Election Results: Whitmer Wins Reelection, State Ballot Proposals On Track To Pass, More State/Local Races

Governor Gretchen Whitmer clinched reelection in Michigan in Tuesday’s election, with numerous outlets calling the race in her favor as of early Wednesday. All three state ballot proposals were also on track to pass as of press time, as were multiple local millage proposals. The Ticker has the latest results from key state and local races as of 3am Wednesday.

State Races
Fox News was the first outlet to call Michigan’s gubernatorial race for incumbent Governor Gretchen Whitmer Tuesday. Other outlets including the Associated Press, New York Times, CNN, and NBC News soon followed, with Whitmer leading Republican challenger Tudor Dixon by a roughly 53-45 percent margin as of press time with nearly 80 percent of votes counted. Other top Democratic candidates in the state – including incumbents Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson – were also projected winners in their races against Republican challengers.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R) – a three-term congressman – appeared to handily beat political newcomer Dr. Bob Lorinser (D) in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District, collecting more than 60 percent of the vote to Lorinser’s 37 percent with 95 percent of votes counted. In Michigan’s 37th District race, Republican John Damoose was leading Democrat Barbara Conley by a 57-42 percent margin with 90 percent of precincts reporting. Republican John Roth was leading Democrat Cathy Albro by a 63-37 percent margin in the 104th District for the Michigan House of Representatives. The race between Republican Jack O’Malley and Democrat Betsy Coffia in the 103rd District for the Michigan House of Representatives was too close to call, with O’Malley ahead by just 1,035 votes – 22,819 to 21,792 – with 80 percent of precincts reporting.

All three statewide ballot proposals in Michigan were on track to pass as of press time. Proposal 1, which affects term limits and financial disclosures in the state, was passing by a 65-35 percent margin. Proposal 2, which creates a nine-day early voting period and enshrines a number of other expanded voting rights into the state constitution, was passing by a 58-42 percent margin. Proposal 3, which creates a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom, was passing by a 56-44 percent margin.

Local Races
Four Grand Traverse County millage proposals appeared to easily pass with strong voter approval with nearly 90 percent of precincts reporting. Millage requests for the Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging, Senior Center, and Veterans Affairs were passing by 70-plus percent margins, while a millage request for Animal Control was passing by 68 percent. A millage renewal for Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) had comfortable margins of support among both Grand Traverse and Leelanau County voters as of press time.

Millage requests for Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) and Northwest Education Services also appeared poised to pass early Wednesday. In the TCAPS school board race, Holly Bird, Erica Moon Mohr, and Andrew Raymond appeared to clinch three of the four available seats, but the fourth seat was too close to call. In the City of Traverse City, Proposal One – which would’ve allowed for the construction of a building over 60 feet on Hall Street – was defeated, with 41.65 percent of voters supporting the proposal and 58.35 percent opposed with all precincts reporting (developer Innovo previously stated it would redesign the building to shave a few feet off and proceed with construction next spring in the event the ballot measure failed). In Green Lake Township, voters supported allowing recreational marijuana businesses in the township by a 55.74-44.26 percent margin with all precincts reporting. In Peninsula Township, residents voted 65.38-34.62 percent to approve increasing the local millage for police protection with all precincts reporting.

The projected winners in the race for the Grand Traverse County board of commissioners – which is expanding from seven to nine seats at the start of the new term in January – were as follows:

District 1: Republican Brian Paul McAllister (unopposed) – 100 percent reporting
District 2: Democrat Lauren Flynn (defeating Republican Ellen Koenig) – 100 percent reporting
District 3: Democrat Ashlea Walter (defeating Republican Joe Welsh and Green Party candidate Tom Mair) – 100 percent reporting
District 4: Republican Brad Jewett (defeating Democrat David Fashbaugh) – 100 percent reporting
District 5: Republican Rob Hentschel (defeating Democrat Bruce Moore) – 25 percent reporting
District 6: Republican Darryl Nelson (defeating Democrat Amanda Scott) – 66.67 percent reporting
District 7: Democrat T.J. Andrews (defeating Republican Wayne Schmidt) – 100 percent reporting
District 8: Republican Scott Sieffert (unopposed) – 100 percent reporting
District 9: Republican Penny Morris (defeating Democrat Pamela Harris Kaiser) – 100 percent reporting