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Jim Townsend
| Jim Townsend | ||
 | ||
| Michigan House of Representatives District 26 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 1, 2011-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 1, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 2 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $71,685/year | |
| Per diem | $10,800 yearly expense allowance | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 2, 2010 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | 3 terms | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of North Carolina | |
| Master's | University of Michigan | |
| Personal | ||
| Profession | Business Owner | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
In 2002, Townsend founded his own consulting business, specializing in helping companies and organizations grow and create jobs. Townsend served as the executive director of the Tourism Economic Development Council. Jim has also led national marketing and sales for Ford Motor Company’s $4 billion minivan business.
Townsend graduated from the University of North Carolina with a Bachelor's degree, and from the University of Michigan with his MBA.
Issues
Campaign themes
Townsend's website highlights the following campaign themes:[1]
Standing Up for the Middle Class
- Excerpt:"It is time that we stop blaming working people for our economic challenges and start investing in their capacity to compete."
We Have the Power to Change Michigan
- Excerpt:"As your state representative I will fight tirelessly for the interests of Madison Heights and Royal Oak but I will also reach out to my colleagues in the region who are interested in building on the assets we share as metro Detroiters to create an economy our kids will be glad to inherit."
Health Care
- Excerpt:"Our job in Michigan is to become a model of progressive innovation in health care that expands access to affordable insurance and lowers the cost of health care for all."
Issues Affecting Women
- Excerpt:"While much progress has been made in recent decades toward eliminating discrimination against women and opening up a wide array of new opportunities, it is vitally important that we remain vigilant against efforts to turn back the clock on women's rights and freedoms, work to overcome barriers that still stand in the way of full gender equality and take action on problems that disproportionately affect women."
Environment
- Excerpt:"We must value Michigan's environmental treasures and stand up to those who would take our water or damage our land."
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Townsend served on the following committees:
| Michigan Committee Assignments, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Commerce | ||||
| • Michigan Competitiveness | ||||
| • Tax Policy | ||||
Elections
2012
Townsend won re-election in the 2012 election for Michigan House of Representatives District 26. He ran unopposed in the August 7 Democratic primary and defeated Mark Bliss (R) and James K. Young (L) in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.[2]
| Michigan House of Representatives, District 26, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jim Townsend Incumbent |
60.4% | 26,094 | |
| Republican | Mark Bliss | 35.9% | 15,502 | |
| Libertarian | James Young | 3.8% | 1,636 | |
| Total Votes | 43,232 | |||
2010
Townsend won election to the District 26 Seat in 2010. He defeated Frank Houston, Bob Klotz and Kevin McLogan in the August 3 Democratic primary. He defeated Ken Rosen (R) in the general election on November 2, 2010.
| Michigan House of Representatives, District 26 General election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Jim Townsend (D)
|
15,490 | |||
| Ken Rosen (R) | 13,347 | |||
| James Young (L) | 938 | |||
More voting record details
- List of all of Jim Townsend’s roll call votes, bills introduced, and floor amendments from MichiganVotes.org (use site’s “advanced search” to narrow by date range, issue category and/or keyword).
Campaign donors
2012
Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.
2010
In 2010, Townsend raised $132,005 in contributions. [3]
His five largest contributors were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| AFSCME | $5,000 |
| Levin For Congress | $5,000 |
| Hammel Leadership Fund | $5,000 |
| Michigan Trial Lawyers Association | $5,000 |
| United Automobile Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers Of America | $5,000 |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Townsend served on these committees:
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Townsend served on these committees:
- Tax Policy
- Local, Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs
Jim Townsend’s Campaign Contributions
Contributions Report from Michigan Secretary of State
Scorecards
Tea Party Scorecard
The Independent Tea Party Patriots, a Michigan Tea Party group, grades the votes of this and every other Michigan legislator on “core tea party issues” in a regularly-updated scorecard. 100% is considered an ideal rating.[4]
January 2011 - March 2012
Jim Townsend received a 12% rating on the January 2011 - March 2012 Tea Party Scorecard.[4]
Recall effort
On September 26, 2011, The Oakland County Election Commission approved recall language against Jim Townsend. In order for a recall election to be scheduled, organizers would have had to collect valid signatures of 25 percent of the people who voted for governor in the district in the last election.[5]
The recall never made it to the ballot.
Personal
Townsend and his wife Jennie have two children.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Jim + Townsend + Michigan + Legislature
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Jim Townsend News Feed
- Rep. Jim Townsend Introduces Gun Safety Legislation - Patch.com
- Universal gun background checks? Michigan Democrat doesn't want to wait on ... - MLive.com
- Sculptor, Architect Share Vision for WWII Legacy Memorial in Royal Oak - Patch.com
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
External links
- Official campaign website
- Official Biography
- Voting Record on MichiganVotes.org
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2010
References
- ↑ "votejimtownsend," Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Michigan Department of State "2012 Unofficial Michigan Primary Candidate Listing," Accessed June 5, 2012
- ↑ 2010 contributions
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michigan Votes, "Tea Party Scorecard Jan 2011-Mar 2012," accessed June 22, 2012
- ↑ Daily Tribune, "Recall language OK’d against two lawmakers, rejected against two," September 28, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Michigan House of Representatives District 26 2011–present |
Succeeded by NA |
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State of Michigan Lansing (capital) |
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- State legislative article missing donor information
- Current member, Michigan House of Representatives
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