SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT
Current state Rep. Mari Manoogian (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, western West Bloomfield) surprised the local political world Friday night, March 25, when she sent out an email and announced on Twitter that she would not be running for an expected third term in November in the newly-formed 5th District, comprising Birmingham, parts of Royal Oak and Berkley, Huntington Woods, Southfield, Lathrup Village, Oak Park and northwest Detroit. While there had been rumors in January she wouldn't run again, she had assured Oakland Confidential she was, and with $47,213 cash-on-hand, it was assumed she would easily win another term. Or would she? A relationship gone-bad with state Rep. Steve Marino (R-Harrison Township) led to charges of domestic abuse, and she filed a complaint with Michigan State Police in 2021 that Marino threatened and harassed her for months, sending her threatening texts, berating her, using profanity and intimidating her. Ultimately, an investigation determined charges weren't warranted – and the release of thousands of text messages also tarred Manoogian, as the two swapped tons of offensive exchanges, including some where she dissed the governor, attorney general and other top Democrats. Manoogian, 29, has attended several leadership training seminars in Washington D.C. over the last couple years, leading some to wonder if she could land a plum new assignment in the Biden Administration, if not a rewarding job in the private sector. No Republican had filed as of the end of Friday, March 25, for the new district. One Democrat, Reggie Reg Davis of Detroit, filed on March 21. Davis is a former WJLB radio personality who was appointed in 2018 to fill out a term on the Wayne County Commission but was knocked off the ballot that year for the August primary because of failure to file proper paperwork for the election. Davis had unsuccessfully run for state Representative positions from the Detroit area in both 2010 and 2020. Aside from his notoriety at WJLB, Davis made headlines in the past when three different women sued him for lack of support for children that he fathered, according to past reporting by FOX 2 News. Two of the women also sought personal protection orders against Davis, according to the television station.