Cindy Gamrat for State Representative

The following is an (edited) message from former state rep. Jack Hoogendyk.

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There is a hotly contested primary race in Allegan County; the election is one week from today. Two women are running for the Republican nomination in the 80th district seat currently held by conservative Christian, Bob Genetski. He has represented his district well over the last six years. His principles and ideals and his voting record have reflected the principles and ideals of his district.

Bob has stated that Cindy is a good conservative and spoke at her event last week.

Before Bob Genetski, Fulton Sheen served the 80th district for six years. During that time, he was rated one of the most consistently conservative members in the legislature. He too, represented Allegan County well. Fulton Sheen is wholeheartedly endorsing Cindy Gamrat for state representative.

Next week, voters in the 80th district have the opportunity to carry on that tradition by electing Cindy Gamrat as their Republican candidate for state representative.

As someone who served six years in the state legislature, right alongside Fulton Sheen, and as virtually the only legislator to ever be rated MORE conservative that Fulton Sheen, (we traded that honor back and forth!), I can tell you that the right choice for the 80th district is Cindy Gamrat and that is why I endorse Cindy Gamrat for state representative.

I know Cindy Gamrat and I can confidently encourage voters of the 80th district to cast your ballot for Cindy Gamrat next Tuesday. Whether you live in the district or not, you can help. Knock on doors for Cindy this week and say a prayer for her as she continues working hard to earn the vote in Allegan County.

Michigan State House Fundraising

July 25 was the deadline for campaign finance reports for Michigan legislature.  Here are summaries of the total amounts raised in competitive Republican primaries and general elections for Michigan state house.  Ratings are included.  Based on fundraising, 52 and 110 move to safe D, and 91 moves to tossup.

1. (D) Banks 26K Thompson 55K (12K self)
19. (R) (Likely Cox) Cox 62K Crider 21K (20K self)
21. (Lean D) (R) Fausonne 58K (D) Mathis ? Mosher 63K Pagan 88K (23K self)
23. (Lean R) (R) Somerville 118K (D) Haener 5K Linko 36K Ptaszynski $100
25. (Lean D) (R) Hawatmeh 47K (D) Yanez 96K
30. (Lean R) (R) Farrington 82K (D) Bogdan waiver Karpinsky 28K
36. (R) (Lean Grot) Grot 98K (32K self) Lucido 251K (136K self)
38. (R) (Likely Crawford) Lauffer 17K (13K self) Crawford 47K
39. (Lean R) (R) (Lean Kesto) Kesto 199K O'Hagan 23K (D) Colvin 31K
41. (Lean R) (R) Howrylak 72K (D) Kerwin 32K
42. (R) (Likely Theis) Fiani 4K Perlberg 32K (15K self) Rogers 2K Theis 80K
43. (R) (Tossup) Aliaga 14K Knapper 10K Schroeder 47K (32K self) Tedder  47K (31K self)
44. (R) (Likely Runestad) Runestad 82K Fessler Smith ? Garlick 13K Tierney 52K
45. (R) (Lean Webber) Avery 26K Mangiapane $484 Webber 29K
46. (R) (Likely Jacobsen) Jacobsen 128K Reilly 20K
47. (R) (Tossup) Campbell 30K Day 32K Vaupel 82K (58K self)
52. (Safe D) (R) Hochstetler waiver (D) Driskell 129K
56. (Lean R) (R) (Likely Sheppard) Sheppard 36K Kubiske 34K (16K self) (D) Redmond 24K
57. (Lean R) (R) Jenkins 61K (D) Wimple 19K
58. (R) (Tossup) Benzing 12K Haberl 17K Jacques 4K Leutheuser 34K (10K self) Nottingham 2K Ray 34K (33K self)
59. (R) (Lean Bippus) Bippus 169K (160K self) Miller 10K Rathburn 58K (37K self) Sills 17K
60. (D) (Lean Buskirk) Buskirk 53K Goodacre 5K Hoadley 138K
61. (R) (Tossup) Iden 56K Stinchcomb 32K (D) Fisher 20K
62. (Lean D) (R) (Tossup) Bizon 105K (65K self) Kale 34K
    (D) (Lean Todd) Helmboldt 11K Morgan 9K Todd 5K
63. (R) (Lean Potter) Maturen 46K (25K self) Potter 46K (40K self) (D) Farmer 23K
65. (R) (tossup) Calhoun 27K (23K self) Moretz 25K (18K self) Roberts 49K (46K self) Stormont 20K (10K self) Sutherby (7K self)
71. (Tossup) (R) Barrett 55K (D) Abed 92K
72. (R) (Likely Yonker) Hudson 18K (15K self) Yonker 47K
73. (R) (Lean Afendoulis) Afendoulis 95K Decker 31K (10K self) Norton 23K (10K self) Pfaff 27K (12K self) Regan 29K (23K self)
76. (Lean D) (R) (Tossup) Allard 34K (19K self) DeJonge 43K (10K self) (D) Brinks 131K
79. (R) (Lean Pscholka) Duran 16K Pscholka 135K
80. (R) (Lean Gamrat) Gamrat 39K Schulz 40K (26K self) Whiteford 62K (43K self)
82. (R) (Tossup) Courser 27K (23K self) Hunsanger 10K Peabody 59K (29K self) Smith 13K
84. (R) (Tossup) Boehmer 8K Canfield 71K (15K self) Damrow 4K Grimshaw 6K Jobe 10K (6K self) Wassa 35K (33K self) Wencel 60K (50K self) (D) Jaroch 14K
86. (R) (Likely Lyons) Lyons 64K Rigas 6K
90. (R) (Lean Garcia) Garcia 63K Harmsen 5K Haveman 7K (6K self) Kroll waiver
91. (Tossup) (R) (Safe Hughes) Erb 1K Hughes 195K (100K self) Riekse ? (D) Lamonte 145K
95. (D) Braddock 8K Guerra 14K
98. (R) (Lean Glenn) Glenn 171K (26K self) Ieuter 151K
101. (Lean R) (R) Franz 78K (D) Stobie 86K
104. (R) (Tossup) Callahan 26K Hentschel 5K Hinton (28K self) Inman 40K (24K self) Lundy 2K Renny 35K (25K self) Vore 13K Wunsch 39K (29K self)
105. (R) (Lean Cole) Cole 37K Cutler 25K Vickory 3K
107. (R) (Tossup) Chatfield 74K (25k self) Foster 116K
110. (Safe D) (R) Michaels $0 (D) Dianda 77K

Michigan State Senate Fundraising

The deadline for pre-primary campaign finance reports for the Michigan state legislature was July 25.  The following details the amount raised in competitive primary elections, and cash on hand (COH) in competitive general elections.  Ratings for the races are included.  Districts 29 and 38 move to safe R based on fundraising.

2. (D) Safe Johnson
Bert Johnson: 60K
John Olumba: waiver
Georgia Lemmons: waiver

4. (D) Lean Smith
Virgil Smith: 164K
Rashida Tlaib: 230K

5. (D) Lean Knezek
David Nathan: 34K
David Knezek: 109K
Shanelle Jackson: ?
Thomas Stallworth: ?

7. Lean R
Pat Colbeck (R) 214K (28K COH)
Dian Slavens (D) 114K (101K COH)

11. (D) Lean Gregory
Vincent Gregory: 55K
Vicki Barnett: 56K
Ellen Cogen Lipton: 150K

13. Lean R
(R) Tossup
Chuck Moss: 179K (89K COH)
Marty Knollenberg: 50K (3K COH)
Rocky Raczkowski: 70K (12K COH)
Al Gui: waiver
Ethan Baker: 20K (3K COH)
(D) Likely Fishman
Ryan Fishman: 211K (74K COH)
Cyndi Peltonen: 7K ($352 COH)

15. (R) Likely Kowall
Mike Kowall: 290K
Matt Maddock: 68K (28K self)

17. Tossup
Dale Zorn (R) 125K (74K COH)
Doug Spade (D) 81K (56K COH)

20. Tossup
Margaret O'Brien (R) 173K (120K COH)
Sean McCann (D) 268K (209K COH)
Lorence Wenke (L) (3K COH)

24. Safe R
Rick Jones (R) 149K (62K COH)
Dawn Levey (D) 35K (33K COH)

25. Safe R
Phil Pavlov (R) 175K (144K COH)
Terry Brown (D) 42K (26K COH)

28. (R) Likely MacGregor
Peter MacGregor: 273K (119K COH)
Kevin Green: 19K (15K self)

29. Safe R (change from likely R)
Dave Hildenbrand (R) 278K (204K COH)
(D)
Penny Lance: 8K (5K COH)
Michael Scruggs: waiver

31. Likely R
(R) Lean Green
Mike Green: 315K (153K COH)
Kevin Daley: 57K (11K COH)
Ron Mindykowski (D) 24K (9K COH)

32. Tossup
Ken Horn (R) 190K (96K COH)
(D) Lean Oakes
Stacy Erwin Oakes: 207K (119K COH)
Garnet Lewis: 96K (33K COH)

34. Lean R
(R) Safe Hansen
Geoff Hansen: 301K (249K COH)
Nick Sundquist: 17K (1K COH)
Cathy Forbes (D) 80K (67K COH)

37. (R) Lean MacMaster
Greg McMaster: 60K (11K COH)
Wayne Schmidt: 313K (72K COH)

38. Safe R (change from likely R)
Tom Casperson: 303K R, 135K COH
(D)
Chris Lamarche: ?
Christopher Germain: 1K ($560 COH)

Madison Project Michigan Endorsements (Round 2)

The Madison Project Michigan has issued its second and final list of endorsements for the August 2014 primary election. The first list is here. We encourage conservatives across Michigan to vote for these candidates and to donate to the Madison Project Michigan.

House District 38 Dan Lauffer, Republican - Walled Lake
Dan Lauffer is a retired pastor and college professor. He is running on opposition to Medicaid expansion and tax increases. He faces a competitive primary against Kathy Crawford in a safely Republican district.

House District 56 Jason Sheppard, Republican - Lambertville
Jason Sheppard is a Monroe County commissioner and business owner. He is running on a solidly conservative platform. He is solely endorsed by Michigan Right to Life. He faces a contested primary in this highly competitive district.

House District 58 Jeff Jacques, Republican - Jonesville
Jeff Jacques is a small businessman with an economics degree from Hillsdale College. He is running on a solidly conservative platform. He faces a competitive primary in a safely Republican district.

House District 59 John Bippus, Republican - Three Rivers
John Bippus is a former St. Joseph County commissioner and current road commission chairman. He has advocated for fiscally conservative policies. He is solely endorsed by Michigan Right to Life. He faces a competitive primary in a safely Republican district.

House District 65 Robert Sutherby, Republican - Jackson
Robert Sutherby is a Leoni Township Trustee and local businessman. He is running on opposition to tax increases. He is solely endorsed by Michigan Right to Life. He faces a competitive primary in a safely Republican district.

House District 72 Gabe Hudson, Republican - Byron Center
Gabe Hudson was a career US Army soldier and Vietnam veteran. He is running on opposition to Medicaid expansion and Common Core. He is challenging moderate incumbent Republican Ken Yonker in the primary in this safely Republican district.

House District 73 Frank Pfaff, Republican - Comstock Park
Frank Pfaff is a US Army veteran and salesman in the jewelry industry. He is a solid fiscal and social conservative. He faces a competitive primary in a safely Republican district.

House District 79 Cindy Duran, Republican - St. Joseph
Cindy Duran is a registered nurse and conservative activist in Berrien County. She is passionately opposed to Medicaid expansion and Common Core. She is challenging moderate incumbent Republican Al Pscholka, who supported Medicaid expansion and Common Core, in the primary. The district leans Republican in the general election.

House District 90 Geoff Haveman, Republican - Hudsonville
Geoff Haveman is a lawyer and Republican activist. He is running on a strong limited government platform. He faces a competitive primary in a safely Republican district. (Note that David Kroll is also an acceptable candidate in this race.)

House District 105 Triston Cole, Republican - Mancelona
Triston Cole is a small business owner and family farmer. He has successfully advocated for legislation that reduced regulations on farming and trucking. He faces a competitive primary in a safely Republican district.

John Bippus for State Representative

The best choice for conservatives in Michigan's 59th state house district is John Bippus.

The district is being vacated by moderate Matt Lori due to term limits.  The district contains all of St. Joseph and the majority of Cass Counties.

There are four Republican candidates to replace him.  John Bippus is a St. Joseph County road commissioner and former county commissioner.  Roger Rathburn is the Three Rivers school superintendent.  Bob Sills is a former legislative staffer and Republican activist.  Aaron Miller is a teacher.

Bippus is solely endorsed by Michigan Right to Life, which means that at least one of the other candidates in the race is not pro-life.  Voting for one of the other candidates risks splitting pro-life vote and allowing a pro-abortion candidate to win. 

Bippus is tied (with Miller) for the highest pro-gun rating from NRA and MCRGO.  Bippus is a fiscal conservative who privatized a county-run nursing home during his time on the county commission.  He is worthy of conservative support.

Vic Potter for State Representative

Conservatives have a clear choice for state representative in Michigan's 63rd district: Vic Potter.

Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger is term-limited in the 63rd district, which encompasses eastern Kalamazoo and southern Calhoun Counties.  The population is about evenly split between the two counties.

There are two Republican candidates running.  Vic Potter is a businessman (towing) and president of the Marshall School Board in Calhoun County.  David Maturen is the chairman of the Kalamazoo County Commission.  Maturen represents only Brady and Pavilion Townships in the 63rd district.

Potter is a solid conservative who saved money for the Marshall School district.  Maturen is a 'good government' moderate who has long opposed conservatives in the Republican party.  Potter is solely endorsed by Michigan Right to Life; Maturen is pro-abortion.  Potter has significantly higher ratings from pro-gun groups (NRA and MCRGO) than Maturen does.  Potter would be a stronger supporter of limited government than Maturen.

Vic Potter deserves the support of conservatives in the 63rd state house district.

Phil Stinchcomb for State Representative

In the Republican primary for state representative in the 61st district, conservatives have a clear choice: Phil Stinchcomb.

The district is being vacated by Margaret O'Brien, who is running for state senate.  There are two Republican candidates: Phil Stinchcomb and Brandt Iden.  Both are Kalamazoo County Commissioners who were first elected in 2010.  However, they have different approaches to politics.

Phil Stinchcomb is a principled conservative who will vote for conservative values even when it isn't convenient.  His focus in office has been reforming the property tax system, including the way that home values are assessed.  This may not be the most glamorous issue, but it has a real impact on many homeowners.  In the process, he attracted the ire of many local government officials worried that fixing property tax assessments would threaten their budgets.

Similarly, Phil can be counted on to vote against Medicaid expansion, Common Core, gas tax increases, and corporate welfare, unlike many Republicans in Lansing.  This blog is not aware of Brandt Iden having taken positions on these issues.  Phil has higher ratings on gun rights from both the National Rifle Association and Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners.

None of this should imply that Brandt Iden is a bad guy.  But his short career in politics so far suggests that he would go along to get along, and support bad legislation if it would be politically convenient.  Iden also touts his endorsements from various business lobbies.  But while these groups support some good things, they also support all sorts of corporate welfare spending, subsidies, and tax loopholes.  Their support for Iden suggests that he is likely to do the same.

Phil Stinchcomb would be a consistent defender of the free market, right to life, gun rights, and family values.  Conservatives should give him their support on August 5.

Invading Vassar

The border crisis is coming to Michigan, as the government is shipping some of the invaders to the small town of Vassar in Tuscola County.

MI: SOUTHERN BORDER IMMIGRATION CRISIS COMES TO VASSAR

The current crisis on the southern border, involving tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, has now become a concern for Michiganders who live in a rural community with less than 3000 people.

Wolverine Human Services, a social services agency which typically helps needy Michigan children, is in the process of securing a contract and negotiating with the Office of Refugee Resettlement to bring between 60- 120 male illegal immigrants, between the ages of 12-17, to the small city of Vassar without any input from residents of the community.

Mattawan Divided

Julie Mack has a long article on the alleged divide in the Mattawan School District between Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

Mattawan quest for new schools is partly struggle between rural working-class and affluent suburbanites

It starts with the usual wailing about how much the district needs new buildings.

Yet while Mattawan is one of the region's most affluent school districts, it arguably has among the worst facilities -- particularly the drab, half-century-old elementary school complex on Murray Street, which serves almost 2,000 students in grades K-5. The buildings are routinely described as severely overcrowded and sorely outdated.

School supporters say such facilities are an embarrassment in a district known for its stellar academics and programs. Indeed, the school system is one of the biggest magnets drawing new residents into the area.

How is it possible that Mattawan has "stellar academics and programs" when its facilities are "severely overcrowded and sorely outdated"?  Has anyone considered the possibility that facilities don't make much difference in student outcomes?

So what is the divide?  The article notes that the Kalamazoo side is richer:

Currently, Kalamazoo County accounts for 60 percent of the district's voters, 69 percent of the district's tax base and is the residence of four of the seven school board members

And zero percent of the district's schools, curiously.

However, opposition to tax increases is stronger on the Van Buren side.

In the May 2011 election, the Van Buren and Kalamazoo precincts each had the same number of "no" votes -- 1,047. But there were 1,081 "yes" votes in Kalamazoo County, compared to 610 in Van Buren County.

In the November 2011 election, which had higher turnout, the bond proposal was defeated by 52 percent of the voters in Kalamazoo County and 59 percent in Van Buren.

So it is the richer people pushing for a tax increase and the poorer people resisting, which is the opposite of the usual class warfare narrative.

Here are a couple more statistics.  Julie Mack quotes three supporters of the millage and zero opponents.  Also, 100% of the authors of the article obviously support the millage.

Madison Project Michigan Endorsements (Round 1)

The Madison Project Michigan has just issued its first round of endorsements.

Our values are Pro-Life, Pro-Family, Limited Government, Defenders of Religious Freedom. We only endorse candidates who clearly demonstrate their conservatism. We evaluate every House and Senate race in Michigan, and our endorsements are only extended to key competitive races which have a strong conservative candidate with the ability to win.

The Madison Project Michigan PAC raises money for conservative candidates through our network of grassroots conservatives. We provide our members with campaign profiles of selected candidates, and contributions to the PAC are used to support those candidates.

Please DONATE to the Madison Project Michigan PAC to help us elect solid conservatives in Michigan.

ENDORSED CANDIDATES (more endorsements will follow soon):

Senate District 7 Patrick Colbeck, Republican - Canton              
Senator Patrick Colbeck is a leading conservative voice in the Michigan state senate.  He was first elected in 2010, defeating several more established politicians.  He immediately became a champion for Right to Work, building a coalition that eventually saw the bill passed and signed into law in 2012.  He also led the effort to stop Medicaid expansion in Michigan and has been a reliable vote for conservative causes.  He faces a primary challenge, but his main battle will be in the general election.  He is being targeted by democrats and unions, and his opponent will be democrat State rep. Dian Slavens.

House District 42 Lana Theis, Republican -  Brighton                
Lana Theis is Brighton Township Treasurer and former Chairwoman of the Livingston GOP.  She has been a leading advocate for conservative causes for many years, including limiting government's power to raise taxes.  She is solely endorsed by Michigan Right to Life.  She faces a primary that includes a liberal "Republican" who endorsed Obama and raising taxes.  The district is safely Republican.
 
House District 43 Jose Aliaga, Republican - Clarkston                 
Jose Aliaga is an Independence Township Trustee who is also a teacher.  He has advocated for conservative causes in both Independence Township and across the state.  He faces a competitive primary in a safely Republican district.

House District 44 Jim Runestad, Republican - Waterford         
Jim Runestad is an Oakland County Commissioner and small business owner.  He led the effort to mandate E-verify for county contractors, to ensure that these jobs go to American citizens.  He has also advocated for fiscal responsibility and civil liberties on the county commission.  He faces a competitive primary in this safely Republican district.

House District  47  Wendy Day, Republican - Howell                 
Wendy Day is a former Howell School Board Trustee who fought to bring transparency and fiscal accountability to the district.  She also ran the Tea Party group Common Sense in Government which helped to eliminate the illegal SEIU ripoff of home health care workers. She faces a competitive primary in this safely Republican district.  (Note that Phil Campbell is also an acceptable candidate in this race.)

House District 61 Phil Stinchcomb, Republican - Portage       
Phil Stinchcomb has been a Kalamazoo County Commissioner since 2010.  He is a sales representative selling steel to manufacturers.  He has been a leading advocate for property tax reform and fair valuation of housing.  He faces a competitive primary in this fairly Republican house district.  See Phil's Announcement Video here.

House District 71 Tom Barrett, Republican - Potterville               
Tom Barrett is a US Army veteran who has served three tours overseas, including one in Iraq.  He is a longtime conservative activist who has fought for many conservative causes and candidates across the state.  He is not opposed in the primary.  He is challenging liberal democrat State rep Theresa Abed in the general election in this highly competitive district.

House District 80 Cindy Gamrat, Republican - Plainwell            
Cindy Gamrat is a Registered Nurse and homeschool mom.  She is also the founder of the Plainwell Patriots TEA Party group. She has advocated for many conservative causes across the state.  Cindy faces a competitive primary in this safely Republican district.

House District  98  Gary Glenn, Republican - Midland               
Gary Glenn is a longtime conservative activist in Michigan.  He is President of the American Family Association of Michigan.  He was the author of the Michigan Marriage Amendment passed by public vote in 2004.  He was a leader of the Michigan Freedom to Work Coalition which helped to pass Michigan's Right to Work law in 2012.  He faces a competitive primary in this safely Republican district.