The September announcement by Michigan’s 11th District Congressman David Trott (R-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, Rochester Hills) that he would be stepping down from his seat after two short terms has set off a wild scrum on both sides of the aisle to see who’ll run. Republican Lena Epstein, who had announced she was taking on Sen. Debbie Stabenow for Senate in 2018, announced she is definitely switching races and is now running for Congress instead – but some Republican

Still debating their decisions are state Sen. Mike Kowall (White Lake), majority whip in the Senate, who had said he’d run for Secretary of State, but announced he is “discussing this unexpected opportunity with my family and supporters and will make an announcement in the coming days.” Although he’s a popular politician who has been White Lake supervisor, state representative, and senator, at least one top party official does not believe he has the magnetism to win the congr

Without an incumbent in the congressional seat, Democrats are taking another look at the 11th District, which has gone from “leaning Republican” to “in play,” according to the Cook Report. Former Obama Auto Task Force chief of staff Haley Stevens has been raising lots of dough with the field primarily to herself, and Fayrouz Saad, a former Homeland Security advisor and Director of Immigrant Affairs for Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, has jumped into the race. So has perennial cand

Here is the latest of who is NOT going to be running for that coveted 11th District seat, and you can take it to the bank. Despite likely being a lock in the Republican primary, and one of Oakland County’s most beloved Republicans, Sheriff Michael Bouchard is a definite “no.” He may eye L. Brooks Patterson’s seat as county executive in 2020, when Patterson is expected to step down, or he may stay put as sheriff, where he commands a bigger budget than the executive office, and

With Republican Lena Epstein out of the U.S. Senate race, that currently leaves only former Michigan Supreme Court justice Bob Young Jr. and businessman and Iraqi war vet John James to take on the mighty three-term Senator Debbie Stabenow. Word is that Grosse Pointe businessman and financier Sandy Pensler has dipped nine-out-of-10 toes in the water, and is getting ready to commit fully to the race. Pensler has formed an exploratory committee to look at the race, has criticize

The 40th state House seat that Rep. Mike McCready will be vacating in January 2018 due to term limits will also provide opportunities for fellow Republicans in the GOP-leaning district. Republican Malissa Bossardet was the first to announce for the seat but she is now joined by Mike Banerian, who runs the day-to-day operations at his family’s wine distribution company. Democrat Nicole Bedi, a volunteer activist who lost to McCready in 2016, announced her candidacy in mid-Sep

Word is that if (when) state Sen. Marty Knollenberg jumps into the 11th congressional race, Rochester/Rochester Hills Republican state Rep. Michael Webber, 45th district, will run for Knollenberg’s seat, leaving his House seat vacant. Current Oakland County Republican Chairperson Theresa Mungioli, a former Rochester School board member, is said to be planning on running for the seat, which would get the support of many local Republicans, who view her as one of the most compet