United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2008
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The 2008 Michigan U.S. House of Representatives elections will take place on November 4, 2008. Party primary elections in Michigan will take place on August 5, 2008. All 15 congressional seats that make up the state's delegation will be contested. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th United States Congress from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The filing deadline for candidates to run was May 13.[1] [2]
The 2008 Presidential election, 2008 Senate election (for the seat held by Democrat, Carl Levin), and 2008 Michigan Legislature elections will occur on the same date, as well as many local elections and ballot initiatives.
Two House seats are considered to be competitive. Both are seats presently occupied by Republicans. They are for the 7th and 9th districts.[3] Along with these general election races, The Detroit Free Press also lists four races with competitive party primaries. One is in the aforementioned 7th district and the other three are in the 1st, 11th and 13th districts. The 13th is the only congressional district in which the incumbent is facing a strong primary challenge.[4] The present Michigan delegation consists of nine Republicans and six Democrats. Republicans have been leading the delegation since the boundaries were redrawn after the 2000 Census by Republicans who controlled at the time both branches of the Michigan legislature and the governor's office.[5]
[edit] Michigan's 1st congressional district
Popular incumbent Bart Stupak is unopposed on the Democratic side. Three Republicans has filed, Linda Goldthorpe of McMillan, [6], Don Hooper of Iron River[7] and conservative state Representative Tom Casperson, from Escanaba. Casperson, Goldthorpe and Hooper will face each other in the August 5 primary. Also running is Socialist Jean Treacy.[8] Casperson is a long shot, but he has a record as a good campaigner, and has won upset elections in the past, including one in 2002, in which he defeated Stupak's wife to gain his seat in the State House. The 1st District is generally socially conservative and strongly pro-union. It covers the entire Upper Peninsula and the northeast part of the Lower Peninsula.
[edit] Michigan's 2nd congressional district
Pete Hoekstra, a Conservative incumbent and ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, will be challenged by two Democrats. They are Fred Johnson [9] and Scott Killips, a Manistee Casino Manager and Ex-Auto worker. The district is centered around Michigan's West Shoreline and includes the cities of Muskegon and Holland. Hoekstra is expected to easily win re-election in this strongly Republican district.
[edit] Michigan's 3rd congressional district
Incumbent Vern Ehlers is seeking re-election. He will be 74 and will have served in Congress for 15 years. The district trends Republican and is centered around Grand Rapids. Ehlers will be challenged on the Democratic side by Henry Sanchez.
[edit] Michigan's 4th congressional district
Republican David Lee Camp easily won re-election in 2006 against underfunded candidate Mike Huckleberry. One Democrat has announced his candidacy, Saginaw Township, Michigan attorney Andrew Concannon.[10] This large district stretches from Owosso in the east central part of the state to Traverse City to the extreme northwest part of the Lower Peninsula.
[edit] Michigan's 5th congressional district
Democrat Dale Kildee is running for re-election in 2008. The Flint area congressman has served for over 30 years. His district (covering Flint, Saginaw, Bay City and part of the western part of The Thumb) is strongly Democratic. Petitions were circulated for Democratic state senator John Gleason to challenge Kildee, but Gleason decided not to run.[11] Kildee is challenged on the Republican side by Matt Sawicki of Bay City.
[edit] Michigan's 6th congressional district
Popular moderate Republican Fred Upton has one opponent on the Democratic side, Don Cooney. This district covers the southwest corner of lower Michigan.
[edit] Michigan's 7th congressional district
Freshman Republican Tim Walberg was elected in 2006 with a surprisingly thin 49.93% of the vote against underfunded Democratic opponent Sharon Reiner who received 45.98% of the vote. This made Walberg a top target for defeat by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Reiner is running again. She is being challenged by state senate minority leader Mark Schauer. The district covers the middle southern part of lower Michigan.
[edit] Michigan's 8th congressional district
Incumbent Republican Mike J. Rogers was re-elected in 2006 with 55.3% of the vote compared to 42.9% for his Democratic opponent. Lansing Democratic activist Bob Alexander (who lost in 2004 to Rogers) announced that he is running again.[12] This district stretches from the western Detroit suburbs to the Lansing area.
[edit] Michigan's 9th congressional district
Veteran Republican Joe Knollenberg has been targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for defeat after his surprisingly narrow margin of victory in the 2006 election, receiving 51.5% of the vote compared with 46.2% for his Democratic opponent. His Democratic opponent is former Michigan Lottery commissioner Gary Peters. Dr. Jack Kevorkian is waging an independent campaign for Knollenberg's seat. This district covers parts of Oakland County.
[edit] Michigan's 10th congressional district
Popular moderate Republican Candice Miller is being challenged on the Democratic side by Robert Denison. This district stretches from the northeast Detroit suburbs up to the eastern part of The Thumb.
[edit] Michigan's 11th congressional district
Incumbent Republican Thad McCotter is being challenged by two Democrats, Edward Kriewall and Joseph Larkin. Kriewall and Larkin will face each other in the August 5 primary. This district covers part of Detroit's western suburbs.
[edit] Michigan's 12th congressional district
Popular Democrat Sander M. Levin is challenged on the Republican side by Bert Copple. This district covers part of Detroit's northern suburbs.
[edit] Michigan's 13th congressional district
Incumbent Democrat Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick is facing complications due to the legal troubles facing her son Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. [13] Two challengers have emerged on the Democratic side. One is former state representative Mary Waters.[14] The other is state senator Martha Scott. [15] These Democrats will face each other in the August 5 primary for the right to face Republican candidate Edward Gubics. This district covers the east side of Detroit and its eastern and Downriver suburbs. It is also strongly Democratic.
[edit] Michigan's 14th congressional district
Powerful incumbent Democrat John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, had one Democratic opponent, Detroit pastor Rev. Horace Sheffield,[16] but Sheffield's campaign was short lived[17] because he withdrew his name and announced his support to Conyers.[18] Because no Republican has filed, Conyers is expected to be re-elected. This district covers the west side of Detroit and some inner western and downriver suburbs.
[edit] Michigan's 15th congressional district
Democrat John Dingell is the dean of the House and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He is being challenged by Republican John Lynch. This district covers the extreme southeast part of lower Michigan.
