Jim Slezak
Jim Slezak was a 2012 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 5th Congressional District of Michigan. Previously, he was a Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing District 50 from 2009 to January 1, 2011.
Biography
Slezak is a graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in political science. He and his wife, Kathleen, live in Davison Township and have three children, Bridgette, Gabrielle and Jack.[1]
Career
- Owner, Photo Factory United States of America
- Representative, Michigan State House of Representatives (2008-2010)
Committee Assignments, 2009-2010
- Government Operations
- Labor
- Tax Policy
- Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources
Voting record
Key votes of 2009-2010
- Click below to see how this representative voted.
- Super Speedway, Lawmakers voting on whether TO EXTEND A SPECIAL TAX PERK for a super speedway.
- Driver Responsibility Fees, Lawmakers voting on whether TO IMPOSE 'driver responsibility fees.'
- Crony Capitalism, Lawmakers voting on whether TO RESTRICT THE RIGHT of shareholders to sell their own stock.
- Right to Work, Lawmakers voting on an amendment SUPPORTING RIGHT-TO-WORK zones.
- Dept. of State Cost-Saving, Lawmakers voting on whether TO SLOW DOWN PROGRESS ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S COST-SAVING CONSOLIDATION PLAN.
- Golf Carts, Lawmakers voting on whether TO SUBSIDIZE the production of electric vehicle batteries.
- Home Court Disadvantage, Lawmakers voting on whether TO GIVE MORE TAXING POWER to local government in Kalamazoo so it can finance a taxpayer-subsidized sports arena.
- Fire Safe Cigarettes, Lawmakers voting on whether TO BAN the sale of cigarettes that are not "fire safe."
- Balancing Act, Lawmakers voting on a budget to CUT REVENUE SHARING PAYMENTS to local governments as a way to balance the state budget without raising taxes.
- Balancing Act 2, Lawmakers voting on a cut of less than 3 percent to K-12 school aid payments so as to balance the state budget without tax increases.
- A Good Tax Gone Bad?, Lawmakers voting on the Michigan Business Tax.
- It’s From the Children, Lawmakers voting on whether to RAID $90 MILLION from the Michigan Higher Education Student Loan Authority.
- Left Behind, Lawmakers voting on whether TO FINANCE "No Worker Left Behind" with a 59.9 percent increase in general fund spending in the 2009 DELEG budget.
- First Class Schools, Lawmakers voting on whether to keep Detroit Public Schools' "first class" status even though the district no longer meets the population standard.
- Politically Correct Capitalism, Lawmakers voting on whether to INCREASE SUBSIDIES for plug-in traction battery packs used in electric cars.
- Politically Correct Capitalism 2, Lawmakers voting on whether to GIVE SUBSIDIES for Michigan film production.
- Politically Correct Capitalism 3, Lawmakers voting on whether to INCREASE ELECTRIC CAR SUBSIDIES for a subsidiary of a Korean battery company.
- Secret Ballot, Lawmakers voting on whether to keep a SECRET BALLOT for union elections.
- Property Taxes Assaulted Again, Lawmakers voting on whether to allow public schools to EXPAND THE USE OF SINKING FUND property tax spending.
- Sneak Attack, Lawmakers voting on whether to allow public schools to EXPAND THE USE OF SINKING FUND property tax spending.
- Grapes of Wrath, Lawmakers voting on whether TO BAN home shipment of beer and wine to Michigan consumers.
- Subsidize Manufacture of Electric Cars, Lawmakers voting on whether to authorize a refundable Michigan Business Tax credit for makers of plug-in traction battery packs used in electric cars.
- Authorize Special Tax Breaks for Ethanol Gas Stations, Lawmakers voting on whether to authorize a non-refundable Michigan Business Tax credit equal to 30 percent of the costs incurred by a gas station to convert existing pumps and tanks, or acquire new ones that deliver E85 ethanol or biodiesel fuel.
More voting record details
- List of all of Jim Slezak’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).
- List of Jim Slezak’s 0 missed roll-call votes
Elections
2012
Slezak was defeated by Democrat Dan Kildee in the general election on November 6, 2012.[2] Slezak ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House to represent Michigan's 5th District. He defeated Tom Wassa in the August 7, 2012, Republican primary. He faced Dan Kildee (D), Gregory Creswell (L) and David Davenport (I) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Dan Kildee |
65% | 214,531 | |
| Republican | Jim Slezak | 31.5% | 103,931 | |
| Libertarian | Gregory Creswell | 1.5% | 4,990 | |
| Independent | David Davenport | 2% | 6,694 | |
| Total Votes | 330,146 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jim Slezak |
63.9% | 16,929 |
| Tom Wassa | 36.1% | 9,567 |
| Total Votes | 26,496 | |
Media
In the video below, Slezak announced his candidacy in Michigan's 5th Congressional District elections.[4]
Jim Slezak, "Slezak Announcement"[5] |
Campaign issues
Slezak highlights four issues on his campaign website.[6]
- Creating a Climate for Job Creation
Excerpt: "Simplify our overly complex IRS Tax Code, remove burdensome regulations, and offer job creators more certainty."[7]
- Healthcare
Excerpt: "The Federal Government takeover of healthcare has to stop. Jim believes we need to repeal the healthcare legislation that was passed in Washington D.C. The government cannot and should not be able to force the public purchase a product."[8]
- Education
Excerpt: "The fundamental flaw we have in our education system is the Federal Government’s increased involvement in education. The government has spent too much time throwing money at education without understanding how to best spend our taxpayer money."[9]
- Military
Excerpt: "Jim believes we must maintain a strong National Defense. The world we live in today is filled with uncertainty and the way to keep peace is through strength."[10]
2010
Slezak did not run for re-election, although he was eligible to do so under Michigan's term limits.
2008
On November 4, 2008, Jim Slezak ran for District 50 of the Michigan House of Representatives, beating Douglas O'Neal and Kevin McKague.[11]
Jim Slezak raised $81,217 for his campaign.[12]
| Michigan House of Representatives, District 50 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Jim Slezak (D)
|
29,792 | |||
| Douglas O'Neal (R) | 11,290 | |||
| Kevin McKague (Write-In) | 32 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
See also
- Michigan's 5th Congressional District
- Michigan's 5th Congressional District elections, 2012
- United States House of Representatives
External links
- Jim Slezak official campaign site
- Jim Slezak's personal website
- Michigan Legislature - Representative Jim Slezak
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Michigan Votes - Jim Slezak
- Campaign Contributions: 2008
- Contributions Report from Michigan Secretary of State
Footnotes
- ↑ Slezak for Congress, "About Jim" May 24, 2012
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Michigan"
- ↑ Associated Press, "Michigan - Summary Vote Results," accessed May 30, 2014
- ↑ Jim Slezak, "Media," accessed October 5, 2012
- ↑ YouTube channel
- ↑ Jim Slezak, "Solutions," accessed October 5, 2012
- ↑ Jim Slezak, "Solutions," accessed October 5, 2012
- ↑ Jim Slezak, "Solutions," accessed October 5, 2012
- ↑ Jim Slezak, "Solutions," accessed October 5, 2012
- ↑ Jim Slezak, "Solutions," accessed October 5, 2012
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Election Results - General Election - November 04, 2008," accessed May 30, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money's report on Slezak's 2008 campaign contributions
