Michigan's 11th congressional district election, 2012

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Michigan's 11th congressional district election was held on November 6, 2012, for a seat in the 113th United States Congress alongside a presidential election, other elections to the United States House of Representatives and elections for class I of the United States Senate. In Michigan, all of the state's 14 Congressional seats will be at stake, as well Michigan's junior United States Senator Debbie Stabenow is running for re-election. Additionally, all 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives are at stake.

Michigans 11th congressional district

Michigan's 11th congressional district is a United States congressional district northwest of Detroit, comprising portions of northwestern Wayne and southwestern Oakland counties. Until 1993, the district covered the state's Upper Peninsula and the northernmost portion of the Lower Peninsula. In redistricting that year, it was shifted to the outer Detroit area. Its former geographical area is now the state's first district.

113th United States Congress 2013–2015 legislative term

The One Hundred Thirteenth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives based on the results of the 2012 Senate elections and the 2012 House elections. The seats in the House were apportioned based on the 2010 United States Census. It first met in Washington, D.C. on January 3, 2013, and it ended on January 3, 2015. Senators elected to regular terms in 2008 were in the last two years of those terms during this Congress.

United States House of Representatives lower house of the United States Congress

The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they compose the legislature of the United States.

Contents

In reapportionment done following the 2010 United States Census, the district was redrawn to favor then Congressman Thaddeus McCotter. [1]

2010 United States Census 23rd national census of the United States, taken in 2010

The 2010 United States Census is the twenty-third and most recent United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving to spot-check randomly selected neighborhoods and communities. As part of a drive to increase the count's accuracy, 635,000 temporary enumerators were hired. The population of the United States was counted as 308,745,538, a 9.7% increase from the 2000 Census. This was the first census in which all states recorded a population of over half a million, as well as the first in which all 100 largest cities recorded populations of over 200,000.

Thaddeus McCotter American politician

Thaddeus George McCotter is an American politician, radio host, and a member of the Republican Party who was the U.S. Representative from Michigan's 11th congressional district from 2003 to 2012. The district at the time consisted of portions of Detroit's northwestern suburbs, such as Livonia, Westland and Novi.

The election was held alongside a special election to fill a vacancy in Michigan's 11th congressional district caused by the July 6, 2012 resignation of Republican member of the United States House of Representatives Thaddeus McCotter. [2] The primary for the special election was held on September 5, 2012. [3]

Republican Party (United States) Major political party in the United States

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.

McCotter signature scandal

After a failed, short-lived Presidential campaign, McCotter opted to run for 6th term in the House. On May 25, 2012, it was announced that McCotter had fallen short of the required 1,000 signatures to appear on the ballot for the August 7 GOP primary. [4]

On May 29, 2012, McCotter announced his intentions to seek the GOP nomination as write-in candidate. [5] McCotter ended his write-in campaign shortly after on June 2, 2012. [6]

McCotter resigned from Congress on July 6, 2012. On August 11, 2012, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced charges against four former McCotter staff aides, for their roles in obtaining and submitting fraudulent election petitions. [7]

Michigan Attorney General attorney general for the U.S. state of Michigan

The Attorney General of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, members of the Senate and members of the House of Representatives.

Bill Schuette American politician

William Duncan Schuette is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd Attorney General of Michigan from January 1st, 2011 to January 1st, 2019 He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Governor of Michigan in the 2018 gubernatorial election, losing to Democrat Gretchen Whitmer.

Primary election

Republican

After McCotter's resignation, the only other Republican who qualified for the primary ballot was political novice/Tea Party activist Kerry Bentivolio.

After McCotter's resignation, several candidates considered mounting a write-in campaign, including Birmingham-based foreclosure attorney David Trott, former state Rep. Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski, state Sen. Mike Kowall of White Lake and former Oakland County Republican Party Chairman Paul Welday. [8] Eventually, State GOP leaders rallied around former state Sen. Nancy Cassis. [8]

Candidates

  • Kerry Bentivolio
  • Nancy Cassis (write-in)

Declined/Withdrew

Disqualified from Ballot

  • Thad McCotter

Results

2012 Republican Primary - Michigan's 11th Congressional District [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Republican Kerry Bentivolio 42,468 65.5 N/A
Republican Total Write-In 22,490 34.5 N/A

Democratic

Only two candidates, both with low name recognition qualified for the Democratic Primary ballot before McCotter's resignation. They were Dr. Syed Taj, a member of the Canton Township Board of Trustees and Bill Roberts, a Lyndon LaRouche activist whose main goal was to impeach President Barack Obama and campaigned with posters with Obama having a mustache similar to Adolf Hitler. [10]

Results

2012 Democratic Primary - Michigan's 11th Congressional District [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Democratic Syed Taj 21,952 58.9 N/A
Democratic Bill Roberts 15,338 41.1 N/A

General election

Candidates

Results

2012 General Election - Michigan's 11th Congressional District [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Republican Kerry Bentivolio 181,788 50.8 N/A
Democratic Syed Taj 158,879 44.4 N/A
Libertarian John Tatar 9,637 2.7 N/A
Green Steven Duke 4,569 1.3 N/A
Natural Law Daniel Johnson 3,251 0.9 N/A

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References

  1. ↑ Blake, Aaron (June 20, 2011). "Michigan map highlights GOP redistricting challenges". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  2. ↑ Spangler, Todd (July 6, 2012). "Rep. Thaddeus McCotter resigns, citing 'nightmarish' circumstances". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  3. ↑ Eggert, David (July 10, 2012). "Lt. Gov. Brian Calley calls special $650K election to fill Thad McCotter's seat". Booth Newspapers MLive.com. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  4. ↑ Eggert, David (May 25, 2012). "Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter short on signatures for 2012 bid to retain his seat". mlive.com. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  5. ↑ Eggert, David (May 29, 2012). "Thad McCotter will run write-in campaign after signature issues". mlive.com. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ Eggert, David (June 2, 2012). "Thad McCotter ends write-in campaign for Congress". mlive.com. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  7. ↑ Swickard, Joe (August 11, 2012). "Thaddeus McCotter's top aides charged in election fraud case". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Eggert, David (June 7, 2012). "Former state Sen. Nancy Cassis to run for Thad McCotter's congressional seat". Booth Newspapers. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  9. 1 2 "2012 Official Michigan Primary Election Results - 11th Congressional District". miboecfr.nictusa.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  10. ↑ Schultz, Marisa (July 19, 2012). "Opponents square off after McCotter's failed bid for seat". Detroit News . Retrieved August 17, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/candlist/12GEN/12GEN_CL.HTM
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
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