FeedsState ballot will have familiar names
It was hardly a surprise that former State Rep. John Stewart announced his candidacy for state Senate last week.
I don’t think anyone really expected he would go away and he’s been traveling around to various municipal meetings during the past few weeks, if not months and, let’s face it: you don’t really do that unless you have to. Take it from me, they’re not a whole lot of fun.
Even before he formally announced his candidacy, I thought this would be one of the most interesting elections in 2010. There is a dynamic here that you rarely see.
First of all, Bruce Patterson, the incumbent, will be term-limited out of office. He has hinted at a run for state-wide office, particularly attorney general.
That leaves the district wide open.
The seventh district in the Senate is a peculiarly shaped one; it includes the primarily Republican communities of Plymouth, Canton and Northville, as well as Democratic strongholds of Belleville, Van Buren Township, Sumpter Township and the downriver communities of Woodhaven, Gibraltar, Trenton, Flat Rock, Rockwood and Grosse Ile. The majority of the district, in fact, leans to the Democrat side of the aisle, but Patterson had been successful in winning election because of his strong representation of the downriver areas—and he was fortunate in his competition, too.
Stewart has experience in Lansing, but as a Republican, not a Democrat (he switched parties after he was term-limited out of office).
Will that matter? I don’t know. It will depend in part on how well the Democrats fare through this year—including how Gov. Jennifer Granholm approaches the budget deficit and economy in general—and if President Obama maintains his popularity. It will also depend on how many people vote a straight party ticket and how many, like me, evaluate each candidate for what he or she brings to the table.
Of course, the other names on the ballot will factor into it, too. The Republicans did themselves no favors in this district last year, when they essentially left Northville Township out in the cold over the annexation issue. That was not Patterson’s fault—he did everything he could, even breaking ranks with the Republican Senate majority to try to help.
State Rep. Marc Corriveau (D-Northville) would have a good chance at claiming the Senate seat, if he chose to run. But he’ll have to weigh if he wants to do that or seek a third term in the House where, because of his effectiveness there, he’ll be in line for a leadership position.
The Republicans are on the ropes in western Wayne County. They lost the 20th District four years ago and they lost the 21st District last year. They’ll have to come up with someone with a lot of name recognition and stay away from the negatives in order to have a chance.
