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WSW: Election 2014 Recap

WMUK

Election Day turned out to be a very good one for Republicans.  Two Western Michigan University Political Science Professors say the pattern has been seen before.  

Note: WestSouthwest was "live" on Thursday morning. Due to a recording problem, the beginning of the interview above was edited. 

Clark and Wielhouwer agree that this election was similar to past years when the President's political party finds the political environment very difficult. Both professors say the incumbent party tries to make competitive races for House and Senate about local issues, while the challengers try to make those elections part of a national campaign. 

The 20th state Senate race in Kalamazoo was one of the closest in the state. Republican Margaret O'Brien claimed victory by a 60 vote margin Tuesday night. Democrat Sean McCann is considering asking for a recount. Libertarian candidate Lorence Wenke, a former Republican State Representative, received 7,200 votes. Wielhouwer says Libertarian candidates are more likely to hurt Republican candidates. He says the Libertarians aren't likely to win many offices, but may play the role of spoiler. Clark says the history of minor parities in the United States is that the energy and ideas are harnessed by one of the major parities. 

Despite the big night for Republicans, voters did reject a state law to allow wolf hunting. Several counties, including Ottawa, approved millages to pay for road repair.  A handful of communities also approved ballot measures to relax restrictions on marijuana. Clark says the ballot issues are separate elections from the candidates races. He says it shows that voters ultimately want results. Wielhouwer says Governor Rick Snyder attempted to emphasize results in his re-election campaign. 

Despite the big wins for Republicans on Tuesday, Wielhouwer says that doesn't necessarily mean that Michigan will be competitive in the 2016 Presidential election. He says for now, it appears that Michigan's electoral votes are the Democrats' to lose. Asked about Governor Snyder's national profile, Clark says "on paper" Snyder looks like the sort of candidate who could be picked as the running mate  of the next Republican Presidential nominee. But he says Snyder is not the sort of dynamic campaigner that Republicans would want when trying to lure votes in 2016. 

Gordon Evans became WMUK's Content Director in 2019 after more than 20 years as an anchor, host and reporter. A 1990 graduate of Michigan State, he began work at WMUK in 1996.
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