Oakland primaries could lead to 'a generation' of Democrats' control of county government
Tuesday’s primary election for local offices in Oakland County set the stage for exactly what Republicans hoped to reverse.
With key primary victories in hand, Democrats might well flip seats in November to widen their majority on the county’s board of commissioners.
The board ruling Michigan's richest county now has 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans for its 21 districts, a slim blue majority after half a century of domination by the GOP. But a redistricting plan, passed in a bipartisan vote last fall, will shrink the board to 19 commissioners. Now, there’s a chance that the ultimate margin will be an 11-8 majority of Democrats, according to board members from both parties.
The shrinkage of the board made two Republican incumbents run against each other in the county's new 7th District primary. In that race between longtime colleagues on the board, Eileen Kowall, of White Lake, got 43% of the vote and was defeated in her primary race against Robert Hoffman, of Highland Township, who received 57% of the vote.
Redistricting could also help Democrats win two districts in November that now lean less red and more to the blue side of ballots. That shift may have nudged decisions not to run again made by two Republican incumbents: Commissioner Chuck Moss, of Birmingham, and Commissioner Adam Kochenderfer, of Rochester Hills.
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Finally, up and down Tuesday’s ballot there were incumbent Republican commissioners being challenged by a batch of far-right extremists. They called themselves the "Dream Team for Patriots," and several of them carried the endorsement of the Michigan Conservative Coalition.
Longtime Republican incumbent Mike Gingell, vice chair of the GOP's county caucus, faced a challenge from Heather Smiley, also of Lake Orion, for District 6. Smiley's Facebook page quoted her as calling herself: "Mother, Patriot, God fearing woman!" On her Facebook page was the logo of a politicized health group opposed to COVID masking and vaccinations. Smiley could not be reached for comment Tuesday night, but Gingell was vocal about his concern for "Dream Team" challengers up and down Oakland County ballots — not to mention, across Michigan and the nation.
"The far right is killing the party. They're a 'my way or the highway' group. It's time for Republicans to come to the middle and open up the tent. The art of compromise is what makes government successful," Gingell said Tuesday night.
Despite his concern over the primary challenge, Gingell won a clear victory with 67.63% of the vote to Smiley's 32.20%. Elsewhere across the county, incumbent Republicans tallied decisive margins over their "Dream Team" challengers in Tuesday's primary.
Still, the Republican Party’s schism in Oakland County echoes divisive trends in statewide and national Republican circles. According to Democrats, if any of the Dream Team candidates had unseated incumbents, then independents and even some Republicans might switch to selecting Democrats in November to avoid electing GOP extremists.
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As Tuesday’s results fed November’s hopes, Democrats were determined to add momentum as they set the agenda for Oakland County governance, County Commissioner Dave Woodward of Royal Oak said.
“Only in Oakland County does the county board set new districts every 10 years,” said Woodward, the county board’s chair. That rule was pushed through the state Legislature by L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County’s veteran county executive and Republican stalwart, who died on Aug. 3, 2019. That was exactly three years ago Wednesday. Patterson had thought he could consolidate Republican control for the future. Instead, his system handed Democrats the opportunity they’re using this year.
“Starting with this primary, this year’s elections will set the stage for governing Oakland County for the next generation,” said Woodward, who chairs the board.
In judicial races, incumbent district judges Michelle Friedman Appel in Oak Park and Kirsten Nielsen Hartig in Troy each topped two challengers, and now must face the second-place vote-getters in runoff elections. Come November, Friedman Appel will face Brenda Richard and Nielsen Hartig will be challenged by Tonya Clawson Goetz. Friedman Appel won decisively with a majority of 60.79% of total votes cast, while Nielsen Hartig drew a plurality of 41.2.
Contact Bill Laitner: blaitner@freepress.com
Contact Bill Laitner: Blaitner@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland primaries may lead to 'a generation' of Dems' county control
