Four retirements from Michigan’s Congressional delegation have set-off a chain reaction of potential candidate shuffle reaching deep into the State Legislature and, further, into local government. The shake-up in Lansing, as a result of term limits, already promised to be considerable as a result of the 2014 elections and the roughly 36 members of the State Legislature who are unable to run for their current post (seven in the State Senate, 29 in the State House). Now, with U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-Detroit) and U.S. Representatives Dave Camp (R-Midland), John Dingell (D-Detroit), and Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) all announcing their pending departure from public office, the 2014 election will likely be remembered for years to come.

Although the filing deadline is still a couple of weeks out, the buzz throughout the state is heavy with “who is running for what?” This week and next, PAAdvisory is going to examine each announcement and the resulting cascade effect, starting with the Departure of U.S. Senator Carl Levin and U.S. Congressman John Dingell.

Levin
United States Senator Carl Levin (D-Detroit), Michigan’s senior Senator and Chair of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, announced his decision about a year ago, ending a nearly 35 year career in the United States Senate. First elected in 1978, Senator Levin took office in 1979 after defeating former Senator Robert Griffin (R-Traverse City) and is the longest serving member of the U.S. Senate from Michigan having recently cast his 12,000th vote. Senator Levin had been a member and President of the Detroit City Council and is an attorney.

Senator Levin’s statement explained that he had determined he would best serve the citizens of Michigan and the United States by focusing these next two years on doing his job without the distraction of campaigning to keep his job.

Senator Levin’s decision leaves an open U.S. Senate seat for the first time in 20 years and, barring any surprises, the field appears to be clear heading to the November General Election. Current U.S. Representative Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) is the presumptive Democratic nominee and has been actively running since very shortly after Mr. Levin’s announcement. On the GOP-side, former Secretary of State and Republican National Committeewoman Terri Lynn Land has risen out of a long list of early “interested” individuals and, having previously won two statewide elections, has a campaign infrastructure and fundraising apparatus well in-place.

Congressman Peter’s decision to vacate his U.S. House seat for the U.S. Senate run has resulted in a field of candidates looking to replace him in Congress. The four initial candidates for the 14th Congressional District seat, which runs from central Oakland County to the City of Detroit and the Grosse Pointes, consisted of current State Senator Vincent Gregory (D-Southfield), current State Representative Rudy Hobbs (D-Southfield), current State Senator Bert Johnson (D-Highland Park), and current Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence. The race now appears down to two, Rudy Hobbs and Brenda Lawrence, as State Senator Vincent Gregory announced this week that he will not run for Congress but instead will run for his second term in the State Senate, and Senator Bert Johnson’s bid failed to get traction.

The cascade effect continues since Senator Gregory has now reversed his decision and two current members of the State House of Representatives have previously announced their intentions to run to replace him in the Senate and may or may not turn that into a challenge in the Democratic Primary. State Representatives Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills) and Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods) have been actively campaigning for the State Senate. The GOP does not look to play in the race for the heavily Democratic 11th State Senate seat.

Dingell
The longest serving member in the history of the United States Congress, U.S. Representative John Dingell (D-Dearborn), announced his retirement in February. The announcement drew media coverage from across the nation, including U.S. President Barack Obama commending Congressman Dingell on his remarkable accomplishments during his 58-plus year tenure. Mr. Dingell has held his current seat since 1955, following the death of his father John Dingell, Sr.

Congressman Dingell supported many historic pieces of legislation throughout his career. He voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Medicare, the Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and was an original author of the Affordable Care Act.

Although the announcement sparked considerable interest among many potential candidates, including current State Senator Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor), Mr. Dingell’s wife, Debbie Dingell, is the presumed frontrunner to succeed him as she appears to be the only credible candidate actively campaigning.

Next week, PAAdvisory will examine the decisions of Congressmen Dave Camp (R-Midland) and Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) and the potential replacements and resulting shuffle.