If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.
Posted on 08/05/2010 4:52:28 AM PDT by randita
GOP deadlocked for Stupak seat
By: Kasie Hunt
August 4, 2010 03:55 PM EDT
One vote: That's all that separates the two Republicans vying for the right to seek retiring Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak's House seat.
The unofficial vote tally kept by the Michigan secretary of state's office showed physician Dan Benishek with 27,091 votes Wednesday, compared with 27,090 for state Sen. Jason Allen. (The Associated Press gave Benishek a slightly larger, 12-vote lead.)
It's a margin so slim that the top two primary finishers could remain in limbo through weeks or even months of ballot-counting and litigation. And Democratic state Rep. Gary McDowell, who had a clear shot at his party's nomination, could end up with a significant head start on the general election.
"Apparently we have to hire these lawyers, the recount lawyers. It's just amazing," Benishek told POLITICO in an interview Wednesday. In Michigan, candidates can request recounts in specific precincts at a cost of $10 each or have the whole district recounted.
Allen's campaign would not say definitively whether the candidate would seek a recount but spoke positively about the process as one designed to protect voters. "When there is a one-vote difference, I think we are looking at democracy in action, and absolutely we would look at further scrutiny and make a decision about a recount," said Denise DeCook, an Allen consultant.
If the results hold, the contest will end up as one of the closest House campaigns in memory — far closer, even, than the 2004 general election fight between now-Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan and banker Christine Jennings, who battled each other to a 369-vote difference in what the House historian calls the most recent disputed House election.
First, however, Michigan officials have to certify the election results, and the near-tie is expected to take at least two weeks — and probably much longer — to resolve.
That's because counties have until Aug. 17 to certify their election results, Michigan Department of State spokesman Ken Silfven told POLITICO. Then, a state board will meet Aug. 23 to certify the winner. After that, the losing candidate has two days to request a recount. The winner then has seven days to object. Only after the board considers any objections can a recount begin.
A contested recount could place significant strain on the Michigan Republican Party, and on both candidates, as the November election approaches.
Benishek, who started running against Stupak in January before the incumbent bowed out, and with just his family and friends to support his campaign, has no intention of dropping out. "As far as I'm concerned, I won the election and that's all there is to it. I'm going to stand up for my rights as anyone else would in this situation," he said.
DeCook would not address whether Allen might be willing to concede. "We'll make that decision after we've gone through all of those steps over the next several weeks," she said.
MI state ping.
How about the way they did it a couple days ago in Pahrump, NV. The tied candidates for city commissioner agreed to settle the question by a card draw.
The two Pubs ought to agree to something like this. Maybe a coin toss. Then the loser concedes and throws his endorsement to the winner, and all get busy to smash the Dem in the face.
Here’s hoping one of them concedes but that’s extremely unlikely considering the closeness of the race. It will probably return the seat to the Dems though. That sucks.
Whoever wins the GOP nomination will win the seat.
The voters in the District know the Democrats betrayed them.
They absolutely should do something like that. It would set a wonderful example and show the country that the country’s best interest is actually more important than any one person’s ego or political future.
You’re probably right but an early resolution to the primary would certainly increase that possibility. Stupak isn’t running so that may mute some of the anger at the sense of betrayal.
The guy that won is a solid conservative and should never give up. Hell, the demoncrap running may well be more conservative than Allen.
Playing nice within the party matters vis a vis allowing the Democrat to win, when party identification is often the key to bloc votes in the legislature, and under the polarizing Obama there will be no shortage of party line bloc votes. The good can become the enemy of the perfect.
Jason Allen is the “republican” who introduced the bill that forced home care workers to unionize against their will.
“When the candidate that is behind in the count (Allen) is a big time RINO, I don’t want this settled with a coin toss just to play nice.”
Agreed. The RINO is acting like a Democrat. Surprise, surprise.
I find it difficult to grasp that a country where billions of dollars in money and goods are transferred daily, millions of transactions every hour day and night, that we can’t provide a system for letting everyone who wants to vote, do so once and only once, and then tabulate with great accuracy and promptly announce the results of the polling.
C’mon guys, the election process is too critical to the very life of our country to be so consistently tied up with close votes and/or questionable results. The only explanation I can come up with is that someone benefits from the haphazard system we have now. Any guesses?
Is this another case of the GOP hand-picked candidate -vs- the TEA party?
I’ve been here. So for what is worth here’s my take.
A) There will be a recount. Allen would be a fool if he lets go.
B) It will take much less time than projected by the wishful thinking AP. A total of 54,000 votes can easily be recounted in two days.
C) Given the trend of numbers the Democrat will gain nothing. He can’t run as a Democrat, he can only run as NOT THAT guy whomever THAT guy is. He can only try to scare voters which probably won’t work.
This is politico spin, remember. 3 times more GOP voters than dem voters turned out.
If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.
my vote is worth more than a coin toss
no, they shouldn’t Allen is a CINO and Benishek is a conservative.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.