TRAVERSE CITY —
Voters gave Allen O'Shea an early birthday gift.
O'Shea, a Democrat from Copemish, beat opponent Derek Bailey, of Honor, in Tuesday's primary for the 101st state House District. O'Shea now faces incumbent Republican Ray Franz, of Onekama, in November for the chance to represent Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee and Mason counties.
The battle between the two Democrats appeared close much of election night. O'Shea, who turns 70 today, won by a tally of 2,674 to 2,401.
"This is the nicest birthday present I could ever ... get," O'Shea said. "You don't ever want to underestimate an Irish Leo."
He drew big numbers in Manistee County, where he served for eight years as a county commissioner. He also won in Mason County. Bailey, former chairman of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, captured the most votes in Leelanau and Benzie counties.
O'Shea said he's worked hard to develop a plan to preserve and rebuild the district's jobs — a topic he thinks resonated with voters.
"It's not something that I'm verbalizing. It's something that I've done and have a plan," he said. "There's way too much rhetoric about doing something and too few politicians have a plan. I'm going to stand on my plan, and we'll continue to get that to resonate in the community."
Accompanying that campaign message will be a focus on the environment, including clean jobs and energy, O'Shea said.
Bailey said he'll work to unseat Franz.
"We had two strong Democrats running, and really the end goal is to have a Democrat seated back in the 101st seat," he said.
O'Shea, meanwhile, plans little rest before returning to the campaign trail.
"It's a big task, and it's kind of a grassroots-type approach," he said.
Election 2012
Related Photos
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Allen O'Shea
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Derek Bailey
O'Shea bests Bailey, will face Franz for seat
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Funding issues leave Division's fate unknown
Fixing the crowded and sometimes dangerous Division Street traffic corridor will take years and no one knows yet how the project will be funded, Michigan's top transportation official said.
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McDowell concedes race to Benishek
Democrat Gary McDowell has conceded his close race for Congress against Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek to serve northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
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Unofficial Antrim voting totals online
Antrim County unofficial voting totals were still being updated on Wednesday, but are now accurate and complete, said election officials there.
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State election results online
Full, unofficial 2012 Michigan General Election Results can be found online at http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/12GEN/.
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Voters were driven by issues
Aside from the customary elation and disappointment following a presidential campaign, area voters said they'd really like to see politicians spend less and solve more.
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School millage failure puts plans in limbo
Many improvement plans at the region's largest school district are in limbo after voters rejected a $100 million tax increase.
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Recount possible in House race
Michigan's 1st Congressional District may go to a recount to determine if incumbent Republican Dan Benishek's victory will hold.
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Franz wins by 1,030 votes
Voters in Benzie and Leelanau counties played a critical role in reelecting conservative Republican Ray Franz to the Michigan House of Representatives, vote tallies show.
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Weaver, Bishop claim open seats on NMC board
The second time for Kennard Weaver was the charm.
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MacMaster easily wins reelection
Republican Greg MacMaster handily defeated Democratic opponent William Wieske in the race for state representative in Michigan's 105th District.
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General election roundup
Editor's note: Final, unofficial results from the Nov. 6 general election.
Continued ... - Wednesday, November 7, 2012
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McDowell hasn't conceded congressional race
Former state Rep. Gary McDowell has not conceded his race for the 1st Congressional District and will wait for county boards of canvassers to certify election results before determining his next step.
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Weaver wins spot on NMC board
Kennard Weaver ousted a long-time trustee on the board of Northwestern Michigan College to claim one of two openings.
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GT County Commission all Republican now
The lone Democrat on the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners is out of a job.
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Benishek won by less than 1 percent
Incumbent Republican Dan Benishek edged Democratic challenger Gary McDowell by less than 1 percent to win a second term representing the 1st Congressional District.
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Rendon takes 103rd state House seat
Campaign staffers for newcomer Democrat Lon Johnson has said that he lost his bid for the 103rd State House District seat to incumbent Lake City businessman and Republican Bruce R. Rendon.
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Voters appear to favor Division Street plan
City voters appeared to favor a proposal to give the state and city the go-ahead to come up with plans to make dangerous, busy Division Street safer for drivers and pedestrians.
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Grand Traverse, Benzie voters pick probate judges
Two local counties will have new probate judges.
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Three-way race for NMC trustees still open
A three-way race for two seats on the Northwestern College Board was too close to call at press time.
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2 incumbents retain seats on Leelanau County board
Two incumbents on the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners won re-election.
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County board incumbents hold leads
Voters likely will return three incumbents to the Grand Traverse County board and a fourth race was too close to call early today.
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Dems look to narrow gap in House
All 110 seats in the Michigan House were up for grabs Tuesday, with Democrats looking to narrow the gap with the Republican majority that took over of the chamber just two years ago.
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Appel wins TCAPS board seat
Gary Appel appeared to cruise to re-election to the Traverse School Board.
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Franz ahead in 101st District of Michigan House
Republican Ray Franz held a lead against his Democratic opponent in the race for the Michigan House of Representatives' 101st District.
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Michigan shoots down propositions
Michigan voters say they don't need to weigh in on whether new bridges or tunnels are built between their state and Canada.
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