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2006-07-21 Home Front: Politix
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Upbeat GOP in Michigan
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 Democrats are in trouble in Michigan where the re-election chances of Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Sen. Debbie Stabenow are slipping in one of the weakest state economies in the nation. Mrs. Granholm is in worse shape than Mrs. Stabenow, but both have fallen below 50 percent in the latest polls in a political environment turned sour for their party, especially among Democratic blue-collar voters who have suffered the most from massive auto industry layoffs and an unemployment rate that has hit 7 percent.
Late last month a Michigan EPIC/MRA poll of likely voters showed Republican gubernatorial challenger Dick DeVos was leading Mrs. Granholm by 48 percent to 40 percent. That not only foreshadows a likely comeback for the GOP in the Statehouse but has raised fears among the Stabenow campaign's high command that she could be caught in the undertow of an anti-incumbent tide in the state.
Mrs. Granholm's deepening economic troubles are bad enough, signaling the GOP may well pick up several Democratic governorships to offset expected losses in New York and elsewhere. But Mrs. Stabenow's race, which has been overlooked by the pundits, could well be the sleeper of the 2006 midterm elections. She won in a squeaker in 2000 but has since been one of the least effective senators in Washington, passing no major legislation of her own and taking no proactive leadership role in behalf of Michigan's failing economy. Mrs. Stabenow has been one of the most invisible Democrats in the Senate. Knowlegis, a government management group that ranks lawmakers' legislative effectiveness, places the senator near the bottom of their Senate list at No. 95. But heading into this year, Republicans seemed unable to find a strong candidate to challenge Mrs. Stabenow. Their hopes seemed centered on the Rev. Keith Butler, a former Detroit city councilman who does not have the political heft needed to finance and run a competitive campaign.
Continued from Page 5
But then North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, the Republican senatorial campaign committee chairman, convinced popular Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard to get in the race. While Michigan Republicans must first go to the polls Aug. 8 to choose their candidate, Mrs. Dole and other party leaders here have already anointed Mr. Bouchard as their candidate. In a whirlwind series of meetings last month, former Michigan Gov. John Engler hosted a fund-raiser for him, picking up $80,000, followed by a closed-door luncheon with Mrs. Dole and other Republican senators who promised their full support if, as expected, he wins the primary.
Mr. Bouchard's resume is impressive. He began as a cop on the beat who authored Michigan's Sex Offender Registry. He won 14 elections, serving in the state Senate. He became the minority floor leader, pushing through one of the state's largest tax cuts and was elected the top law enforcement officer in the state's second-largest county (1.3 million people) with more than 60 percent of the vote. He made a name for himself as a national homeland security leader who went to New York to work in the rubble after September 11, 2001, and then brought assistance to New Orleans victims in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. 
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Posted by Fred 2006-07-21 00:00||
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Posted by Broadhead6 2006-07-21 09:01||
2006-07-21 09:01||
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Posted by anonymous2u 2006-07-21 16:27||
2006-07-21 16:27||
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