Congress:
1 (R) Bergman 39 Casperson 32 Allen 28
Great win for a good conservative over two moderate legislators. Allen won only Grand Traverse and Leelanau. Casperson won at least 52% in every county in his district, and at most 35% in all counties outside it. Bergman was first or second in every county.
(D) Johnson 72 Cannon 28
This will be an interesting race in the fall.
10 (R) Mitchell 38, Pavlov 28, Sanborn 16, Forlini 10, VanAssche 8
Mitchell’s anti-tax advocacy was money well spent. Pavlov only won Huron and St. Clair.
13 (D) Conyers 60 Winfrey 40
Conyers will only leave on a stretcher.
State Senate
4 (D) Conyers 37 Durhal 27 Score one for name recognition.
Michigan State House:
1 (D) Banks 45 Sossi 35 Banks will only leave in handcuffs.
20 Noble 40 Roosen 38 Tea Party wins with Colbeck endorsement.
23 Howey wins 77-14
24 Marino wins 80-17
30 Farrington 40 Shallal 39 (54 votes)
32 Hornberger 40 Schmina 33
33 Yaroch 37 Carl 28
46 Reilly beats Kent 31 votes. Big win for Tea Party, barring recount.
57 Kahle 63 Cottrell 29
64 Alexander 42 Tripp 30
66 Griffin 61 Nilson 31 Griffin is Tea Party with establishment support.
70 Lower 45 Van Kleeck 20
72 Johnson 30 Noto 23
77 Brann 90 Murin 10
79 LaSata 54 Arnt 30 At least Pscholka’s guy didn’t win.
83 Hernandez 47 Muxlow 31 Big win for Tea Party candidate with good fundraising and endorsements.
85 Frederick 66 Aue 23 Good candidate.
86 Albert 31 Johnson 29 Henry 23
89 Lilly 60 Stille 32
97 Wentworth 42 Link 24
99 Hauck 65 Stressman 35
100 VanSingel 76 Wilterink 16
101 VanderWall 58 Walter 28
102 Hoitenga 34 Langworthy 28 Langworthy has been 2nd three times (04, 10, 16).
103 Rendon 81 Kumar 19 Good since Kumar faces sex crime charges.
104 Inman 60 Gillman 40 Closest R primary challenge.
106 (R) Allor 37 Krawczak 35
(D) Kennedy 51 Kieliszewski 49 Preferred D candidate loses.
107 Chatfield 73 Twardy 27
108 (R) LaFave 44 Arcand 32
(D) Celello 58 Dziedzic 42 The top D recruit wins an unimpressive victory.
All incumbents won. The establishment and top fundraisers won most races. The Tea Party candidates with the best fundraising and endorsements (Noble, Reilly, Hernandez) won.
(6)Nuh Uh.
(0)
Given the extremely small concentration of "Tea Party" candidates succeeding/moving on and their being much easier to track during the balance of the cycle...will we ever have someone come forward with a "state of the Party" analysis during this period?
I ask this due to the obvious (apparently 'easy') co-opting/corruption of past candidates/local TP movements by the MiGOP establishment and a curiosity as to how these remaining candidates are effectively fighting (within) the very local establishments 'supposedly' supporting them.
"Details" (seemingly) were the effective undoing of this 7+ year grassroots movement and will (continue to) be the #1 trust issue for younger voters moving forward.
Here's an example:
State House District 66: Griffin 61 Nilson 31
The kicker:
**Griffin is "Tea Party with establishment support**
I may be the only voter in this state with 110% establishment candidates presenting themselves as exactly the former yet supported by the latter...for good reason.
How does a candidate who approves of holding County Commission meetings at 4:00 in the afternoon (with no video) qualify as "Tea Party" or for that matter "conservative" in terms of transparency?
The obvious 2nd question being:
How are area/statewide children learning exactly how local governments are managed properly with no thoughts/positions whatsoever on changing the Open Meetings Act or for that matter the FOIA? Are they studying local government through highly condensed (old) meeting minutes released nearly 2 months after the fact? How would a class of students even 'attend' a meeting at 4:00 pm in the afternoon if their school was somehow 'forced' to take them there..which hasn't happened (at least in my school district) for years?
The Van Buren County Commissioners (as a whole) obviously feel that this is exactly what the voters desire (no complaints?)...yet where does apathy end and VALUES 'begin' in terms of bucking the old establishment ways and (heaven forbid) working towards educating our kids on even the most important issues out there?
It's pretty hard to start a conservative grassroots movement (statewide) if there is no working definition (or even close) as to what 'conservatism' is all about.
To explain, Beth has been a member of my Tea Party group for many years now. The Van Buren GOP is now run by another member of the group. She has supported Aric Nesbitt, the term-limited incumbent (and leader of the HRCC). All the other establishment support (Chamber, GLEP, etc.) followed from this.
...I offer the above not because Griffin is an inferior candidate (I have no idea) nor to advocate for any meetings of these magnitudes to be held in the middle of the day (just the opposite).
The #1 problem in terms of transparency/rallying grassroots/social media support at this time is leadership (statewide) refusing to leverage the inexpensive technology available to inform the electorate in real time.
Tea Partiers have had a choice for 7+ years now.
Either keep their mouths shut as to the obvious factual nature of the above statement (what their establishment handlers desire) or leverage this fact for change and (frankly) their children's future quickly fading away.
These kids could become informed at the flip of a switch (or phone) and far before November if real time politics (video everywhere absent reason) became a reality (yesterday).
They need to be told that 'conservatives' are obviously resisting these extremely easy changes allowing the light of day in to their political world (intentionally) and may God help them (eventually) reason why.
...I suppose if nobody is thanking Jason for running 24 hours + later, I will.
Our kids will remember who simply complained and who made the history books doing much more.
There are lessons to be learned here yet it is simply too bad that our children will never learn them over a simple lack of adult conversation.
At least Jason accomplished the latter (and much more).
I had such high hopes for Jason Gillman for us--Jason, as usual, ran a classy campaign, and I, for one, thank you and hope you do not give up. In the interim, we are left with no alternative but to groom the democratic candidate for a win. We cannot take even another year of Inman much less two more. He refused to get on board against Core Curriculum actually said to me that I was the first to tell him this--when I know for a fact that Melodie Kurdys and her army visited his office; phoned his office, etc. When the bill was pending, I asked her again to see if Inman would get on-board. His name is no where on the bill. This is who we have representing us. Jason would have never let this issue alone. Any hope for a part-time legislature; repeal of medical exchange--road repair and less taxes will now take a more rigorous effort by us because we've got no one representing us in Lansing (Did I say our sen is know-nothing Wayne Schmidt?) Thank you Jason.
"..we are left with no alternative but to groom the democratic candidate for a win..."
It would be interesting to determine if there has ever been serious debate on this topic as 'conservatives' seemingly aren't even willing to unite (through easily trackable write-in or 'blank' votes) when tasked with confronting unopposed RINOs in the primaries.
The lack of professional or even 'outside-the-box' leadership to date would cause one to wonder if they could even elect a Democrat if they chose to.
Johnson in 72 and Van Singel in 100 are also Tea Party and socially very conservative Republicans. The House GOP caucus will be significantly more conservative in 2017-18. For that to matter, the challenge now is to ensure the GOP caucus is still in the majority and running the place. Doing anything to try to defeat Inman in November will increase chances that left-wing Democrats are running the place rather than the more conservative GOP caucus.
Inman was dragged across the finish line in 2014, but incumbency has its perks. The taxpayer 'senior mailer' house members are given to send if they wish, hit the mailboxes perfectly for the AV chase in the primary, cementing the old folks vote here. Add to this, the general R to D ratio is STILL about 6-8 points advantage.
Inman would have to run over one of the local bicyclists and drive off to lose this one.
In terms of who our children might support..perhaps it is easier for them to simply determine whether the MiGOP establishment has supported a candidate (or most certainly not) with "Tea Party" meaning (?) in today's 'conservative' dictionary.
CGF:
"'..To explain, Beth has been a member of my Tea Party group for many years now. The Van Buren GOP is now run by another member of the group. She has supported Aric Nesbitt, the term-limited incumbent (and leader of the HRCC). All the other establishment support (Chamber, GLEP, etc.) followed from this.."