Michigan Chamber of Commerce

News Room

June 16, 2010: Michigan Chamber of Commerce Announces Endorsements for State House Candidates in Open Seats and Challenger Races

June 14, 2010: Michigan Chamber of Commerce Announces Endorsements for State Senate Candidates in Open Seats and Challenger Races

June 10, 2010: Michigan Chamber Announces 2010 Congressional Endorsements

June 8, 2010: Michigan Chamber of Commerce Endorses Mike Cox for Governor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 16, 2010

CONTACT: Jim Holcomb or Phil Guyeskey
Michigan Chamber of Commerce
(517) 371-2100

MICHIGAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENTS FOR STATE HOUSE CANDIDATES IN OPEN SEATS AND CHALLENGER RACES

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Chamber of Commerce today announced campaign endorsements for State House candidates in open seats and challenger races.

"We are pleased to announce the Michigan Chamber’s endorsement of 28 outstanding individuals for the State House,” said Michigan Chamber President & CEO Rich Studley.

“Michigan Chamber campaign endorsements for open seats are based upon candidate questionnaires, personal interviews and member input from the Chamber’s Political Action Committee (PAC) Board of Directors,” explained Bob LaBrant, the Michigan Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Political Affairs.

"The Michigan Chamber will be making additional endorsements following the August 3rd Primary,” added LaBrant. “In some primary contests, we found the field of candidates to have positions favorable toward job creation and economic development in Michigan. Rather than make multiple endorsements, we have chosen to let the primary process work itself out.”

Following are the Michigan Chamber’s endorsements for the open seats and challenger races in the State House:

OPEN SEATS – 25

DISTRICT	CANDIDATE	HOME
15^th	Suzanne Sareini	Dearborn
20^th	Kurt Heise	Plymouth
26^th	Ken Rosen	Royal Oak
33^rd	Pete Vitale	Clinton Township
46^th	Brad Jacobsen	Oxford
52^nd	Mark Ouimet	Ann Arbor
55^th	Mary Kay Thayer	Lambertville
57^th	Jim Van Doren	Tipton
61^st	Margaret O’Brien	Portage
65^th	Mike Shirkey	Clark Lake
73^rd	Peter MacGregor	Rockford
75^th	Bing Goei	Grand Rapids
79^th	Al Pscholka	Stevensville
80^th	Aric Nesbitt	Lawton
81st	Jud Gilbert	Algonac
83^rd	Paul Muxlow	Brown City
87^th	Michael Callton	Nashville
89^th	Amanda Price	Holland
91^st	Holly Hughes	Montague
97^th	Joel Johnson	Clare
99^th	Christine Alwood	Mt. Pleasant
100^th	Marc Libants	Newaygo
105^th	Greg MacMaster	Kewadin
106^th	Peter Pettalia	Presque Isle
107^th	Frank Foster	Pellston

CHALLENGER RACES – 3

District	Candidate	Home
56^th	Dale Zorn	Ida
64^th	Jane Grover	Jackson
101^st	Ray Franz	Onekama

The Michigan Chamber will be releasing its 2009-2010 Legislative Voting Record – A Competitiveness Scorecard for Michigan, which includes earned endorsements for candidates seeking re-election to either the State House or Michigan Senate, in July.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is a statewide business advocacy organization representing approximately 6,800 employers of every type and size in all 83 counties in Michigan. The Michigan Chamber was established in 1959 to be an advocate for Michigan’s job providers in the legislative, political and legal process.

The Michigan Chamber PAC ranks 18th among Michigan’s top 150 political action committees, according to an April report by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 14, 2010

CONTACT: Rich Studley, President & CEO
(517) 371-2100

MICHIGAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENTS FOR STATE SENATE CANDIDATES IN OPEN SEATS AND CHALLENGER RACES

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Chamber of Commerce today announced campaign endorsements for State Senate candidates in open seats and challenger races.

“We are pleased to announce the Michigan Chamber’s endorsement of 18 outstanding individuals for the State Senate,” said Michigan Chamber President & CEO Rich Studley.

“The Michigan Chamber will be making additional endorsements following the August 3rd Primary,” added LaBrant. “In some primary contests, we found the field of candidates to have positions favorable toward job creation and economic growth in Michigan. Rather than make multiple endorsements, we have chosen to let the primary process work itself out.”

Following are the Michigan Chamber’s endorsements for the open seats and challenger races in the State Senate:

OPEN SEATS - 17

District	Candidate	Home
12^th	Jim Marleau	Lake Orion
15^th	Mike Kowall	White Lake
16^th	Bruce Caswell	Hillsdale
20^th	Tonya Schuitmaker	Portage
21^st	John Proos	St. Joseph
22^nd	Joe Hune	Hamburg
24^th	Rick Jones	Grand Ledge
25^th	Phil Pavlov	St. Clair
26^th	Dave Robertson	Grand Blanc
29^th	Dave Hildenbrand	Grand Rapids
30^th	Arlan Meekhof	West Olive
33^rd	Brian Calley	Portland
34^th	Goeff Hansen	Hart
35^th	Darwin Booher	Evart
36^th	John Moolenaar	Midland
37^th	Howard Walker	Traverse City
38^th	Tom Casperson	Escanaba

CHALLENGER RACES - 1

District	Candidate	Home
6^th	John Pastor	Livonia

The Michigan Chamber will be releasing its 2009-2010 Legislative Voting Record – A Competitiveness Scorecard for Michigan, which includes earned endorsements for candidates seeking re-election to either the State House or Michigan Senate, in July.

The Michigan Chamber PAC ranks 18th among Michigan’s top 150 political action committees, according to an April report by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 10, 2010

CONTACT: Rich Studley, President & CEO
(517) 371-2100

MICHIGAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES 2010 CONGRESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Chamber of Commerce today announced its endorsement of two Congressional candidates and five incumbents who are seeking re-election on November 2, 2010.

The two candidates endorsed by the Michigan Chamber are: Jason Allen, who is vying to fill an open seat in the 1st Congressional District; and Brian Rooney, who is challenging the incumbent candidate in the 7th Congressional District.

“We are pleased to announce our support for these two candidates,” said Michigan Chamber President & CEO Rich Studley.

“Voters in the 1st Congressional District have an important opportunity to fill an open seat in Congress,” Studley noted. “Jason Allen knows what it takes to encourage job creation and economic growth in Michigan and will serve Michigan well.”

As for the race in the 7th Congressional District, Studley said it’s time for a change. “Voters need to elect a candidate who will get Michigan back to work and who will stop out-of-control government spending and over-regulation,” he said. “Brian Rooney is the candidate who will get the job done.”

Rooney, an Iraq War veteran and a constitutional law attorney with the Thomas More Law Center, is challenging incumbent Mark Schauer, who quickly earned a failing grade on the U.S. Chamber’s Voting Record.

The five Congressional incumbents endorsed by the Michigan Chamber are: Dave Camp (4th District); Fred Upton (6th District); Mike Rogers (8th District); Candice Miller (10th District); and Thad McCotter (11th District).

“The Michigan Chamber’s support for these five members of our Congressional Delegation is based on their outstanding voting records with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,” said Bob LaBrant, Senior Vice President of Political Affairs for the Michigan Chamber. “With these members of Congress, Michigan has the opportunity in 2010 to have a strong voice in Washington, D.C.”

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is a statewide business organization representing approximately 6,800 employers, trade associations and local chambers of commerce. The Michigan Chamber was established in 1959 to be an advocate for Michigan’s job providers in the legislative, political and legal process. The Michigan Chamber represents businesses of every size and type in all 83 counties of the state. It is one of only four state chambers of commerce in the nation accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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Paid for with regulated funds by the Michigan Chamber PAC, 600 S. Walnut St., Lansing, MI 48933. Not authorized by any candidate committee.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 8, 2010

CONTACT: Rich Studley, President & CEO
(517) 371-2100

MICHIGAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ENDORSES MIKE COX FOR GOVERNOR

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Chamber of Commerce today announced its endorsement of Attorney General Mike Cox for Governor. Today’s announcement is the conclusion of a multi-step process that provided leading candidates for governor with an opportunity to be considered for endorsement. The Chamber’s endorsement process for this race included a candidate questionnaire, a meet-the-candidate forum, and personal interviews with the Chamber’s PAC Board of Directors.

“The mission of the Michigan Chamber is to promote conditions favorable to job creation and business growth in Michigan,” said Doug Bouma, Chair of the Michigan Chamber PAC Board of Directors. “After careful consideration of each candidate’s background and experience, position on key economic issues, vision for our state’s future and their leadership skills, we have concluded that Mike Cox is the candidate most qualified to lead state government and put Michigan back to work.”

“Michigan’s next governor must be bold, decisive, knowledgeable about state government, and have the ability to hit the ground running from day one; Mike Cox is the candidate who best meets these four criteria,” said Michigan Chamber President & CEO Rich Studley.

One of the Michigan Chamber’s strategic goals is to deliver business leadership through political action. Often in government, the most important decision is who decides. The Michigan Chamber will be announcing additional endorsements of pro-jobs candidates for state and federal offices at a later date.

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Paid for with regulated funds by the Michigan Chamber PAC, 600 S. Walnut St., Lansing, MI 48933. Not authorized by any candidate committee.