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November Election 2018: Top Of Ticket, Congressional Winners And Statewide Ballot Proposals

Gretchen Whitmer
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Gretchen Whitmer

Gretchen Whitmer will be Michigan’s next Governor. The Democrat and her Lt. Governor partner, Garlin Gilchrist III, out-polled Republican Bill Schuette and Lisa Lyons Posthumous, taking 57 percent of the statewide vote. A majority of Washtenaw County voters picked the Whitmer ticket in the governor’s race. 

Whitmer will take over for Republican Governor Rick Snyder, who could not run for re-election because of term-limits. The former state legislator will be sworn into office in January.   

Second Time Is The Charm For Benson in The Race For Secretary of State

In 2010, Jocelyn Benson ran as a Democrat for Michigan Secretary of State. She lost a competitive race to the current office-holder, Republican Ruth Johnson. Johnson is term-limited and could not run for re-election. This time around, the CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) and former Dean at Wayne State University beat her Republican challenger, Mary Treder-Lang.  

Libertarian Greg Stempfle had 2 percent, and Robert Gale of the U.S. Taxpayers Party had 1 percent.
 
As a matter of transparency, Treder-Lang is a current member of the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents, which holds the broadcast license to WEMU. 

Nessel Wins Michigan's Attorney General Race

In a close race, Democrat Dana Nessel has won the right to serve as the next Attorney General of the State of Michigan. Republican Tom Leonard conceded at 9:00am Wednesday morning. The candidates were running for the right to succeed outgoing Republican Attorney General, Bill Schuette. Schuette ran for Governor, but lost to Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.  Nessel is a University of Michigan graduate and earned her law adegree from Wayne State University. She succesfully argued the DeBoer versus Snyder case that legally declared Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Leonard is the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. 

Stabenow Wins Re-election to the U.S. Senate

Debbie Stabenow will serve a fourth term in the U.S. Senate. The democrat fended off a challenge from Republican businessman and military veteran John James in Tuesday’s elections. Stabenow won with 52 percent, including taking 71 percent of the vote in Washtenaw County.  3rdparty candidates collectively earned 1.52 percent of the Washtenaw County vote. Stabenow was first elected to the Senate in 2000. With Tuesday’s win she will serve through 2024. 

Walberg defeats Driskell Again To Hold On To 7th Congressional District Seat 

Incumbent Republican Tim Walberg, once again, overcame a challenge from democrat Gretchen Driskell to win another term in the U.S House. Walberg defeated Driskell in the 2016 election for the same seat. In that election, Walberg tallied 55-percent of the vote to Driskell’s 40-percent. This time around with 67% of precincts reporting, he picked up 54-percent of the district vote to the former Mayor of Saline’s 46-percent In Washtenaw County, Driskell fared better with voters, but it was not enough.  This will be Walberg’s fifth term as 7thDistrict Representative. 

Dingell Wins Re-election to 12th Congressional District Seat

Democrat Debbie Dingell will serve a third term in the U.S. House of Representatives after scoring an easy win the 12thDistrict race. Dingell defeated Republican Jeff Jones by a wide margin, including 80.41 percent of the vote in Washtenaw County. 3rdparty candidates collectively earned 2.31 percent of the Washtenaw County vote.  Dingell first won the office in the 2010 election and took over the seat long held by her husband, John Dingell. 

All Three Statewide Ballot Proposals Win Voter Approval

Michigan Voters have passed all three of ballot measures placed before them. Proposal 1 legalizes recreational marijuana, Proposal 2 is the “Voters Not Politicians” measure that will implement plans to end gerrymandering. And, the “Promote the Vote” Proposal 3 aims to increase voter access and limit voter suppression.  

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