In the wake of the petition signature snafu that left U.S. Representative Thaddeus McCotter (R-Livonia) off the GOP Primary ballot this coming August, Oakland and Wayne county Republican leadership met this week with the goal of deciding upon a credible candidate to run a write-in campaign.
The decision: former State Senator Nancy Cassis (R-Novi).
The only Republican left on the ballot in Mr. McCotter’s absence is Tea Party activist Kerry Bentivolio, a Milford-area teacher and reindeer farmer that the party brass views as more Libertarian than Republican. His positions on issues such as national defense have left him far out of line with mainstream Republicans and forced the search for a write-in candidate.
Ms. Cassis’ conservative voting record, resource availability and, likely most importantly, name recognition in portions of the district, reportedly made the decision clear for the two county party groups. The other major players in the discussion were former State Senator and Lt. Governor candidate Loren Bennett and former House Majority Floor Leader Andrew “Rocky” Raczkowski.
Ms. Cassis served in the State House of Representatives from 1997 – 2002, the State Senate from 2002 – 2010 and most recently had been serving as a consultant to the Detroit International Bridge Company, owner/operator of the Ambassador Bridge.