Check out the website: https://lenspoliticalnotes.com Look at the recent Political Notes and Len’s Letters on the website Incumbents:
With slightly less than 10 million people, Michigan is our tenth largest state. Our ten smallest states have 20 Senators. Michigan has 2. Michigan also has 14 members of Congress – 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats. Recently, when Michigan voted state-wide, it has elected Democrats: In 2018, the former Minority Leader of the Michigan State Senate Gretchen Whitmer defeated the Attorney General Bill Schuette 53-44. In 2018, Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow defeated Republican businessman John James 52-46. In 2020, Democratic Senator Gary Peters defeated that same John James 50-48.
State-wide contests for 2022
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (See Political Note #381) v any of ten Republicans seeking the nomination.
Attorney General Dana Nessel (See Political Note #415) v any of three Republicans seeking the nomination
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (See Political Note #435) v any of three Republicans seeking the nomination.
Congressional races
MI 03 D+3 Attorney and 2020 candidate Hillary Scholten (See Political Note #447) v Incumbent Peter Meijer or any of three others in the Republican primary.
MI 04 R+9 Two Democrats v Incumbent Bill Huizenga or others in the Republican primary
MI 07 R+4 Incumbent Elissa Slotkin (See Political Note #378) v Republican State Senator Tom Barrett
MI 08 R+1 Incumbent Dan Kildee v either of two Republicans
MI 10 R+6 County Judge Carl Marlinga or another Democrat v Businessman John James
MI 11 D+15 Either of two incumbents Haley Stevens or Andy Levin v Republican Realtor Matthew DenOtter.
April 11th , 2022 Political Note #459 Dan Kildee MI 08
2022 General Election
Even after redistricting, if Dan Kildee is reelected, he will be the Congressman from Flint. He is sometimes described as a friend of fellow Flint local, filmmaker Michael Moore.
They were probably not childhood friends. Dan Kildee is four years younger than Moore. He went to the Flint public schools while Moore went to parochial schools and then completed high school at the public Davison High School just outside of Flint. Dan Kildee went to Central Michigan University while Moore dropped out of the University of Michigan-Flint.
Dan Kildee’s family were political. His uncle Dale Kildee was a teacher, a state rep, a state Senator, and was elected to Congress in 1976 when Dan Kildee was 18 years old. Michael Moore’s people were in the labor movement. His uncle LaVerne was one of the founders of the United Automobile Workers. LaVerne was part of the Flint sit down strikes in the 1930s. Moore’s mother was a secretary, his dad worked on an assembly line.
In 1972, Michael Moore was elected to the Davison School Board. Because the voting age had just been lowered to 18, he was almost certainly the youngest elected official in the country. In 1977, after graduating from Flint Northern High School, Dan Kildee was elected to the Flint School Board, one of the youngest elected officials in the country. Neighboring school boards. Similar young men. Dan Kildee was not as funny.
Michael Moore wandered off into journalism, activist films and fame. Dan Kildee stuck to the work of politics. In 1984, he was elected a County Commissioner. In 1991, he came in third in a race for mayor of Flint. In 1996, he found what could have been a permanent home. He was elected County Treasurer. By 2008, he was getting reelected with more than 70% of the vote. He had also developed a focus.
In 2002, he participated in the creation of a county land bank intended to revitalize the community. The land bank took on projects like transforming a run-down hotel into condominiums. In 2007, Dan Kildee moved on after 25 years in county government to run a national non-profit with similar goals. In 2012, the local Member of Congress – Uncle Dale Kildee, retired. Dan Kildee stepped up. No Democrat challenged him. He defeated the Republican candidate 65-31.
Dan Kildee’s work in Congress has had two parts. He became part of the leadership, initially elected to represent freshmen Democrats on the Steering and Policy Committee. He continued his focus on helping blighted cities, especially in Michigan. He fought Republicans, accusing them of racism, to get aid to Flint. He worked to get funds to revitalize Saginaw Michigan with much the same goal. In Congress, he has focused on where the money is and serves on both the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Budget Committee.
Dan Kildee has also become something of a commentator on the January 6 insurrection. He says he has lost respect for many of his Republican colleagues who have sustained the view that there was fraud in connection with the election. His focus as a commentator has been his report that he suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome from the experience. Interestingly, neither of his Republican opponents for the 2022 election have referred to this or mocked it. Dan Kildee has survived greater vulnerability than PTSD. As a freshman Member of Congress, he agreed to be interviewed by Stephen Colbert. Live, on television, Colbert stole his wallet.
I wouldn’t describe Dan Kildee as having retained his dignity in his Colbert interview. Throughout his Congressional tenure, he has retained the regard of his constituents. With redistricting, he will have lost many of those constituents and quite new ones. With good fortune and your support, he will thrive with this new group.
Democrats to support in Republican Tilting or Leaning Congressional Districts
INCUMBENTS
MI 08 R+1 Dan Kildee See Political Note #459
IA 03 R+2 Cindy Axne. See Political Note #428
NJ 07 R+3 Tom Malinowski. See Political Note #363
KS 03 R+3 Sharice Davids See Political Note #412
PA 07 R+4 Susan Wild. See Political Note #394
MI 07 R+4 Elissa Slotkin. See Political Note #378
OH 09 R+8 Marcy Kaptur See Political Note #430
PA 08 R+8 Matt Cartwright. See Political Note #70
WI 03 R+9 State Senator Brad Pfaff See Political Note #418
ME 02 R+10 Jared Golden. See Political Note #406
AZ 02 R+15 Tom O’Halleran See Political Note #389
CHALLENGERS
OH 13 R+2 State Rep Emilia Sykes
CO 08 R+3 State Rep Yadera Caraveo
OH 01 R+3 City Councilor Greg Landsman. See Political Note #452
NE 02 R+3 State Senator Tony Vargas See Political Note #453
CA 40 R+4 Physician Asif Mahmood. See Political Note #456
IA 01 R+4 State Rep and Law Professor Christina Bohannan. See Political Note #411
IA 02 R+6 State Sen Liz Mathis. See Political Note #445
MI 10 R+6 County Judge Carl Marlinga
CA 41 R+7 Prosecutor Will Rollins
CA 03 R+8 Physician Kermit Jones See Political Note #439
PA 10 R+9 Army Veteran Rick Coplen
OH 15 R+11 County Recorder Danny O’Connor. See Political Note #129
TX 23 R+13 Marine Vet and Small Business Expert John Lira. See Political Note #424
NC 11 R+14 Pastor and County Commissioner Jasmine Beach Ferrara
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