty Boman (no, not that one), is a physics professor at multiple metro Detroit colleges and former state Libertarian Party chair. Douglas Levesque really, really doesn't like gay people or separation of church and state. Green Party candidate Sherry Wells has been involved on a local level, though she's let her own teaching certificate expire. Working Class Party candidate Mary Anne Hering is also a former teacher.
- Ballot Proposals. There's three statewide proposals this time around.
Proposal 1- Fairly straightforward; would legalize recreational marijuana and regulate it under the same system as medicinal. Apart from law enforcement, some group called Healthy and Productive Michigan, and FacebookDiscussionReefer MadnessGroupthinkTopics Page admins, not very many people have come out against this one. And for good reason; there's really not a particularly good argument against it other than "it's still not legal at a federal level." It's another source of revenue for the state, it'd make it less worthwhile for black-market dealers to continue doing what they're doing, and would make it less burdensome for medical patients as well.
Proposal 2- The "Voters Not Politicians" Proposal. Would place the drawing of electoral districts in the hands of a 13-member commission, made up of four members of each of the two major parties, and 5 nonpartisans. All told, it looks to be a better method of drawing the districts than the current approach of "whoever's in power draws the lines more-or-less as they see fit." Some critics cite it's cost as an issue, while others, mostly libertarians and independents, don't approve of the way it writes a two-party system into the law. Others still simply don't like that the party in charge won't be able to draw districts to their advantage, though they'd never admit as such.
Proposal 3- I'm rather split on this one... on one hand, this would officially make no-reason absentee voting law, as well as allow same-day voting registration and automatic registration with driver's license renewal. On the other hand, it would also bring back straight-ticket voting, which I've been against from the start, on the basis that "if you can't do the work to decide the person that's worth voting for, you probably shouldn't be voting." That said: How difficult is it currently to obtain an absentee ballot? And how closely do they vet to prove you'll not be near your precinct on Election Day? (The answers, at least back when both my parents worked for the City of Detroit's Election Commission, were "not very" and "not at all." Has this changed?)
As always, social media links have been posted for all candidates that have them, so if you've still got questions I can't answer here, ask them. For additional info, this is always a good resource. In a few cases, we also have interviews they've done with colleagues of mine. In a disheartening amount of cases, I don't have a website or Facebook page at all to go off of.
That seems counterproductive, to say the least of it.
If you can't do the work of answering to your future constituents, you probably shouldn't be running.
