NO ORDINARY JOE

Joe Kent

While Republican plunges into county government campaigns have been sparse so far for 2020, Joe Kent of Lake Orion is one who has taken the dive, for Oakland County Treasurer. So far, it looks like Kent, a tax accountant, will face off against state Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D-Huntington Woods) in November, unless either have an opponent jump in before late April. Kent, who has never held public office, has run for office before – in 2018, he unsuccessfully ran against Rep. John Reilly (R-Oakland Township) in the Republican primary, and one member of the Republican donor-class believes he gave up in the last few weeks before the primary. “The Republican caucus was behind Kent, who knew it was going to be close,” the politico said. “You’ve got to knock on doors until the end. The HRCC (House Republican Campaign Caucus) offered to knock doors and help, and he refused their help – then got beat by about 600 votes.” With Reilly term-limited in 2022, the fundraiser questions if Kent wants to win the treasurer’s position, or just use it as a platform to increase his name recognition for another crack at the House seat when Reilly is done.