Endorsements for Legislature from Oakland County

The Detroit News
Our legislative endorsements for Oakland County.

Oakland County voters will be replacing many of their state lawmakers this year because of term limits. Here are our recommendations for the state House and Senate.

STATE HOUSE

26th District (Madison Heights, Royal Oak): Both Democratic incumbent Jim Ellison and Republican Al Gui are unopposed. 

27th District (Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Oak Park): Democratic incumbent Robert Wittenberg should be renominated over challenger Michelangelo Fortuna III. Republican Janet Flessand and Libertarian Benjamin Carr are unopposed. 

29th District (Auburn Hills, Pontiac, West Bloomfield): Eight Democrats are vying to fill the seat being vacated by Rep. Tim Greimel, who is running for Congress. The best choice is Chris Jackson, an accountant who espouses reasonable and well-considered positions on issues such as entrepreneurship, criminal justice reform and gun regulation. The others in the primary are Brenda Carter, Kone Bowman, Mike Demand, Keyon Payton and Kermit Williams. Republican Timothy Carrier is unopposed.

35th District (Southfield, Lathrup Village, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Franklin): The race to succeed incumbent Rep. Jeremy Moss drew six Democratic contenders, the best of whom is attorney Kyra Harris Bolden. She is a lifelong resident of Southfield and her priorities for addressing infrastructure and boosting job creation are well-placed. She’s facing Lisa Cece, Vincent Gregory, Alex Meyers, Michael Poole and Katie Reiter. Republican Theodore Alfonsetti III is unopposed.

37th District (Farmington, Farmington Hills): Neither of the Republicans — Dylan Gomula or Mitch Swoboda — returned their questionnaires. Democrat incumbent Christine Greig is unopposed. 

38th District (Novi, Northville, Walled Lake): Republican incumbent Kathy Crawford should be renominated. She is challenged in the GOP primary by Chase Turner. Of the three Democrats, Joe Perillo, an IT professional, is the best choice. He would focus on fixing health care and promoting clean energy and tourism. The other Democrats are Aditi Bagchi and Kelly Breen. Libertarian Brian Wright is unopposed. 

39th District (Commerce, West Bloomfield, Walled Lake): Republican Rep. Klint Kesto is term-limited, and four Republicans — Ryan Berman, Phillip Hoyt, Marsha Kosmatka and Kevin Tatulyan — are vying to replace him. Kosmatka, an attorney and former county prosecutor, is a solid conservative and strong on the key issues. Democrat Jennifer Suidan and Libertarian Anthony Croff are unopposed. 

40th District (Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham): Incumbent Republican Rep. Michael McCready is term limited in this district. Of the six very solid Republicans seeking to replace him, Joe Zane stands out. The Marine reservist and graduate of the Naval Academy is an IT designer. He exhibits a deep understanding of Michigan’s critical challenges, and how to solve them. Also in the GOP primary are Paul Secrest, Paul Taros, David Wolkinson, Malissa Bossardet and Mike Banerian. Two Democrats, Nicole Bedi and Mari Manoogian, are competing in the primary. Manoogian, a former state department and congressional staffer, is the preferred choice.

41st District (Troy): Republican incumbent Rep. Marty Howrylak is term-limited. Three Republicans — Ethan Baker, Ronald Dwyer and Doug Tietz — are seeking to replace him. Baker, a Troy city councilman, is the best choice, having demonstrated an admirable independence on the council. Democrat Padma Kuppa is unopposed.

43rd District (Clarkston and vicinity): Incumbent Rep. Jim Tedder, a Republican, is term-limited. Andrea Schoeder is the best choice in the GOP primary. The Independence Township trustee has long been active in her community, and is a small business consultant. Jose Aliaga and Anthony Bartolotta are also running. Democrat Nicole Breadon is unopposed.

44th District (Milford, White Lake, Highland, Waterford): Matt Marko, a sales executive with extensive experience in the local business community, is the best choice on the Republican side to replace term limited Rep. Jim Runestad. Also running are Lynn O’Brien, April Guiles, Matt Maddock and Michael Mamut. Laura Dodd is the pick on the Democratic side over Steven White Jr. She is a nonprofit consultant who is focused on career readiness.

45th District (Rochester and vicinity): Both the Democrats vying for the nomination are out of the Bernie Sanders school. Ted Golden, a dermatologist, is preferable to Kyle Cooper. Incumbent Republican Rep. Michael Webber is unopposed.

46th District (Oxford, Lake Orion): Mindy Denninger is the best of the two Democrats seeking the nomination. The automotive engineer is a proponent of data-driven problem solving and offers valuable skills. The other Democrat is Tom Watson. Incumbent Republican Rep. John Reilly is unopposed.

51st District (Swartz Creek, Fenton, Flushing, Linden): Republican Rep. Joseph Graves is term-limited. Genesee County Commissioner Drew Shapiro, a small business owner, is a fiscally responsible leader. The other Republicans in the race are Matthew Anderton, Mike Mueller and Ian Shetron. Democrat David Lossing is unopposed.

STATE SENATE 

District 11 (Southfield, Farmington Hills, Oak Park): State Rep. Jeremy Moss is forgoing a third term bid to seek the seat being vacated by Sen. Vincent Gregory. Moss is preferable to the other Democrats: Vanessa Moss, James Turner and Crystal Bailey. Republican Boris Tuman and Libertarian James Young are unopposed.

District 12 (Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Oxford, Lake Orion): State Sen. Jim Marleau, a Republican, is term-limited. State Rep. Mike McCready is the best of a Republican field that includes Terry Whitney, Jim Tedder and Vernon Molnar. Democrat Rosemary Bayer and Libertarian Jeff Pittel are unopposed. 

District 13 (Troy, Royal Oak): Republican incumbent Marty Knollenberg and Democrat Mallory McMorrow are unopposed.

District 14 (Holly and vicinity): Ruth Johnson, the term-limited secretary of state, should get the nomination to replace Republican Sen. David Robertson. She’s running against Katherine Houston. On the Democratic side, Renee Watson gets the nod over Cris Raridan and Jason Waisanen.

District 15 (Novi, White Lake, Commerce, West Bloomfield): Incumbent Republican Mike Kowall is running for Congress. State Rep. Jim Runestad should get the nomination on GOP ticket over Mike Saari. Democrat Julia Pulver is unopposed.