Tag: 2012 Senate Race

"The Tea Party conservatives have been increasingly supporting Pete Hoekstra over the years as a result of his staunch fiscal policies in Congress," Cain said in a statement to the paper.

If that statement is true, it's disgusting.  Cain is either ignorant about the Party power brokers in play in Michigan in general, or as I suspect, merely playing the old political payola game for other obvious agendas.  Either way, no plausible excuse is acceptable anymore.

Got me a new flip-flop

.. Better cut a deal to try to lure the TEA movement base back home

Now, following Bachmann's endorsement and TheDC's story pointing out the inconsistencies of the endorsement, Hoekstra has decided Right to Work is right the way to go.

"Pete Hoekstra will always fight for Michigan jobs and Michigan workers," campaign spokesman Brian Jones said in an email to TheDC. "He has served an active role on the issues of project labor agreements, card check, and prevailing wages when decisions on these issues became a realistic and achievable solution for the Michigan workforce. If and when Right to Work rises to this level, he will support it.

Former Michigan Gov. John Engler said Wednesday he believes Detroit charter school founder Clark Durant should stay out of the U.S. Senate race, leaving the road clear for former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra to win the GOP nomination and challenge two-term Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

That's right boy, establishment masters say you ain't it.

Snyder and Hoekstra made the announcement in Southfield. Governors usually avoid picking favorites in a contested primary, but Snyder said Hoekstra is needed in the Senate to fix a "broken" Washington.

Snyder said "it was an easy call" to endorse Hoekstra, even though he typically stays out of federal issues as governor.

"He brings a complete suite of great experience," Snyder said, citing the Holland Republican's integrity and background.

Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow's lead over one of her leading Republican challengers has widened over the past six months, but her approval ratings have slipped further under water.

The two-term incumbent now leads former Rep. Pete Hoekstra by nine points, 47 percent to 38 percent, according to a survey conducted by the Lansing-based firm EPIC-MRA. In February, months before Hoekstra announced his candidacy, Stabenow held a narrow two-point lead.

The senator has solid support from her Democratic base, with 85 percent backing her, and she holds an 18-point lead among independent voters. Hoekstra, who lost his party's nomination for governor last year, attracts 79 percent support from his base.

The majority of respondents -- 54 percent -- say Michigan's economy is headed in the wrong direction. However, no matter how voters view the economy, they favor Stabenow over Hoekstra. Among those who say the economy is getting better, she leads by 49 percent to 37 percent; among those who say it's not getting better, she leads by a slightly larger margin, 50 percent to 38 percent; and among those who think it will get worse, she still leads, 43 percent to 38 percent.

But Hoekstra reversed course after seeing a dearth of qualified candidates with statewide name recognition and fundraising ability step up to run, and a hard press from state party officials, said one top Republican source in Washington who asked not to be identified since Hoekstra has yet to make his announcement public. Such an announcement is expected soon.

A knowledgeable House Republican aide told The News that Hoekstra called Michigan House Republicans to say he was running.