Nancy Skinner (commentator)

Last updated

Nancy Skinner is a nationally syndicated radio and television commentator, based in Detroit, Michigan.

Contents

She has run for political office four times. In 2004, she was a Democratic candidate for an open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, losing in the Democratic primary election to then-state senator Barack Obama. In 2006, she ran for the United States House of Representatives in Michigan's 9th congressional district in the 2006 elections, losing to the 14-year incumbent Republican, Joe Knollenberg. In 2014, she ran again for the House of Representatives, this time in Michigan's 11th congressional district, losing in the Democratic primary to Bobby McKenzie. In 2018 she again lost in the same primaries to Haley Stevens.

Early life

Skinner was born and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1987, receiving a BBA degree with an emphasis in finance and accounting.

Urban development

After graduation, Skinner worked for the family of businessman Mike Ilitch, helping to renovate Detroit's Fox Theatre and relocate the Little Caesars International (LCI) corporate headquarters to the Fox Office Building. She also worked on area redevelopment projects in Downtown Detroit, serving on the Grand Circus Park Redevelopment Board and helping plan for the theatre district's future.

Environmentalism

Following the great Midwestern floods of 1993, Skinner persuaded President Bill Clinton's White House to assemble a team of ten federal agencies and the nations' leading architects and engineers to rebuild two entire towns away from the floodplain using the principles of sustainable development. Their efforts were honored with an award from President Bill Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development. [1]

Skinner helped launch [2] the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), the first voluntary emissions trading program to address global climate change using free market principles. The exchange ran from 2003 to 2010.

Radio commentator

In 1998, Skinner began co-hosting a progressive weekend radio show called Ski & Skinner on WLS in Chicago where she was fired after announcing, on air, that she was running for the U.S. Senate. [3] In 2000, Skinner became co-host of The Doug Stephan Show, a syndicated national morning show heard on over 400 radio stations across the United States. Skinner's show inspired two listeners, Anita and Sheldon Drobny, to create the Air America Radio Network featuring Al Franken and other liberal radio hosts.[ citation needed ]

Since 1999, Skinner has been appearing regularly as a commentator on cable news channels CNN, MSNBC and the Fox News Channel. When she was offered the position of morning host at Detroit's progressive Air America talk radio station, WDTW 1310 AM, Skinner returned to her home state of Michigan, where she hosted morning drive.

Skinner substituted for Randi Rhodes and hosted The Randi Rhodes Show from February 5, 2009, through February 13, 2009. On February 16, 2009, The Nancy Skinner Show debuted on the On Second Thought radio network, the successor to the Nova M Radio network.

Political campaigns

In 2004, Skinner ran for the U.S. Senate from Illinois, losing in the Democratic primary to Barack Obama.

Skinner's 2006 campaign in Michigan's 9th district against Joe Knollenberg was initially seen as a long shot; as Knollenberg had double digits margins of victory and Skinner chose to run on the issue of climate change in the seat of the auto industry, where she was endorsed in an ad campaign by Robert Kennedy Jr. for her leadership on the issue. Though the race became more competitive in its final weeks, Knollenberg ultimately defeated Skinner 52 to 46 percent. [4]

After the election, Skinner took a position with the staff of First Gentleman Daniel Mulhern, husband of Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm and was on the Executive Team of Governor Jennifer Granholm. She resigned from this position and on October 16, 2007, Skinner officially announced that she was again running for the 9th congressional district. On February 25, 2008, however, Skinner announced that she was withdrawing from the race rather than face a contentious primary with former Michigan Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters. [5] (Peters went on to win the election.)

In 2014 Skinner ran again for the House of Representatives in Michigan's 11th congressional district. She came in 3rd in the Democratic primary, with 26.5% of the vote. The winner of the Democratic primary, Bobby McKenzie, went on to lose to the Republican nominee, David Trott. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Granholm</span> Canadian-American politician (born 1959)

Jennifer Mulhern Granholm is a Canadian-born American politician. Since 2021, she has served as the 16th United States Secretary of Energy. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as the Attorney General of Michigan from 1999 to 2003 and as the 47th Governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011, as the first woman to hold both offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Knollenberg</span> American politician (1933–2018)

Joseph Kastl Knollenberg was an American politician from Michigan. From 1993 to 2009, he was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Michigan's 9th congressional district and Michigan's 11th congressional district.

Patricia "Pan" Godchaux is a moderate Republican who ran for the United States Congress for the 9th federal congressional district in the state of Michigan. She challenged seven-term incumbent Joe Knollenberg in the Republican primary and hoped to get Democratic support, as the Democrats' challenger, Nancy Skinner, didn't have to face a primary contest. She notes that the district is inclined to vote Republican, and that unless citizens of the district want to re-elect a conservative Republican, their best chance to avoid doing so was by placing a moderate on the ballot in November. Ultimately Gochaux failed in her attempt to unseat the seven-term incumbent, garnering 30% of the vote to Knollenberg's 70%, or 20,211 to 46,713 votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hansen Clarke</span> American politician (born 1957)

Hansen Hashim Clarke is an American politician and former U.S. Congressman. A Democrat, he was the U.S. representative for Michigan's 13th congressional district from 2011 to 2013. Prior to his election to Congress, he had been a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1991 through 1992 and from 1999 through 2002, and represented the 1st district in the Michigan Senate from 2003 to 2011. Clarke was also the first U.S. Congressman of Bangladeshi descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States Senate election in Michigan</span>

The 2008 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 4, 2008 Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Carl Levin won reelection to a sixth and final term.

Martin "Marty" Knollenberg is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Michigan who previously served in the Michigan Senate from the 13th district. He was a member of the Michigan State House of Representatives, representing the 41st District which covers the cities of Troy and Clawson in Oakland County. He is the son of former U.S. Congressman Joe Knollenberg, who represented Michigan's 9th congressional district from 1993 until 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Peters</span> American politician and naval officer (born 1958)

Gary Charles Peters Sr. is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Michigan's 14th congressional district, which included the eastern half of Detroit, the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Southfield, and Pontiac, from 2009 to 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan</span>

The 2008 congressional elections in Michigan were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Michigan in the United States House of Representatives. Michigan had fifteen seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Dingell</span> American politician (born 1953)

Deborah Ann Dingell is an American politician who is a member of the Democratic Party who has been the U.S. representative for Michigan's 6th congressional district since 2015. She is the widow of John Dingell, her predecessor in the seat, who holds the record as the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history. She worked as a consultant to the American Automobile Policy Council. She was a superdelegate for the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Michigan gubernatorial election</span>

The 2002 Michigan gubernatorial election was one of the 36 United States gubernatorial elections held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican Governor John Engler, after serving three terms, was term-limited and was ineligible to run for a fourth term; his lieutenant governor Dick Posthumus, also a Republican, ran in his place. Jennifer Granholm, then Attorney General of Michigan, ran on the Democratic Party ticket. Douglas Campbell ran on the Green Party ticket, and Joseph M. Pilchak ran on the Constitution Party ticket.

Ellen Cogen Lipton is an American politician and patent attorney from Huntington Woods, Michigan. She currently serves on the Michigan State Board of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan</span>

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the 14 U.S. representatives from the state of Michigan, a decrease of one following the 2010 United States census. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election and an election to the U.S. Senate. Primary elections were held on August 7, 2012. The filing deadline for candidates to file to run in the primary was May 15. Except for two seats, all the incumbents sought re-election. The open seats were the 5th and 11th congressional districts. Due to the loss of one seat from the 2010 census, two congressmen ran against each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan</span>

The 2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, to elect the 14 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including the election of Michigan's governor, as well as the Class 2 U.S. Senate Seat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois</span>

The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 to elect the 18 U.S. representatives from the state of Illinois, one from each of the state's 18 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including Governor of Illinois and United States Senate. The GOP gained two seats in this election, one in the 10th district with the election of Bob Dold in a rematch with incumbent Brad Schneider, and one in the 12th district with the election of Mike Bost over incumbent William Enyart. The gains narrowed the Democrat margin to 10-8 in the delegation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan</span>

The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 14 U.S. representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate in 33 other states and various state and local elections. The deadline for candidates to file for the August 2 primary election was April 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan</span>

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the 14 U.S. representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other offices, including a gubernatorial election, other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The filing deadline for candidates filing for the August 7 primary was April 24, 2018. Unless otherwise indicated, the Cook Political Report rated the congressional races as safe for the party of the incumbent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Levin</span> American politician (born 1960)

Andrew Saul Levin is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 9th congressional district from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Levin was elected to the House in 2018, succeeding his retiring father, Sander Levin. He is the nephew of Carl Levin, formerly Michigan's U.S. senator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haley Stevens</span> American politician (born 1983)

Haley Maria Stevens is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 11th congressional district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Stevens was elected to represent the 11th district in the 2022 election, defeating 9th district incumbent Andy Levin in the primary and Republican nominee Mark Ambrose in the general election. Her district includes many of Detroit's northern and western suburbs, Auburn Hills, Troy, Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, West Bloomfield, Farmington, Farmington Hills, and Pontiac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Michigan gubernatorial election</span>

The 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer ran for re-election to a second term and faced former political commentator Tudor Dixon in the general election. Whitmer defeated Dixon by a margin of nearly 11 percentage points, a wider margin than polls indicated as well as a wider margin than Whitmer's first victory four years prior. Whitmer won independent voters by double-digit margins, which contributed to Dixon's defeat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan</span>

The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on November 8, 2022, to elect representatives for the thirteen seats in Michigan. The deadline for candidates to file for the August 2 primary was April 19. The congressional makeup prior to the election was seven Democrats and seven Republicans. However, after the 2020 census, Michigan lost one congressional seat. Democrats won a majority of seats in the state for the first time since 2008. This can be partly attributed to the decrease in the number of districts, which resulted in two Republican incumbents – Bill Huizenga and Fred Upton – in the new 4th district. Redistricting also played a part in shifting partisan lean of the districts which favored the Democrats overall, including in the 3rd district, which Democrats were able to flip with a margin of victory of 13 points. That was made possible by a non-partisan citizens' commission drawing the new political boundaries instead of the Michigan legislature after a 2018 ballot proposal was approved.

References

  1. ↑ Eco-Pioneers: Practical Visionaries Solving Today's Environmental Problems, Steve Lerner, Chapter 14
  2. ↑ Sula, Harold Henderson, Ben Joravsky, Ted Kleine, Tori Marlan, Michael Marsh, Michael Miner, Grant Pick, Kate Schmidt, Mike (11 March 2004). "The Reader's Guide to the 2004 Illinois Senate Primary". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2020-04-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "BuzzFlash Interviews Nancy Skinner, Liberal Talk Show Host Turned U.S. Senate Candidate". BuzzFlash. 23 July 2003.
  4. ↑ "2006 Official Michigan General Election Results - 9th District Representative". Archived from the original on 2007-01-26.
  5. ↑ Detroit Free Press - Breaking news, sports, business, entertainment [ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ Michigan's 11th Congressional District elections, 2014, Ballotpedia
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.