Michigan elections, 2014
2015→ ←2013 |
Thestate ofMichigan held elections in 2014.Below are the dates of note:
| 2014 elections and events in Michigan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signature filing deadline for party candidates | April 22, 2014 | |||
| Petition drive deadline for initiatives | May 28, 2014 | |||
| Petition drive deadline for constitutional amendments | July 7, 2014 | |||
| Voter registration deadline for primary election | July 7, 2014 | |||
| Filing deadline for independent candidates for primary election | July 17, 2014 | |||
| Filing deadline for minor party candidates for Primary election | August 5, 2014 | |||
| Primary date | August 5, 2014 | |||
| Statewide ballot measure election | August 5, 2014 | |||
| Voter registration deadline for general election | October 6, 2014 | |||
| Filing deadline for write-in candidates for general election | October 24, 2014 | |||
| General election date | November 4, 2014 | |||
| Statewide ballot measure election | November 4, 2014 | |||
| School board elections (22) | November 4, 2014 | |||
Below are the types of elections that were scheduled inMichigan in 2014:
2014 elections
Races to watch in Michigan
U.S. Congress
- 1st Congressional District
- Although increasingly more conservative,Michigan's 1st District was one of the most competitive districts in the country. Winning the 2012 election by only 0.5 percentage points, Rep.Dan Benishek (R) was considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in 2014.
- U.S. Senate
- With the retirement of Sen.Carl Levin,Republicans had one of the better chances in recent years to change partisan control of the seat.RepublicanTerri Lynn Land showed strong fundraising in 2013, however she still faced a tough battle against Rep.Gary Peters (D).
State Executive Officials
TheMichigan gubernatorial election took place onNovember 4, 2014. First termRepublicanGov.Rick Snyder ran for and won re-election in 2014, along with his running mate and incumbent Lt. Gov.Brian Calley.[1]. In December 2012, in the wake of his passage of a "right-to-work" law that provoked heavy rioting, particularly from unions, aPublic Policy Poll showed the governor's chances of winning another term had severely diminished compared to a similar poll released the previous month. His net approval tumbled a net -28 points, with respondents preferring each of the poll's four hypotheticalDemocratic challengers over Snyder for 2014.Afterward, Snyder surpassedDemocratic front-runnerMark Schauer in polls tracked by Ballotpedia.[2][3]
Snyder and Calleywon the general election and will serve four-year terms in office.
Michigan State Legislature
Elections for theMichigan State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election took place onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Heading into the election, theRepublican Party controlled the chamber.
Elections for theMichigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Heading into the election, theRepublican Party controlled the chamber. The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6, 2012, general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Michigan House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 91 |  Collene Lamonte | 0.8% | 40,037 | Holly Hughes |
| District 41 |  Martin Howrylak | 0.9% | 46,381 | Mary Kerwin |
| District 23 | Pat Somerville | 1% | 45,181 | Tom Boritzki |
| District 63 | Jase Bolger | 1.7% | 43,636 | Bill Farmer |
| District 101 | Ray Franz | 2.1% | 49,373 | Allen O'Shea |
| District 25 | Henry Yanez | 2.9% | 40,388 | Sean Clark |
| District 110 | Scott Dianda | 3.2% | 38,751 | Matt Huuki |
| District 57 | Nancy Jenkins | 5% | 40,285 | Jim Berryman |
| District 103 | Bruce Rendon | 5.6% | 44,140 | Lon Johnson |
| District 52 | Gretchen Driskell | 6% | 50,257 | Mark Ouimet |
Elections by type
U.S. Senate
U.S. Senate elections in Michigan
Voters inMichiganelected one member to theU.S. Senate in theelection on November 4, 2014.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Aprimary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes anopen primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. All candidates appear on the same ballot and a voter may only vote for candidates of one party at any primary.[4][5]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.
Voter registration: Tovote in the primary, voters must have registered by June 7, 2014. For thegeneral election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.[6]
- See also:Michigan elections, 2014
Incumbent: The election filled the open Senate seat held byCarl Levin (D). Levin was first elected in 1978. On March 7, 2013, he announced that he would retire rather than seek re-election in 2014.[7]
Candidates
Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 22, 2014.
General election candidates
- Terri Lynn Land - Former Michigan Secretary of State
- Gary Peters - U.S. Representative
a 
Jim Fulner
Richard Matkin
Chris Wahmhoff
August 5, 2014, primary results
|
|
Declined to run
- Dave Camp -U.S. Representative.[8]
- Mike Rogers -U.S. Representative.
- Kim Small - District Court Judge
Race background
A new super PAC, Pure PAC, was formed to support Republican candidates and was running ads opposingGary Peters. The ads criticized Peters for his "runaway spending" and for supporting Obamacare. The PAC spent $15,000 on the ads, which ran for three weeks.[9]
Race ratings
Washington Post top 10 races
According to an analysis byThe Washington Post, the U.S. Senate election in Michigan was considered one of the top 10 Senate races of 2014. Terri Lynn Land had a strong fundraising run in the third quarter of 2013.[10]
U.S. House
U.S. House of Representatives elections in Michigan
The2014 U.S. House of Representatives elections inMichigan took place onNovember 4, 2014. Voterselected 14 candidates to serve in theU.S. House, one from each of the state's 14 congressional districts.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Aprimary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes anopen primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. All candidates appear on the same ballot and a voter may only vote for candidates of one party at any primary.[4][5]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.
Voter registration: Tovote in the primary, voters must have registered by June 7, 2014. For thegeneral election, the voter registration deadline was October 6, 2014.[11]
- See also:Michigan elections, 2014
Partisan breakdown
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held nine of the 14 congressional seats fromMichigan.
| Members of the U.S. House from Michigan -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 5 | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 9 | 9 | |
| Total | 14 | 14 | |
Incumbents
Heading into the 2014 election, the incumbents for the 14 congressional districts were:
List of candidates by district
- Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 22, 2014.
1st Congressional District
General election candidates
- Dan Benishek - Incumbenta
- Jerry Cannon
- Ellis Boal
- Loel Gnadt
August 5, 2014, primary results
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2nd Congressional District
General election candidates
August 5, 2014, primary results
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3rd Congressional District
General election candidates
- Justin Amash - Incumbenta
- Bob Goodrich
- Tonya Duncan
August 5, 2014, primary results
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4th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 5, 2014, primary results
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5th Congressional District
General election candidates
- Dan Kildee - Incumbenta
- Allen Hardwick
- Harold H. Jones
August 5, 2014, primary results
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6th Congressional District
General election candidates
- Fred Upton - Incumbenta
- Paul Clements
- Erwin J. Haas
- John Lawrence
August 5, 2014, primary results
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7th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 5, 2014, primary results
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8th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 5, 2014, primary results
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9th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 5, 2014, primary results
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10th Congressional District
General election candidates
- Candice Miller - Incumbenta
- Chuck Stadler
- Harley Mikkelson
August 5, 2014, primary results
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11th Congressional District
General election candidates
- David Trott
- Kerry Bentivolio - Incumbent (Write-in)
- Bobby McKenzie
- John Tatar
August 5, 2014, primary results
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Bentivolio write-in
On September 15, 2014, Bentivolio announced that he and his family would be writing in their votes for Bentivolio. When asked if he would launch an official campaign, he was less certain: "I have to weigh really, what am I doing here? If I [run as a] write-in, if it's successful in any way, meaning we get four or five percent of the vote, then then [sic] Democrat wins. And I don't know if I really want to do that," he said.[15]
In October, Bentivolio officially filed to be a write-in candidate for the general election. He stated that his intents were to help draw out more support for Republicans in the district and not to derail Trott.[16]
12th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 5, 2014, primary results
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13th Congressional District
General election candidates
- John Conyers, Jr. - Incumbenta
- Jeff Gorman
- Chris Sharer
- Sam Johnson
August 5, 2014, primary results
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14th Congressional District
General election candidates
August 5, 2014, primary results
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|
State Executives
State executive official elections in Michigan
Four state executive positions were up for election in2014 in the state ofMichigan.
The following offices were elected in 2014 inMichigan:
- Governor of Michigan
- Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
- Michigan Attorney General
- Michigan Secretary of State
List of candidates by office
- Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 22, 2014.
Governor
General election
Rick Snyder/Brian Calley -IncumbentsMark Schauer/Lisa Brown[17][18]Mary Buzuma/Scott Boman
U.S. Taxpayers Party candidatesMark McFarlin/Richard MendozaPaul Homeniuk/Candace R. Caveny
Did not qualify
Declined potentials
Virg Bernero - 2010 Democratic nominee for Governor of Michigan[18][20]Gary Peters - U.S. Representative, Michigan, District 14[18]
Lieutenant Governor
General election
Brian Calley -IncumbentLisa BrownScott BomanU.S. Taxpayers Party candidateRichard MendozaCandace R. Caveny
Lost in convention
Withdrawn
Attorney General
General election
Bill Schuette -Incumbent[23]Mark Totten[24]Justin M. AltmanU.S. Taxpayers Party candidateGerald T. Van SickleJohn Anthony La Pietra
Secretary of State
General election
Ruth Johnson -IncumbentGodfrey DillardJamie LewisJason Gatties - Natural Law Party candidateRobert Gale -U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate
State Senate
State Senate election in Michigan
Elections for theMichigan State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election took place onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014.
Majority control
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in theMichigan State Senate:
| Michigan State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 12 | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | 27 | |
| Total | 38 | 38 | |
List of candidates by district
- Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 22, 2014.
District 1 •District 2 •District 3 •District 4 •District 5 •District 6 •District 7 •District 8 •District 9 •District 10 •District 11 •District 12 •District 13 •District 14 •District 15 •District 16 •District 17 •District 18 •District 19 •District 20 •District 21 •District 22•District 23 •District 24 •District 25 •District 26 •District 27 •District 28 •District 29 •District 30 •District 31 •District 32•District 33 •District 34 •District 35 •District 36 •District 37 •District 38
State House
State House elections in Michigan
Elections for theMichigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014.
Majority control
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in theMichigan House of Representatives:
| Michigan House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 50 | 47 | |
| Republican Party | 59 | 63 | |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 110 | 110 | |
List of candidates by district
- Note: The filing deadline for candidates was April 22, 2014.
District 1 •District 2 •District 3 •District 4 •District 5 •District 6 •District 7 •District 8 •District 9 •District 10 •District 11 •District 12 •District 13 •District 14 •District 15 •District 16 •District 17 •District 18 •District 19 •District 20 •District 21 •District 22 •District 23 •District 24 •District 25 •District 26 •District 27 •District 28 •District 29 •District 30 •District 31 •District 32 •District 33 •District 34 •District 35 •District 36 •District 37 •District 38 •District 39 •District 40 •District 41 •District 42 •District 43 •District 44 •District 45 •District 46 •District 47 •District 48 •District 49 •District 50 •District 51 •District 52 •District 53 •District 54 •District 55 •District 56 •District 57 •District 58 •District 59 •District 60 •District 61 •District 62 •District 63 •District 64 •District 65 •District 66 •District 67 •District 68 •District 69 •District 70 •District 71 •District 72 •District 73 •District 74 •District 75 •District 76 •District 77 •District 78 •District 79 •District 80 •District 81 •District 82 •District 83 •District 84 •District 85 •District 86 •District 87 •District 88 •District 89 •District 90 •District 91 •District 92 •District 93 •District 94 •District 95 •District 96 •District 97 •District 98 •District 99 •District 100 •District 101 •District 102 •District 103 •District 104 •District 105 •District 106 •District 107 •District 108 •District 109 •District 110
Statewide ballot measures
Statewide ballot measure elections in Michigan
- See also:Michigan 2014 ballot measures and2014 ballot measures
Three ballot measures were certified for2014 ballots inMichigan. Topics on the ballot include:hunting andtaxes.
On the ballot
August 5:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LRSS | Proposal 1 | Taxes | Eliminates the personal property tax and allocates a portion of the state use tax to municipalities | a |
November 4:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VR | Proposal 1 | Hunting | Overturns a law allowing the state to establish wolf hunting seasons in the Upper Peninsula |  d |
| VR | Proposal 2 | Hunting | Overturns law allowing the Natural Resources Commission to directly designate game species | d |
Local ballot measures
Local ballot measure elections in Michigan
Elections by date
Click below for more information about local ballot measure elections on:
School boards
School board elections in Michigan
In 2014,670 ofAmerica's largest school districtsheldelections for2,188 seats. These elections tookplace in37 states.
State elections
A total of23 Michigan school districts amongAmerica's largest school districts by enrollment heldelections in 2014 for77 seats. Each district held elections on November 4, 2014.
Here are several quick facts about Michigan's school board elections in 2014:
- An average of 2.09 candidates ran for each board seat up for election in 2014 in Michigan’s largest school districts by enrollment, which was higher than thenational average of 1.89 candidates per seat.
- 20.78 percent of the school board seats on the ballot in 2014 were unopposed. This was a lower percentage than the 32.57 percent of school board seats that wereunopposed nationally.
- 72.73 percent of theincumbents whose seats were on the ballot ran for re-election in 2014, and they retained 64.94 percent of the total seats up for election.
- At total of 27 newcomers were elected to school boards in Michigan. They took 35.06 percent of the total seats in 2014, which was slightly lower than the 38.19 percent of school board seats thatwent to newcomers nationally.
- The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2014 wasDetroit Public Schools with 67,064 K-12 students.
- The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2014 wasTraverse City Area Public Schools with 9,807 K-12 students.
- Grand Rapids Public Schools andTraverse City Area Public Schools had the most seats on the ballot in 2014 with five seats up for election in each district.
- Four districts were tied for the fewest seats on the ballot in 2014 with two seats up for election in each district.
The districts listed below served 376,873 K-12 students during the 2010-2011 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.[25] Click on the district names for more information on the district and its school board elections.
Voting in Michigan
- See also:Voting in Michigan
Important voting information
- Aprimary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes anopen primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. All candidates appear on the same ballot and a voter may only vote for candidates of one party at any primary.[4][5]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.
- Michigan does not permit online voter registration.
Voting absentee
- See also:Absentee voting by state
For information abouteligibility,deadlines,military and overseas voting andupdates to the voting laws in Michigan, please visit ourabsentee voting by state page.
Voting early
- See also:Early voting
Michigan is one of 14 states that do not permit early voting.[26]
Elections Performance Index
Michigan ranked10th out of the 50 states and District of Columbia in thePew Charitable Trusts' Elections Performance Index (EPI), based on the2012 elections. The EPI examined election administration performance and assigned an average percentage score based on 17 indicators of election performance. These indicators were chosen in order to determine both the convenience and integrity of these three phases of an election: registration, voting and counting. Michigan received an overall score of 70 percent.[27]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑The Detroit Free Press, "Gov. Snyder says any re-election plans are months away from announcement," September 13, 2013
- ↑Public Policy Polling, "Snyder's popularity plummets," December 18, 2012
- ↑Public Policy Polling, "An early look at the 2014 governor landscape," November 12, 2012
- ↑4.04.14.2Michigan Legislature, "MCL - Section 168.531," accessed December 9, 2025
- ↑5.05.15.2Michigan Legislature, "MCL - Section 168.576," accessed December 9, 2025
- ↑Michigan Department of State Website, "Registering to Vote: Step 2," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑Carl Levin, U.S. Senator from Michigan, "Newsroom: Sen. Carl Levin announces he will not seek re-election in 2014," March 7, 2013
- ↑Washington Post "Dave Camp might run for Senate in Michigan," accessed July 15, 2013
- ↑Detroit Free Press, "Super PAC commercial targets U.S. Rep. Peters, parodies Pure Michigan ads," September 18, 2013
- ↑The Washington Post, "The Fix’s top 10 Senate races of 2014," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑Michigan Department of State Website, "Registering to Vote: Step 2," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑Arcand for Congress, "Alan Arcand," accessed January 14, 2014
- ↑The Washington Post, "DCCC adds nine names to program for top recruits," September 9, 2013
- ↑Politico, "GOP rival announces Justin Amash primary," accessed October 8, 2013
- ↑The Washington Post, "Rep. Kerry Bentivolio ‘seriously considering’ write-in campaign," September 15, 2014
- ↑ABC 7 News, "Congressman Kerry Bentivolio files to run as write-in candidate," October 3, 2014
- ↑Mark Schaur for Governor Campaign Website, "Home," accessed May 29, 2013
- ↑18.018.118.2Public Policy Polling, "Snyder's popularity plummets," December 18, 2012
- ↑Ann Arbor, "Ann Arbor man looks to wage Independent campaign for governor of Michigan," May 30, 2013
- ↑MLive.com, "Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero won't run for governor, Senate or Congress in 2014," March 20, 2013
- ↑WoodTV, "Nakagiri submits signatures to run against Calley," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑Detroit Free Press, "GOP chooses Calley over Nakagiri for lieutenant governor," August 23, 2014
- ↑The Detroit News, "Peters 'considering' run for Levin's seat as 5 GOP members drop out," March 8, 2013(dead link)
- ↑M Live, Mark Totten announces bid for attorney general, explains why he wants to take on Bill Schuette, June 17, 2013
- ↑National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed March 21, 2014
- ↑Michigan Department of State Website, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed December 19, 2013
- ↑Pew Charitable Trusts, "Election Performance Index Report," accessed April 23, 2014
