Tagged: Election 2012

With U.S. Rep. Thad McCotter (R - 11th district) running for president, his U.S. House seat is being eyed by politicians with aspirations - specifically by State Senator Mike Kowall (R - White Lake).

McCotter hasn't said yet whether he plans to give up his House seat.

From the Associated Press:

State Sen. Mike Kowall of White Lake Township said Tuesday that he's running regardless of McCotter's plans.

Kowall says McCotter has made it clear he's running for president, not Congress. A request for comment from McCotter's spokeswoman was not immediately returned Tuesday...

Kowall is a former businessman and township supervisor who served in the state House from 1999-2002. He was elected senator last year. His wife is a state representative.

If you are a normal person, you probably aren’t thinking a lot right now about how Michigan Republicans should pick their choice for presidential candidate next year.

Actually, you probably don’t even want to think about Labor Day being less than two months away, let alone voting next winter.

But politicians work on a different schedule than ordinary mortals, and in the next few weeks, Republicans in this state are going to decide how to pick their choice for next year’s nominee.

Now, in most states, this isn’t something you have to agonize over. If you live in Iowa, you know that your state will kick things off with a caucus in early January. If you live in New Hampshire, you know you get to vote in the nation’s first primary, a couple of weeks later. But if you live in Michigan.

All you can count on is that the politicians will do something different from last time, and that they will likely screw it up.

Over the last forty years, we’ve lurched back and forth from a primary to a closed caucus to a somewhat more open caucus back to a primary that was sorta kinda closed …

Sometimes our primaries and/or caucuses  have been held in May. Sometimes in March, or April, or February. Last time, both parties outdid themselves in a blaze of stupidity.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - In a sign that the 2012 election season is under way in Michigan, the Republican National Committee is running ads criticizing Democratic President Barack Obama's record on job creation.

The 30-second ad began running on cable stations nationwide Wednesday. Starting next week, it will air for three more weeks in Michigan and a dozen other battleground states that could prove crucial to winning the White House next year.

The ad's announcer lists the nation's economic ills and says it's time to "change direction."

Michigan Democrats have taken a similar tack in criticizing Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, the target of a recall drive.

They've released a web video chastising the governor for reducing film credits and forcing layoffs through cuts to school districts and local governments.

Snyder calls the cutbacks necessary.

Republicans in the state are debating whether they'll use a primary or caucus system to choose their GOP candidate for  the 2012 presidential election, the Associated Press reports. From the AP:

The state GOP's Policy Committee plans to recommend its choice next week. The full GOP state committee is scheduled to make a final decision in mid-August.

Republican National Committee member Saul Anuzis says he thinks a primary would encourage the largest voter turnout and most visits by the candidates.

Others want a caucus, saying it will keep Democrats from interfering and give grass-roots activists more clout.

The primary is scheduled by law for next Feb. 28, but lawmakers could change the date. Michigan held its 2008 presidential primary in mid-January.

Michigan Democrats plan to choose their favorite at a May 5 caucus since President Barack Obama is the near-certain nominee.

Republican Congressman Thaddeus McCotter of Livonia kicked off his presidential campaign at a small town festival in Whitmore Lake tonight. He made the announcement under threatening skies and in front of 600 people attending a festival sponsored by a conservative talk radio station.

“Today I am announcing my candidacy for the nomination of my Republican party, to serve as your President of the United States,” McCotter told the crowd after taking the stage and briefly outlining his beliefs.

New candidates continue to join the ranks of those running for the Republican nomination for President in 2012.

The latest addition is Michigan Congressman Thaddeus McCotter. He filed paperwork to enter the race but some people are asking…who is Thaddeus McCotter?

Listen to this interview with Michigan Radio's Jennifer White and Bill Ballenger, Editor of Inside Michigan Politics.

Reports are swirling this morning that Republican Congressman Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan will make a bid for the GOP nomination for president.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Livonia congressman and rock 'n' roll guitarist Thaddeus McCotter is taking his act to a bigger stage today: He's filing paperwork to run for the presidency.

The 45-year-old McCotter, now in his fifth term representing northwestern Wayne and southeastern Oakland counties in Congress, will talk up his bid for the Republican nomination Saturday night at Freedom Fest at Whitmore Lake after appearing today on Sean Hannity's radio show.

"He's in it to win it," said a senior campaign adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement hadn't been made public.

From the Detroit News:

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter will officially kick off his bid for the White House on Saturday, three people briefed on the matter said late Thursday…

McCotter plans to file paperwork today with the Federal Election Commission, and his website, www.mccottter2012.com, is planned to be up and running today.

He has secured office space in western Wayne County for his campaign and has hired a former speaker of the Iowa House, Chris Rants, as a campaign adviser and is working to hire advisers in New Hampshire.

He becomes the third conservative member of the U.S. House to throw his hat into the 2012 GOP ring: Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Ron Paul of Texas also are running.

A McCotter run is making headlines across the U.S. this morning:

• Politico: Thad McCotter to join W.H. race Friday
• USA Today: Rep. McCotter to launch presidential bid on July 2
• TheHill.com: McCotter to enter presidential race
  

If you paid attention to the news yesterday, you probably know that a tussle is still going on over redistricting in Lansing. You may have heard that the troubled Detroit school system wants to cut their employees’ pay ten percent and eliminated hundreds of jobs.

We’re pulling troops out of Afghanistan and the federal budget talks are a mess, but I want to fill you in on a story you may have missed. Yesterday, Jon Bumstead endorsed Mitt Romney for president. This actually happened. Bumstead endorsed him.

The Associated Press reports Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will make campaign stops in Michigan this week:

From the AP:

A campaign spokesman said Tuesday the ex-Massachusetts governor would attend a Grand Rapids fundraiser Tuesday night and another in Detroit on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Romney is to campaign at a Livonia diner and attend a business round table in Detroit. They're his first Michigan stops since formally entering the race last week.

Romney's Michigan campaign staff has been revealed. From the Detroit Free Press:

• Lori Wortz, senior advisor - once served as Dick Posthumus' chief of staff
• Rob Macomber, state director - previously served as director of candidate and party assistance for former state Republican Party chairman Saul Anuzis
• Lauren Rakolta, state campaign finance director - daughter of John Rakolta, head of construction firm Walbridge Aldinger who served as a national chairman for the Romney campaign in 2008
• Bryce Sandler, state deputy finance director, once served as finance director for former U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg

In 2008, Romney won the Republican presidential primary in Michigan. He eventually pulled out of the race after John McCain won the Florida primary.