DUELING DOLLARS

What are the odds? It seems that on the very same day in November, in the very same town, two local wealthy businessmen held private fundraisers for the two men running for senator for the state of Michigan in November. The morning coffee hours – one for Senator Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) – was held at the Bloomfield Township home of private equity entrepreneur and co-founder of Peas & Carrots Hospitality (Beau’s, Mex, Social Kitchen & Bar, Como’s, Gus’s World Famous Chicken), James Bellinson, while his Republican challenger John James of Farmington Hills, was shaking hands with folks at the nearby home of former race car driver, owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and chairman of Penske Corporation, Roger Penske. While it’s unlikely anyone dined at both, poll numbers continue to show the races are close, with Peters, in the last year of his first term as senator, currently up by only about three points according to inside election-camp polling. Word is some in Peters camp are starting to panic, but with nine months to go, it’s a marathon for both candidates, not a sprint. At least until October 2020.