Snyder nabs re-election

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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and his wife Sue Snyder wave to crowd following his victory speech during the Michigan Republican Party Statewide Election Night party in the Renaissance Ballroom of the Detroit Marriott at The Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. (Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/MCT)
By Ryan Garza

Gov. Rick Snyder, R-Mich., was re-elected to another four years as the chief executive of the state with victory over Mark Schauer, his Democratic opponent.

He was unable to carry his fellow Republican, Terri Lynn Land, the former secretary of state, with him to victory. Land fell to Rep. Gary Peters. Peters, D-Mich., in the Senate race earlier in the night.

Peters currently occupies the House seat in the 14th District of Michigan which covers Detroit, Farmington Hills and Auburn Hills. Land, who had proven herself as a statewide candidate before – winning office in 2002 with 54.96 percent of the vote, and in 2006 with 56.15 percent of the vote, couldn’t maintain the lead she held earlier in the election cycle.

Peters will replace Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and chairman of the Armed Services committee who served for six terms. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who is up for re-election in 2016, will become the state’s senior senator.

Gubernatorial and Senate races attracted attention and money nationwide. Snyder raised $12.2 million for his re-election. An independently wealthy man, Snyder was his own top contributor, contributing $5 million to his campaign. Other contributors were:

  • University of Michigan, $71,401
  • Synder’s wife Sue, $55,589
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, $46,526
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers, $43,600

Schauer raised $4.7 million in all. He drew a majority of his campaign funds from:

  • ActBlue, $389,637
  • The University of Michigan, $66,182)
  • CMS Energy, $46,449
  • The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $39,913.

Land raised $3.4 million to Peters’ $12.3 million.

The state will lose seniority and the clout that comes with it after Levin, who has served in the Senate since 1979, retires. Rep. John Dingell’s seat, D-Mich., who has served in U.S. House of Representatives since 1955, will be taken up by his wife, Debbie Dingell. Debbie Dingell won the 12th District by more than 20 percent.

For local races, State Sen. Rebekah Warren won re-election, as did fellow Democrat and State Rep. David Rutledge. Both the 18th District which Warren occupies, and 54th District which Rutledge occupies include Eastern Michigan University.

An event will be held on campus Nov. 12, with Professors Ed Sidlow and Jeffrey Bernstein of the Political Science Department to discuss the election results. The event is at 7 p.m., and will be held in the Halle Library Auditorium.


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