Benishek Holds One Vote Lead Over Allen as Recount Looms for Stupak Seat
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Bay County political observers were amazed at the high Republican turnout in Tuesday's primary election, a development that may be predictive of a November uprising.
Although a recount is in the works, a single vote separates two Republican candidates in the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee.
Jason Allen, state senator from Alanson, and Dan Benishek, Crystal Falls surgeon, are in a virtual deadlock in the 31-county 1st Congressional District Congressman held for years by Stupak.
The Democratic nominee, Gary McDowell, a former state representative, was unopposed in Tuesday's primary election.
The recount would be the first in Michigan for Congress since 2000 and would involve the largest Congressional District east of the Mississippi.
Proving that he knows his game, Inside Michigan Politics publisher Bill Ballenger had predicted a tie between Allen and Benishek.
U.S. Rep. Dale F. Kildee, 5th District, a Native American and chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, has won the right to seek his 18th term in Congress by defeating Democratic challenger Scott Withers Jr., of Birch Run, 34,109 to 9,328. Kildee was first elected to Congress in 1976 and Withers was the first primary challenger he has had.
Kildee's Republican challenger will be John Kupiec, advertising agency owner and Subway franchisee, who defeated former automotive executive Rick Wilson, 20,369 to 16,514. Both are from the Flint area.
While Republicans appeared energized, tea baggers appear to have been squeezed not only in Michigan but across the Midwest, according to political watchdog website Swing State Project.
Swing State Project commented on the Michigan governor's race:
"Given a pretty clear ideological choice, Democrats opted for the loudly populist Lansing mayor Virg Bernero over centrist state House speaker Andy Dillon, 59-41.
"Bernero, who trailed in most polls until the last couple weeks, benefited from a late push from organized labor. He'll face an uphill battle in November against GOP winner Rick Snyder. The sorta-moderate Snyder benefited from a three-way split among conservatives out of the four viable candidates.
"While it's nice to know that Michigan's governor won't be a nut and that Peter Hoekstra got sent packing, Snyder, with his moderate appeal, is probably the toughest matchup of all the GOPers for Bernero in November."
The Allen-Benishek contest also may prove to be the closest Congressional race in Michigan history, topping 2000 general election race for the 8th Congressional District which saw Republican Mike Rogers defeating Democrat Diane Byrum by 111 votes. Rogers, of Brighton, is a former FBI agent; a former state senator, Byrum hails from East Lansing.
Allen took 904 votes in the several townships in Bay County while Benishek got 776.
Meanwhile, the former chairman of the Bay County Commission, Patrick Beson, of Kawkawlin, was defeated by a door-pounding Brandon D. Krause who stormed to the startling upset with 62 percent of the vote in the Second District.
Commissioner benefits apparently were the issue in the race and were an issue raised by several candidates who stirred voter ire about health insurance for the part-time posts.
Hard-campaigning 37-year-old appointee Jennifer Cass Barnes finished second to Mark Janer, director of the Bay County Office of Criminal Defense, keeping the pair in the running for a six year term as Judge of the 74th District Court to be decided in November.
Janer won by more than three percentage points, 5,178 to 4,763 over Barnes, who had earned the incumbency designation in a lawsuit decided by the Michigan Court of Appeals. Three other candidates got a total of 8,422 votes, Eric Zimostrad with 4,170; Abel Torres with 2,621 and Stevens J. Jacobs with 1,631.
All three Bay County millage issues passed handily, the 0.5 mill senior citizen question, 0.75 mill Bay Metro Transit and 0.7 mill 9-1-1.
The Michigan Secretary of State declared Benishek ahead of Allen, 27,091 - 27,090 as plans moved ahead for a recount.
The Traverse City Record Eagle noted the more than 16,000 Republican votes garnered by four other candidates. Observers wondered whether the high GOP interest would prevail in November, causing a turnover in the seat long held by the Democrats.
Tea Party Republican Tom Stillings of Torch Lake Township finished with 5,421, about 8 percent of the vote. Linda Goldthorpe, a lawyer from Helmer in the U.P., suspended her campaign weeks ago, but still finished with about 7 percent of the vote.
Don Hooper, from Iron Mountain took about 6 percent, and Patrick Donlon of St. Ignace garnered 4 percent.
In other Bay area results, former state legislator Mike Green defeated three opponents to gain the November finals against popular Jeff Mayes for the seat of retiring State Sen. Jim Barcia.
Term-limited state representative Mayes was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Bay City Mayor Charles Brunner defeated Brian Elder 5,198 to 3,327 for the Democratic nomination to replace Mayes, with Republican Dennis R. Poirier Sr., who got 6,869 votes unopposed, waiting for the November face-off.
Other races to watch for November include:
Longtime Road Commissioner Mick Redmond, opposed by Republican Mike Rivard, Linwood drainage contractor and former county soil erosion agent;
Republican Joe Davis vs. 4th District County Commissioner Colleen Maillette;
former Bay City police officer Christopher Rupp against City Commissioner M.J. Gorney in the county's 8th District;
Republican F. Patrick Daily vs. County Commissioner Donald J. Tilley in the 9th District;
Union stalwart Tom Ryder vs. Republican Nicholas H. Shaffer in the County's 7th District;
Republican Adam C. Reddick against Krause in the 2nd County Commission District.
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