Hoekstra wins U.S. Senate nomination
Former Congressman Pete Hoekstra of west Michigan easily surged past two challengers to win the Republican U.S. Senate nomination. Hoekstra will face incumbent Senator Debbie Stabenow on the November ballot. Hoekstra beat Tea Party favorite Clark Durant and former judge Randy Hekman to win the nomination.
Congressional primary winners
Kerry Bentivolio easily won the Republican nomination for the 11th Congressional district. He is a teacher and raises reindeer on a farm in Milford.
Democrat congressman John Conyers won his primary last night. He will switch from representing the 14th to potentially representing the 13th district in the U.S. House because of newly drawn districts.
Current Oakland County Congressman Gary Peters won the Democratic primary for the newly-redrawn 14th Congressional district. If Peters wins the November election, he would be the first non-resident to represent Detroit in Congress.
Detroit millages
Voters passed a property tax in three southeastern counties last night to keep the Detroit Institute of Arts afloat. The museum is struggling financially after big cuts to its public and corporate funding. D.I.A. staff launched a campaign asking residents in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties to support the museum with a millage. The millage will last for 10 years and collect some 23 million dollars annually. It will cost $20 a year for a person with a home worth 200 thousand dollars. The vote was narrow enough in Macomb county that it’s still unclear whether a recount will be requested.
The Detroit City Council has rejected an effort to put a public safety millage on the November ballot. It would have raised $56-million over five years to hire 500 police officers and other first responders. Council members say property taxes in Detroit are already too high. Some questioned whether the Police department is managing its current resources effectively.
