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Open Seat and GOP Edge Yield Crowded Michigan Primary
Congressional Quarterly ^ | September 8, 2009 | Derek Wallbank

Posted on 09/09/2009 9:05:42 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued

Former three-term state Rep. Bill Huizenga jumped into the race the day after Hoekstra announced he’d forgo another term in the House to run for governor. The two men have a long history together, as Huizenga was Hoekstra’s director of public policy for six years and ran three of his campaigns.

Michigan’s term-limit law barred Huizenga, a former chairman of the state House Commerce Committee, from seeking re-election in 2008. His jump start for the 2010 campaign has helped him secure a number of early endorsements from current and former legislators in western Michigan.

State Sen. Wayne Kuipers has taken a vastly different approach to exploring a potential bid. He is one of two state senators in Michigan who chair two committees — his are Education and Judiciary — and he has been largely engrossed in state issues, such as getting the fiscal 2009-10 budget passed by the Sept. 30 deadline and examining whether Algebra II should be a high school graduation requirement.

Kuipers said he has been holding meetings to gauge support. “Short of getting out in front and announcing in your paper, I’d say things are looking good to getting in,” said Kuipers, adding that he’d “have a formal announcement sometime after the budget is resolved here in Michigan.”

Two other challengers are positioning themselves as political outsiders at a time when Michigan’s severe economic downturn has eroded public support for the state government. Each is eager to paint Huizenga’s and Kuipers’ careers in Lansing as a liability.

Jay Riemersma is the better known of the two, having starred as a tight end at the University of Michigan in the mid-1990s. He played in the National Football League, for seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills and two with the Pittsburgh Steelers, before tearing a knee ligament and retiring

(Excerpt) Read more at cqpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Michigan; Campaign News; U.S. Congress
KEYWORDS: 2010; mi2010

1 posted on 09/09/2009 9:05:42 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
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To: grellis; fieldmarshaldj; AuH2ORepublican; Impy; Norman Bates

Ping


2 posted on 09/09/2009 9:06:26 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Liberal sacred cows make great hamburger)
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To: Springman; sergeantdave; cyclotic; netmilsmom; RatsDawg; PGalt; FreedomHammer; queenkathy; ...
A picture

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

The Governor's seat should be a lock for the GOP, but don't worry, they'll blow it. With a field as crowded as this, they are well on their way to blowing it.

Will any MI politician pay attention to what happened in the 7th with Schwartz???

3 posted on 09/10/2009 4:42:27 AM PDT by grellis (I am Jill's overwhelming sense of disgust.)
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To: grellis; AdmSmith; Berosus; bigheadfred; Convert from ECUSA; dervish; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...

Thanks grellis. Pubbies need to run against the global warming demagogues throughout the country, but particularly here in the snow belt. We didn’t even get much of a tourism season because this summer’s weather sucked.


4 posted on 09/10/2009 2:34:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: grellis

In a safe Republican district, the party needs to nominate the most conservative candidate possible. IMHO, Jay Riemersma is that candidate.


5 posted on 09/12/2009 4:10:53 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Liberal sacred cows make great hamburger)
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