Six Senate Districts are on the Macomb County ballot, and all of them have competitive partisan primaries in the Aug. 4 election. The outcomes will help decide which party controls the narrowly divided legislative chamber next year,
Here our are endorsements in those primary contests:
9th District (Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy, parts of Sterling Heights and Utica): Republican State Sen. Michael Webber is running unopposed in the primary.
Theresa Brooks, Brendan Johnson and Ren Nushaj face off on the Democratic side.
Brooks is a Troy City Council member and doctor who would prioritize ensuring the full and timely implementation of Michigan’s 2024 literacy and dyslexia screening laws to begin fundamentally fixing the state’s education system. She would also seek to incentivize small business growth.
Johnson has served as chief of staff for State Rep. Samantha Steckloff and has other legislative experience that contributes to his candidacy. Nushaj is a local attorney.
Theresa Brooks’ connection to the district and experience qualify her best for this primary. She receives our endorsement.
10th District (Sterling Heights, Warren and Detroit’s east side): Republican Michelle Nard is running unopposed in the primary.
Democratic state Rep. Natalie Price faces two challengers in the primary: Mark Murphy, Jr. and Amanda Treppa. Treppa is a businesswoman who would prioritize affordable housing and health care.
Price has served two terms in the Democratic minority in the state House, requiring negotiation on priorities. She is a former teacher and a former Berkley City Council member. She has pushed a progressive agenda with which we sometimes disagree, but her experience makes her the best fit for this race. Natalie Price receives our endorsement.
11th District (Clinton Twp., Macomb Twp., Frazer, parts of Warren, Roseville, Eastpointe and Sterling Heights): Democratic incumbent Veronica Klinefelt faces two primary challengers in her bid for a second term.
Alysha Johnson of Roseville is an MBA and prolific community volunteer who says her focus is rebuilding Michigan’s education infrastructure. Joseph Michael Hunt of Warren does not appear to be actively campaigning. Our endorsement in the Democratic primary goes to Veronica Klinefelt.
Johnnie Townsend of Sterling Heights is unopposed in the Republican primary.
12th District (Parts of Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair counties, including Algonac, the Grosse Pointes, St. Clair Shores, Harper Woods, Mount Clemens and New Baltimore): Incumbent Sen. Kevin Hertel of St. Clair Shores is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Five Republicans are competing in their primary to face him in November.
They are: Joseph Backus of St. Clair Shores, a prolific community volunteer who has run unsuccessfully for other offices; Patrick Biange of St. Clair Shores; John Goldwater of New Baltimore, an oil and gas entrepreneur; Eileen Tesch, the former mayor of Algonac who faced recall efforts, and Shelley Wright, a former general contractor and owner of a process serving company who says Donald Trump inspired her to politics.
John Goldwater has experience growing a business and creating jobs. He would also prioritize improving skilled trades training. The father of six is a conservative who describes himself as pro-life and a defender of the Second Amendment.
Our endorsement in the 12th District Republican primary goes to John Goldwater.
24th District (Clinton Township, Shelby Township): Two Republicans and two Democrats are vying to replace the term-limited Sen. Ruth Johnson.
In the Democratic primary, Frank Borsellino of Clinton Twp. describes himself as a liberal Democrat. Edlira Sako, also of Clinton Twp., is a full-time student and mother whose values are more closely aligned with the voters of this district, and she gets our endorsement.
A former and current state representative are staging a rematch in the Republican primary. Terence Mekoski of Shelby Twp. is a former officer with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office. He challenged the results of the Michigan 2020 election when he was in the House, calling for an audit of the presidential ballots.
Doug Wozniak defeated Mekoski for a state House seat in 2022, and now they meet each other again. Doug Wozniak of Shelby Twp. has been a solid lawmaker and should get the Republican nomination in this seat.
25th District (Far eastern Macomb County and the Thumb region): Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Lauwers is term-limited. April Osentoski is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The Republican primary has drawn four hopefuls: Andrew Beeler of Port Huron is a former Naval officer whose focus is on small business development. Gary R. Eisen of St. Clair is a former state representative who participated in the effort to overturn Michigan’s 2020 election results. John W. Mahaney of Port Huron does not appear to be actively campaigning. Randy Schultz of Mussey is a former Mussey Township supervisor and UAW official.
Of the four, we believe Andrew Beeler is best suited for the Republican primary nomination.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Our endorsements in Macomb County state Senate races
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
