Tagged: Election 2012

Whether your candidates won or lost this week, we can all rejoice that it’s finally over. 

Or, we think it is.  We can’t be sure anymore, can we? 

All this made me ponder the relative craziness of politics versus sports. I got to thinking: Which is sillier?  Playing politics, or playing sports? 

As silly as sports are – and I seem to devote half my commentaries to that very subject – after watching the 2012 campaigns, I can tell you, it’s not even close: Playing politics is sillier, in a landslide.

Two days post-election and there was a mixed bag of results here in Michigan. President Obama won, the State House held onto a Republican majority, all of the proposed constitutional amendments were voted down, and the emergency manager law was overturned. Michigan Radio's Jennifer White talks election results and what they mean for Michigan. She was joined by Susan Demas, political analyst for Michigan Information and Research Service, and Ken Sikkema, former Senate Majority Leader and Senior Policy Fellow at Public Sector Consultants.

Despite losing a handful of seats in Tuesday’s election, Republicans have hung on to a small majority in the state House.

Democrats look to have picked up five seats, narrowing GOP control to eight.

Inside Michigan Politics Editor Bill Ballenger said Democrats had a chance to take control of the House.

“But apparently they squandered three-quarters of a million dollars trying to beat the speaker in a 57% Republican district out of some, I guess, personal vendetta about the Roy Schmidt party switch,” Ballenger said.

Millions of dollars were invested in Michigan’s recent ballot proposals.

While citizens were aware that money was being spent, it was often unclear how much money was spent and from whom it was coming.

Michigan Radio’s Lester Graham and Rich Robinson, director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, spoke with Cyndy about the need for financial transparency in elections.

A lot more money was spent in this election year than in past elections and much of that money at the national level and in Michigan was so-called ‘dark money.’

“Literally hundreds of millions not traceable to any donor in federal campaigns and certainly tens-of-millions in Michigan election campaigns," said Rich Robinson with the Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

We'll be posting news and information about election results here in Michigan on this blog post.

Refresh for updates.

Here are the vote tallies so far in Michigan.

You can also check out our Live Blog: Battleground ... contributions from NPR member stations.

And NPR's national live blog is below.

Update 1:52 a.m.

Thank you for following this blog. We're tired now, and we're going home. Our news team in the morning will pick things up and report on the races we've been following around Michigan.

1:36 a.m.

President Obama speaking to a crowd in Chicago now.

Here's an update on the Ann Arbor votes:

The Library Millage looks like it is headed for defeat with 71% reporting:

54% NO to 45% YES

The Arts proposal also appears to be failing:

55% NO to 45% YES

The parks millage in Ann Arbor passed.

1:19 a.m.

The race for Michigan's 1st Congressional District is very close with 87% reporting:

• Gary McDowell (D) 48%
• Dan Benishek (R) 48%

1:12 a.m.

The race for 2 seats on the Michigan's Supreme Court is close. With 66% reporting:

• Bridget Mary McCormick 24%
• Stephen Markman (incumbent) 23%
• Colleen O'Brien 22%
• Connie Kelly 21%

12:51 a.m.

Update on Proposal 1 - 61% reporting:

• 51% no
• 49% yes

Still waiting on votes from Wayne County.

12:38 a.m.

Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) wins in a tight race for the 63rd District in Michigan over Bill Farmer (D).

12:31 a.m.

It's a waiting game in Ann Arbor (60% of the vote counted):

Ann Arbor Library Millage: 53% no, 46% yes

Ann Arbor Arts Proposal: 54% no, 45% yes

12:20 a.m.

Proposal 1 update:
(with 51% precincts reporting)

51% no, 49% yes

Dan Kildee has been elected to Congressional District 5.

12:17 a.m.

Kerry Bentivolio (R) in Michigan's 11th Congressional District is leading with 50% of the vote to Sayed Taj's (D) 44% - 77% of the vote is counted.

Kerry Bentivolio leaves "victory party" without making formal speech; reporters feel cheated.

The race for Michigan's 1st Congressional District is neck and neck.

Dan Benishek (R) 48%
Gary McDowell (D) 48%
(69% of the vote counted)

11:55 p.m.

Labor leaders are looking to regroup in the wake of the defeat of Proposal 2.

The measure would have locked collective bargaining rights into the state Constitution.

Detroit Federation of Teachers President Keith Johnson says without the amendment, organized labor will likely continue to lose clout.
 
"It allows statutes to be passed by the Legislature that pretty much peel away at collective bargaining rights like skin off of an onion," said Johnson.
 
Organized labor leaders also hope to defeat Proposal 1, and repeal Michigan's emergency manager law. That race has yet to be called.

11:50 p.m.

All the proposed amendments to the Michigan Constitution went down tonight, including the Bridge vote (Proposal 6). The family that owns the Ambassador Bridge that backed Proposal 6, the Moroun family, spent close to $30 million on the campaign.

In a statement released tonight, the family defended their investment in the campaign:

"We are happy with the investment made in this campaign on behalf of taxpayers and the 5,000 families employed by Ambassador Bridge family of companies. Like any family business, we would do it again - and will in different ways - to defend economic freedom and limited government."

11:45 p.m.

Winnie Brinks (D) defeats Roy Schmidt (R) in the 76th State House District in Grand Rapids.