Jim Townsend (Michigan)
Jim Townsend is a former Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing District 26 from 2010 to 2017.
Townsend did not seek re-election to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2016 because he was term-limited.
Biography
Townsend earned his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina and his MBA from the University of Michigan. His professional experience includes founding a consulting business, serving as the executive director of the Tourism Economic Development Council, and leading national marketing and sales for Ford Motor Company’s minivan division.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Townsend served on the following committees:
| Michigan committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Commerce and Trade |
| • Tax Policy, Minority Vice Chair |
| • Workforce and Talent Development |
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 |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Townsend served on the following committees:
| Michigan committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Local, Intergovernmental, and Regional Affairs |
| • Tax Policy |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Townsend served on the following committees:
| Michigan committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Local, Intergovernmental, and Regional Affairs |
| • Tax Policy |
Campaign themes
2012
Townsend's website highlighted 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."
Healthcare
- 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."
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).
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2016
Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 19, 2016. Incumbent Jim Townsend (D) did not seek re-election because of term-limits.
Jim Ellison defeated Randy LeVasseur in the Michigan House of Representatives District 26 general election.[2]
| Michigan House of Representatives, District 26 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jim Ellison |
59.37% | 26,785 | |
| Republican | Randy LeVasseur | 40.63% | 18,333 | |
| Total Votes | 45,118 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State | ||||
Jim Ellison ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 26 Democratic primary.[3][4]
| Michigan House of Representatives, District 26 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Jim Ellison (unopposed) | |
Randy LeVasseur ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 26 Republican primary.[3][4]
| Michigan House of Representatives, District 26 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Randy LeVasseur (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Incumbent Jim Townsend was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Greg Dildilian was unopposed in the Republican primary. Townsend defeated Dildilian in the general election.[5][6][7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Townsend Incumbent |
60.9% | 17,755 | |
| Republican | Greg Dildilian | 39.1% | 11,377 | |
| Total Votes | 29,132 | |||
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.[9]
| 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.[10][11]
| 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 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
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.[12]
January 2011 - March 2012
Jim Townsend received a 12% rating on the January 2011 - March 2012 Tea Party Scorecard.[12]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Townsend and his wife, Jennie, have two children.
Noteworthy events
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.[13]
The recall never made it to the ballot.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Jim + Townsend + Michigan + Legislature
See also
- Michigan State Legislature
- Michigan House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Michigan state legislative districts
External links
- Office website
- Official campaign website
- Profile from Open States
- Profile from Vote-USA
- Voting Record on MichiganVotes.org
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Friends of Jim Townsend, "Issues," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 official general election results," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Candidate Listing," accessed April 22, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Election Results," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Representative in State Legislature," accessed August 6, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Representative in State Legislature," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2014 Official Michigan Primary Candidate Listing," accessed May 27, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2014 Official Michigan General Candidate Listing," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, "2012 Official Michigan Primary Candidate Listing," accessed June 5, 2012
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "State Representative," accessed March 23, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "State Representative," accessed March 23, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 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 2011–2017 |
Succeeded by Jim Ellison (D) |
