Former President Donald Trump appeared on a path to victory in the 2024 presidential election as of early Wednesday morning, clinching key states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina and showing strong leads in Michigan and Wisconsin. However, votes were still being counted in many states, with the Associated Press not yet formally declaring a winner as of press time at 3am.

In Michigan, Republican U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman was elected to a fifth term after defeating Democratic challenger Callie Barr of Traverse City. Barr was the first woman to be nominated by a major political party to represent the district in Congress. Bergman, however, fended off his opponent with 59 percent of the vote to Barr’s 38 percent as of press time. The race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Elissa Slotkin for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat was too close to call, with Rogers leading by a 51 to 46 percent margin at press time.

Republican John Roth defeated Democratic challenger Larry Knight to win another term in Michigan’s 104th District, while Republican Curtis VanderWall also won reelection in the 102nd District. In Michigan’s closely watched 103rd District race, the Associated Press declared Democratic incumbent Betsy Coffia the winner over Republican challenger Lisa Trombley in the early morning hours Wednesday by a 53 to 47 percent margin.

In Grand Traverse County, Democratic challenger Fern Spence unseated Republican incumbent and county commission vice chair Brad Jewett in District 4 with 3,423 to 2,969 votes with all precincts reporting. Jewett has been mired in legal troubles after being arrested earlier this year on two misdemeanor charges related to allegations he solicited a prostitute. Incumbents Lauren Flynn, Ashlea Walter, and T.J. Andrews also won their races, putting four Democratic women on the county commission. Republican incumbents Brian McCallister, Darryl Nelson, Scott Sieffert, Penny Morris, and Rob Hentschel all won reelection, with Hentschel narrowly fending off Democratic challenger Trenton Lee in a tight 3,202-3,077 race. Republicans thus will retain a slim 5-4 majority on the county commission.

In Traverse City, voters approved two ballot amendments that will significantly impact how tax increment financing (TIF) functions in the city. Proposal 1 – which passed by a roughly 56-44 percent margin – will require the creation, amendment, or extension of any TIF plan to go to a public vote. The requirement will affect both DDA and brownfield TIF plans. Proposal 2, which passed by a 54-46 percent margin, negates any action taken by city officials on downtown’s TIF 97 plan after January 1, 2024 unless that action is submitted to voters first. However, city commissioners have not yet taken any action on TIF 97 this year and would now need to submit the plan’s extension to voters anyway under Proposal 1. The first regularly scheduled election where a TIF 97 extension could be put to voters is November 2025.

Also on the local level, both the Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) operating millage renewal and Grand Traverse County local streets/roads/highways/bridges repair and improvement millage renewal passed by wide margins. Voters also approved Acme Township’s farmland and open space preservation renewal, Buckley Community Schools’ operating millage renewal, and fire protection services millage renewals in both Paradise and Union townships. Ty Schmidt, Josey Ballenger, and Scott Newman-Bale all clinched seats on the TCAPS school board, while Pamela Horne, Mark Keely, and Kennard R. Weaver were all elected to the Northwestern Michigan College board of trustees.

The following are key Grand Traverse County races that appeared on the ballot, with the winners in bold and ranked in order of most votes obtained. All results are with 100 percent of precincts reporting as of press time at 3am Wednesday.

Grand Traverse County
Prosecuting Attorney: Noelle Moeggenberg (R)
Sheriff: Michael D. Shea (R), Michael Gorbe (L)
County Clerk: Bonnie Scheele (R)
County Treasurer: Jamie Callahan (R), Kimberly Dowlan (L)
Register of Deeds: Scott Rokos (R)
Drain Commissioner: Andy Smits (R), Zachary Dean (L)
County Commissioner, District 1: Brian McAllister (R), Linda Maginity (D)
County Commissioner, District 2: Lauren Flynn (D), Daniel G. Smith (R)
County Commissioner, District 3: Ashlea Walter (D), Brian A. Hagerty (R)
County Commissioner, District 4: Fern Spence (D), Brad Jewett (R)
County Commissioner, District 5: Robert D. Hentschel (R), Trenton Lee (D)
County Commissioner, District 6: Darryl V. Nelson (R), Jan Wyant (D)
County Commissioner, District 7: T.J. Andrews (D), Kathleen Haueisen (R)
County Commissioner, District 8: Scott Sieffert (R)
County Commissioner, District 9: Penny Morris (R), Pamela Kaiser (D)

Acme Township
Supervisor: Doug White (R)
Clerk: Lisa Swanson (R)
Treasurer: Amy Jenema (R)
Trustee (4 positions available): Dave Hoxsie (R), Paul Scott (R), Dale G. Stevens (R), Aaron J. Wylie (R), Ryan Jon LaMott (D)

Blair Township
Supervisor: Nicole Blonshine (R)
Clerk: Lynette Wolfgang (R)
Treasurer: Tracie J. Campbell (R)
Trustee (4 positions available): Andy Nickerson (R), Carl Kucera (R), Roger E. Zeits (R), Preston Taylor (R), Dennis Fitzpatrick (D), Cory Dean (L), David Clark (L)

East Bay Township
Supervisor: Beth Friend (R)
Clerk: Susanne M. Courtade (R)
Treasurer: Tracey Bartlett (R)
Trustee (4 positions available): Matt Courtade (R), Matt Cook (R), Mindy D. Walters (R), Glen K. Lile (R), Andrea Cassell (D)

Fife Lake Township
Supervisor: Lisa L. Leedy (R)
Clerk: Leigh Ann Gifford (R)
Treasurer: Cathy Lee Sorrow (R)
Trustee (2 positions available): Jayme Werner (R), Dawn A. Zimmerman (R)

Garfield Township
Supervisor: Joe McManus (R)
Clerk: Lanie McManus (R)
Treasurer: Chloe Macomber (R)
Trustee (4 positions available): Molly Agostinelli (R), Denise Schmuckal (R), Laurie Lapp (D), Chris Barsheff (R), Chuck Korn (R), Beryl Striewski (D)

NOTE: While Chris Barsheff was elected as a trustee, he was also recently hired as Garfield Township’s new manager. At the time he was hired, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot. He cannot hold both positions simultaneously. According to County Clerk Bonnie Scheele, Barsheff will need to decline the trustee position, giving the township board 45 days to appoint a trustee to fill the vacancy until the November 2026 election. That election would then be to fill the partial term vacancy until the end of the actual term in 2028. If the township board fails to appoint someone to the vacancy within 45 days, a special election must be called.

Grant Township
Supervisor: Crystal Marie Breithaupt (R)
Clerk: Lisa Willett (R)
Treasurer: Elizabeth Svec (R)
Trustee (2 positions available): Douglas E. Moyer (R), Kyle Rector (R)

Green Lake Township
Supervisor: Marvin D. Radtke (R)
Clerk: Judith L. Kramer (R)
Treasurer: Andy Marek (R)
Trustee (4 positions available): Paul Biondo (R), David Bieganowski (R), Pat McDonald (R), Sherry West (R), Sarah Lee Sullivan (D), Tim Kramer (D), Roy W. Volkening (D), Jeff Lenten (Non)

Long Lake Township
Supervisor: Ron Lemcool (R)
Clerk: Ronda Robinson (R)
Treasurer: Kendra Balderach (R)
Trustee (4 positions available): Kevin C. Severt (R), Linda Wheelock (R), Dan Wagner (R), Duane W. Schaub (R), Kay Ingraham (D), Lee Day Shirley (Non)

Mayfield Township
Supervisor: John Emerald Ockert (R)
Clerk: Jamie L. Hanson (R)
Treasurer: Dean Bott (R)
Trustee (2 positions available): Brian P. McManus (R), Gregory Thon (R)

Paradise Township
Supervisor: Rob Lajko (R)
Clerk: Lisa K. Gulliver (R)
Treasurer: Anne E. Smith (R)
Trustee (2 positions available): Jennifer Graham (R), Jeff Wallace (Non)

Peninsula Township
Supervisor: Maura Sanders (R)
Clerk: Rebecca W. Chown (D)
Treasurer: Katie M. Clark (R)
Trustee (4 positions available): J.P. Milliken (R), Isaiah S. Wunsch (D), David K. Sanger (R), Julie Alexander (D), Fred Swaffer, Jr. (R), Kate Jerman (R), Warner Queeny (D), Armen B. Shanafelt (D), Sheila Johnson (Non)

Union Township
Supervisor: Douglas Mansfield (R)
Clerk: Sheryl Tillitson (D)
Treasurer: Amy Rose (R)
Trustee (2 positions available): Janine Jung (R), Kellie Fuelling (D)

Whitewater Township
Supervisor: Linda Slopsema (R)
Clerk: Wendy Hoeksema (R)
Treasurer: Jill Koester (R)
Trustee (2 positions available): Tim Arends (R), Randy Mielnik (R), Kim Mangus (Non)