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Gautham Nagesh

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Nov 3 2009, 9:35PM

In Michigan Bellwether, Nofs Pads His Lead

by Gautham Nagesh

It looks like Mike Nofs will win the special election in Michigan's 19th State Senate District. From the Jackson Citizen Patriot:

With 63 of 107 precincts reporting, Mike Nofs, a Republican from Battle Creek, leads with 13,571 votes to Martin Griffin's 6,302 votes in the 19th district state Senate race.

The polls closed at 8 p.m.

Griffin, D-Jackson, and Nofs, are competing to fill the vacancy left by Mark Schauer, who was elected to Congress last fall. The 19th District includes Calhoun County and all of Jackson County except for Summit, Leoni, Grass Lake and Norvell townships.
One other notable electoral result in Michigan: former television reporter Charles Pugh is currently leading the pack and poised to become the president of the Detroit City Council. Pugh would be the city's first openly gay council member. I defer to my colleague Ta-Nehisi on the subject of homophobia the African-American community, but this is an important milestone to note in one of America's largest cities with a black majority.
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Nov 3 2009, 2:36PM

The Real Bellwether May Be In Michigan

by Gautham Nagesh

Most of the political class is focused on three races today: gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey and the Congressional race in New York's 23rd District. But across the country voters are casting ballots for state and local races that could have greater implications for next year's mid-term elections. One example is the special election in Michigan's 19th State Senate District where Republican and heavy favorite Mike Nofs is squaring off with Democrat Martin Griffin to replace Democrat Mark Schauer, who was elected to Congress last fall.

The race has been the focal point for both state parties in recent weeks, leading Michael Meyers of TargetPoint Consulting to call it a potential bellwether for 2010:

If Republican Mike Nofs is successful in retaking the seat and adding a new member to the Republican majority, it will have direct and meaningful consequences on the 2010 election's and its effects will be felt well into the next decade.

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