Barack Obama raced to a landslide victory in Michigan and across the country, becoming the nation’s first black president. The Obama coattails were very strong, as Democrats picked up nine seats in the state House and increased their margin to the highest in 30 years. Democrats also beat incumbent Congressmen Tim Walberg and Joe Knollenberg and ousted conservative Supreme Court Justice, Cliff Taylor.
Beginning in 2009, the Michigan Democratic Party will control the governorship, both U.S. Senate seats, hold a 8-7 majority in the state’s Congressional delegation and hold a 67-43 majority in the Michigan House.
Major races for state House:
Seats Changing Parties
1st District Tim Bledsoe (D) defeated Mary Treder Lang (R)
21st District Dian Slavens (D) defeated Todd LaJoy (R)
24th District Sarah Roberts (D) defeated Bryan Brandenburg (R)
32nd District Jennifer Haas (D) defeated John Accavitti (R)
39th District Lisa Brown (D) defeated Amy Peterman (R)
62nd District Kate Segal (D) defeated Greg Moore (R)
70th District Mike Huckleberry (D) defeated Tom Ginster (R)
101st District Dan Scripps (D) defeated Ray Franz (R)
108th District Judy Nerat (D) defeated Mike Falcon (R)
How the Election Results Will Affect MITA
MITA has positioned itself as a bipartisan organization, supporting candidates from both sides of the aisle who support infrastructure investment. As such, the overall election results for state House is likely to have only a negligible effect on our legislative efforts.
Interesting Tidbits
• Barack Obama, who campaigned in support of a major investment in infrastructure, was elected president.
• Congressman Knollenberg, a ranking member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Appropriations Subcommittee in Washington, was defeated.
• Congressman Tim Walberg, who attacked Mark Schauer for his support of a gas tax in TV and radio ads, was defeated. Schauer has been an ally in MITA’s efforts to get increased transportation on the state level and will be a strong advocate in Washington.
• Farmington Hills Mayor, Vicki Barnett (D), who has been an outspoken advocate for increased transportation funding, won a tough contest for state House in Oakland County.
• John Accavitti, Republican candidate for state House in Macomb County and cousin of MITA member Dan Acciavatti, lost in a tight race.
• Todd LaJoy, son of the former MITA Legislator of the Year, Phil LaJoy, was unsuccessful in his bid to succeed his father.
If you have any questions please contact Mike Nystrom, Vice President of Government and Public Relations at mikenystrom@mi-ita.com ; or Keith Ledbetter , Director of Legislative Affairs at keithledbetter@mi-ita.com ; or by calling the MITA office at (517) 347-8336.
