TRAVERSE CITY — Republican Grand Traverse County Commissioner Wayne Schmidt had a big lead over Democrat Roman Grucz in the race for the 104th District of the state House of Representatives.
But with ballots from most of Traverse City and all of Kalkaska County not counted, final results were unknown early today.
Schmidt led in Grand Traverse County 20,136 to 15,873 as of midnight Tuesday. Schmidt’s own calls to different precincts in Kalkaska County had him up by several hundred votes, but much of the county remains in the dark.
“We tried calling over there, but they’ve disconnected their phones or something,” Schmidt said. “I’m cautiously optimistic, but we want to make sure we get the rest of Traverse City before we say anything; we know the city is our toughest area.”
Grucz did not return several messages left on his cell phone Tuesday.
The Michigan Republican Party plastered Grand Traverse and Kalkaska County with negative flyers and telephone calls the last few weeks leading up the election, accusing Grucz of being “rotten” and “corrupt.”
Schmidt, however, said he believes it was his own campaign’s positive message and hard work that swung the vote his way.
“I’ve never believed in negative campaigning and I did not like it, but we had no control over it,” Schmidt said. “My campaign stayed positive and I think people realize you can’t make promises other than to work hard and do your best for the people of Grand Traverse and Kalkaska counties.”
Schmidt, 42, of Traverse City, is a manager at the men’s downtown clothing store Captain’s Quarters owned by state Sen. Jason Allen and his father. He’s served on the Grand Traverse County board for 10 years, including two as chairman.
Libertarian candidate Dan McDougall, 48, a high school teacher from Williamsburg, came in a distant third.
Election 2008
12:39 am: Schmidt holds big lead in 104th race
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How Traverse City Voted
Blue city, red county. Ballots cast in last week's general election reflected Traverse City's support of Democratic candidates and Grand Traverse County's backing of Republicans, with few exceptions.
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Voters reject almost all area tax proposals
School administrators in a few local districts soon will decide whether to put tax proposals back on the ballot after voters almost universally rejected millage requests.
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Engler court loses top justice
John Engler spent 12 long, patient years as governor placing nearly 200 judges -- including three Supreme Court justices -- who supported his conservative judicial philosophy onto state courts. But a little-known Wayne County judge toppled one of those justices from his seat on Tuesday.
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Op-Ed: Granholm in the spotlight
There, in close-up view just off the right shoulder of Barack Obama at his first press conference as president-elect in Chicago, was Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a member of his transition economic advisory board -- called an "All-Star Cast" on CNN. Obama in his opening remarks singled out Granholm, saying he was "glad to be joined" by her on a day of grappling with grim economic news of joblessness and Ford/GM loss figures.
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Advocates: Obama will be Great Lakes friend
Barack Obama's election as president and his appointment of Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff are hopeful signs for the struggle to heal the ailing Great Lakes ecosystem, advocates said Thursday. Obama and Emanuel, both from the Lake Michigan city of Chicago, have championed initiatives in Congress to protect the lakes.
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Granholm to advise Obama on economy
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is one of 17 people appointed to help advise President-elect Barack Obama on the economy during his transition period.
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Palestinian Muslim elected to State House
Lawyer and community activist Rashida Tlaib, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants who never attended high school, becomes the first Muslim woman ever to serve in the Michigan Legislature. She said she wouldn't have run but for the repeated urging of her Jewish boss and predecessor, outgoing Democratic state Rep. Steve Tobocman.
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Local voter turnout statistics
Voter turnout in the 5-county area.
Continued ... - Wednesday, November 5, 2008
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Local residents react to historic election
A late morning sun shone on this Antrim County village hours after a freshman Illinois senator became president-elect of the United States. Terry Miller talked politics with friend Wally Hibbard over coffee Wednesday at Java Jones in Elk Rapids, and called Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's solid win over rival Sen. John McCain "a breath of fresh air."
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Environmentalists happy with court upset
The stunning upset defeat of Republican Chief Justice Cliff Taylor ends the Michigan Supreme Court's conservative grip and opens the welcome prospect that it will overrule one of its most controversial decisions -- the 2007 gutting of the state's widely acclaimed Michigan Environmental Protection Act.
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Dems add to lead in state House
Democrats picked up nine seats in Michigan's state House, giving them one of their biggest majorities of the past three decades.
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Schmidt wins 104th District House seat
Wayne Schmidt spent part of the day reflecting on a successful state House campaign he viewed as upbeat and effective. But his defeated opponent, local attorney Roman Grucz, seethed over an at-times bruising battle for the 104th District, a territory that covers Grand Traverse and Kalkaska counties. It was a race Grucz described as "gutter politics."
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New Michigan congressmen 'very practical'
Democrats Mark Schauer and Gary Peters, Michigan's newest members of Congress, bring resumes of focusing on job creation and economic issues to districts flush with Republican voters.
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Speculation swirls around Granholm
Gov. Jennifer Granholm can't run for president, but she could still end up in Washington next year.
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Grand Traverse County board gets a new look
Christine Maxbauer may switch from a solo role in pushing and prodding a set-in-its-ways Grand Traverse County board to leading a newly constructed board. Maxbauer, who often found herself at odds with the board's old guard, could find some support in January from new commissioners-elect Beth Friend, Mike Stepka and Ross Richardson.
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Local shop flies American flag upside down
Not everyone is excited about the nation's first black president. Some are downright hostile. Employees at Hampel's Key and Lockshop on Randolph Street in Traverse City flew an American flag upside down Wednesday in protest of Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election. And one employee directed a racial slur at Obama during a telephone interview with a Record-Eagle reporter.
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Nearly 5.1M cast ballots in Michigan
The secretary of state's office says nearly 5.1 million Michigan voters took part in the 2008 election.
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Poll: Obama backed by prior GOP voters
Barack Obama stitched together a winning coalition in Michigan in part by peeling away voters in groups that might have been expected to oppose him.
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11 am: 1st Dem elected to GT board in 20 yrs
TRAVERSE CITY — A Democrat will take a seat on the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners for the first time in 20 years.
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12:35 am: Heckman sheriff in Benzie, Israel in Kalkaska
One regional sheriff’s candidate will become the top cop at his department after serving as second in command. Another fell by a wide margin to his own employee.
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12:30 am: GT incumbents running strong
Incumbents led in all races for the Grand Traverse County board, but large turnouts slowed ballot counts and left several county commission races unresolved.
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12:27 am: Lile wins; heavy turnout delays other GT results
East Bay Township Supervisor Glen Lile pulled out a win over challenger Gail Mason among the contested township races in Grand Traverse County. Other township races were still too close to call late Tuesday.
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12:07 am: Face of Leelanau, Elmwood to change
Change is coming to the Leelanau County and Elmwood Township boards.
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12:11 am: Sheriff ousted in Kalkaska
Another of the region’s incumbent sheriffs has fallen. David Israel, 60, ousted one-term incumbent Kalkaska County Sheriff William Artress by about 1,800 votes, both candidates said.
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