Red tide sweeps Michigan shores

With “tsunami” being the buzzword of the night both nationally and in Michigan, Republicans swept the statewide races and reversed the Democratic hold on the state House of Representatives as well in a performance that managed to exceed even the heightened expectations that had built up.

As predicted by the polls, Republican Rick Snyder easily beat Democrat Virg Bernero by more than 20 points to succeed Jennifer Granholm as governor of Michigan.

Bernero conceded the race shortly after 10 pm and sounded a conciliatory note, telling his supporters, “We must not root for the failure of the other side, we must root for the success of Michigan.” He urged Snyder to govern like William Milliken, the former moderate Republican Michigan governor who is still revered by Republicans and Democrats alike.

The Michigan Democratic Party was not as conciliatory, putting out a press release that continued to attack Snyder, saying that he “can’t cash out and walk away from Michigan’s problems like he did at his companies, nor can he evade Michigan’s challenges through outsourcing them … Snyder is about to find out that governing is much more difficult than campaigning.”

Statewide races

Republicans likewise swept the other statewide races by wide margins.

Republican Bill Schuette, a former appeals court judge and legislator, bested Democrat David Leyton, the Genesee County Prosecutor, by a 10 point margin, earning the right to succeed Mike Cox in the attorney general’s office, keeping that office in the GOP column for another four years.

Republican Ruth Johnson, the Oakland County Clerk, won the race against Democratic law school professor Jocelyn Benson by an 8 point margin in the secretary of state race. She will succeed fellow Republican Terri Lynn Land in that office.

In the Michigan Supreme Court race, where two seats were up for grabs to the two highest votegetters in the race, incumbent Republican Robert Young and Judge Mary Beth Kelley easily won over their two Democratic challengers, Justice Alton Thomas Davis and Judge Denise Langford Morris. That gives the Republicans a 4-3 lead on the state’s high court once again.

And on the two proposals on the ballot, Proposal 1, which would have convened a convention to write a new constitution, was handily defeated by a 2-1 margin. Proposal 2, which forbids those convicted of a crime of fraud or corruption from holding public office, passed by a nearly 3-1 margin.

U.S. House races

Nationally, the GOP easily took control of the U.S. House of Representatives and they did so with some help from Michigan voters.

In District 1, a seat held by Democrat Bart Stupak for the last 18 years, Republican Dan Benishek beat Democrat Gary McDowell by a 52-41 margin. Independent candidate Glenn Wilson was less of a factor than expected, getting only 3 percent of the vote.

Gary McDowell conceded the race around 10:30, saying, “The voters spoke. I accept it. And I wish Dan Benishek the best and hope that he represents us in a way that we can all be proud.”

In District 7, Republican Tim Walberg won back from Rep. Mark Schauer the seat he lost to him in 2008. Schauer’s campaign held out hope throughout the evening while Walberg took a six to seven point lead in the returns, but finally conceded shortly before midnight. Schauer said that he had congratulated his opponent and asked him to “take good care” of the residents he will once again represent in Congress. The final margin was 50-45 percent.

In District 9, another closely contested race, the results were very slow to come in Tuesday evening. At 1 AM, with 51 percent of precincts reporting, Democratic Rep. Gary Peters held a 50-47 lead over challenger Andrew “Rocky” Raczkowski.

A number of U.S. House races were unsurprising. Republican incumbent Reps. Dave Camp, Mike Rogers, Candice Miller, Fred Upton and Thaddeus McCotter were all reelected easily. So were Democratic incumbent Reps. Dale Kildee, Sander Levin and John Conyers.

In District 2, Bill Huizenga beat Fred Johnson to hold on to the seat vacated by Rep. Pete Hoekstra for the GOP. In District 3, Justin Amash beat Pat Miles to retain the seat vacated by the retirement of Rep. Vern Ehlers. Both seats were one by nearly 2-1 margins.

In District 13, currently held by Democratic Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, Hansen Clarke easily beat Republican John Hauler by a nearly 4-1 margin to retain that seat for the Democrats.

Early in the evening it looked like the Republicans might pull off arguably the greatest upset in American political history in District 15, held by Rep. John Dingell for the last 55 years — the longest run in the House in American history. With about 8 percent of precincts reporting, Republican Rob Steele actually held a 54-43 lead over Dingell. As the evening wore on, the incumbent slowly pulled away and eventually won one of the closer battles he has had to fight in a very long time, winning by only 10 points.

Michigan legislative results

As expected, the GOP not only held on to control of the Michigan Senate but extended their lead by winning 26 of 38 seats in the chamber.

In the Michigan House, Republicans gained control and essentially created a mirror image of the current term, winning at least 63 out of 110 seats.

The mood at the Michigan Democratic Party’s post-election party at the MGM Grand was somber, with most of the partisan revelers leaving early. By the time Jocelyn Benson conceded the secretary of state race at nearly midnight, she did so only to a handful of staffers in the hallway outside an empty ballroom.