Special primary to be held Sept. 5 to replace McCotter

A Republican field of five candidates filed between 1,000 and 2,000 signatures apiece last week to seek the GOP nomination to fill the remaining weeks of former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter’s unexpired term, meaning that west Oakland County residents will be asked to go to the polls three times — once for the Tuesday, Aug. 7 regular primary election, again for a Sept. 5 special primary election, and then on Nov. 6 for a regular general election and a special general election — in the next four months instead of just two.

Kerry Bentivolio of Milford; former state Sen. Nancy Cassis of Novi; and Kenneth Crider, Carolyn Kavanagh, and Steve King, all of Livonia, filed to run in the Sept. 5 special primary election necessitated by McCotter’s abrupt departure from the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this month following a petition signature flap that triggered a Michigan Attorney General’s Office investigation that McCotter requested.

In May, McCotter’s campaign turned in just 244 valid registered voter signatures to appear on the regular primary ballot. Candidates must submitted at least 1,000 voter signatures. Some of the signatures submitted on McCotter’s candidate petitions reportedly had been photocopied.

“I deeply regret the cost, confusion and extra burden on the local clerks which will occur due to the special election the Governor has called,” Cassis said in a statement announcing that she had filed 2,000 signatures to appear on the special primary election ballot. “But we cannot allow this seat to be represented by a Democrat who supports ObamaCare, or a Republican who believes President Bush and Vice-President Cheney were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attack on America.”

David A. Curson of Belleville was the lone Democrat who filed for the Sept. 5 special primary election, which is expected to cost the state and local units of government $650,000.

The deadline to withdraw from candidacy passed at 4 p.m. on Monday, July 22 with none of the six candidates from either party removing their names from contention to fill the Congressional seat representing the lakes area communities of White Lake, Highland, Milford, Commerce, Wolverine Lake, Walled Lake, Wixom, and the northwestern corner of Waterford, plus others in Wayne and Oakland counties.

Cassis was tapped unanimously by GOP powerplayers from Wayne and Oakland counties to mount a regular primary election write-in campaign against Bentivolio, who will be the only Republican on the Aug. 7 primary election ballot following McCotter’s failure to turn in the requisite 1,000 signatures to run for re-election in the new 11th Congressional District.

Gov. Rick Snyder’s office issued a statement earlier this month saying that the timing of McCotter’s resignation from Congress made holding a special primary election in conjunction with the Aug. 7 regular primary election “impossible,” since absentee ballots had been mailed and primary election ballots had been printed.

The special general election to fill the remaining weeks of McCotter’s unexpired term will be held in conjunction with the Nov. 6 regular general election.

The new 11th Congressional District formed last year following the redistricting processed required after the release of U.S. Census data includes Waterford, West Bloomfield, White Lake, Commerce, Wolverine Lake, Walled Lake, Wixom, Milford, White Lake, and Highland in the lakes area.

Dr. Syed Taj, a member of the Canton Township Board of Trustees, and William Roberts, a LaRouche Democrat from Redford Township calling for the impeachment of President Obama, are vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the Aug. 7 regular primary election.

U.S. representatives serve two-year terms and are currently paid $174,000.