Gov. Rick Snyder Defeats Challenger Mark Schauer to Lead GOP Sweep for State Posts; U.S. Rep. Gary Peters Wins Senate Seat
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder won re-election in the general election Tuesday, leading a sweep among Republicans atop the ticket in statewide elections while U.S. Rep. Gary Peters defeated former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for the U.S. Senate seat, according to unofficial statewide election returns.
Snyder, a 56-year-old former Gateway chairman and COO, defeated challenger Mark Schauer, a 53-year-old Democrat from Battle Creek who formerly served in Congress and in the Michigan Legislature in both chambers. With more than 76 percent of precincts reporting, Snyder had a 51.6 percent to 46.2 percent margin over Schauer.
With U.S. Sen. Carl Levin not seeking a seventh six-year term, the seat was open to serve alongside U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Lansing. Peters, a 55-year-old three-term congressman from Bloomfield Township in suburban Detroit, captured the post in defeating Land, a 56-year-old Republican from Byron Center. He had a 54.2 percent to 41.8 percent edge.
Also re-elected to four-year state posts were Michigan’s secretary of state, incumbent Republican Ruth Johnson of Holly, and attorney general, incumbent Republican Bill Schuette of Midland.
Johnson defeated Democratic challenger Godfrey Dillard, of Detroit, 54 percent to 42 percent. Schuette beat Democratic challenger Mark Totten, of Kalamazoo, 52 percent to 44 percent.
Also, it appeared that Michigan voters were on their way to rejecting two wolf hunting ballot proposals. With 76 percent of precincts reporting, 55 percent were for keeping an annual wolf hunting season (Proposal 14-1, the state's 2012 law) and 64 percent were for keeping wolf hunting (Proposal 14-2, the 2013 law).
Snyder this year signed another law that allows wolf hunting to take effect in March 2015. There was a wolf hunt -- the only such hunt in Michigan in 75 years held last fall under the 2013 law, and hunters killed 23 wolves, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The current law was suspended.
Before being elected Michigan's 48th governor in 2010, when he defeated Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, a Democrat, Snyder was also chairman, CEO and co-founder of Ann Arbor-based venture capital firm Adresta LLC.
His term in office has been criticized by Democrats and detractors for his implementation of stronger powers for local government emergency managers, his backing of the controversial Right To Work legislation in 2012 and enacting taxes on retiree pensions. Republicans and supporters have lauded Snyder's repeal of the Michigan Business Tax and point to improved employment numbers as evidence of the state's comeback, as Snyder himself often mentions.