LANSING, Mich (WQTX) Republican Tim Walberg has beaten Democratic incumbent Mark Schauer in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, taking back the seat he lost to Schauer two years ago. Both national parties poured in more than 1-million-dollars over the past month and a half to try to sway voters in the key race. The National Republican Congressional Committee said last week it had spent more on the Walberg-Schauer rematch than any other race in the country.
Republican Mike Rogers of Howell has easily won a sixth term in Congress, defeating a Democratic candidate who became the party's nominee four weeks after the primary. Rogers beat Lance Enderle (EN'-der-lee), a Michigan State University graduate student from East Lansing. The winner of the August 3rd Democratic primary had already had dropped out of the race by that point. Enderle ran as a write-in, but didn't garner enough votes to become the official nominee.
Voters have re-elected incumbent Justice Robert Young Jr. and picked another Republican, switching control of the Michigan Supreme Court to conservatives. Young and Wayne County Judge Mary Beth Kelly won seats Tuesday. Republicans will have a 4-3 majority in January.
Republican Bill Schuette has won the race for Michigan attorney general, easily defeating his Democratic opponent. The 57-year-old from Midland bested Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton in what had been a bitter campaign. Schuette succeeds Republican Mike Cox, who couldn't run again
because of Michigan's term limits law.
Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson has kept Michigan's secretary of state office in Republican hands, handily defeating Democratic candidate Jocelyn Benson. The 55-year-old Johnson has been Oakland
County's clerk for six years. She was elected county commissioner in 1988 and won election in 1998 to the state House where she won two subsequent re-elections. Johnson ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2006 as Dick DeVos' running mate.
Michigan voters again have decided against allowing a broad rewrite of the state’s 1963 constitution. Proposal-1 failed by a large margin on Tuesday. Opponents said the measure was too costly and would slow down work by incoming governor Rick Snyder and the new Michigan Legislature.
Michigan voters approved Proposal-2, which calls for government officials convicted of felonies that breach the public trust to be banned from office for 20 years.
