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Michigan's 1st Congressional District elections, 2012
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November 6, 2012 |
August 7, 2012 |
Dan Benishek  |
Dan Benishek |
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The 1st Congressional District of Michigan held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.
Incumbent Dan Benishek won the election.[1]
The 1st District was located in the northern region of the lower peninsula and the entire upper peninsula of Michigan.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Michigan has an open primary system, meaning any registered voter can vote in any party's primary.
Voter registration: Voters were required to register to vote in the primary by July 9. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 9.[2]
- See also: Michigan elections, 2012
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Dan Benishek (R), who was first elected in 2010.
This was the first election using district maps based on data from the 2010 Census. Michigan's 1st Congressional District was located in the far northern portion of the state and included Keweenaw, Houghton, Ontonagon, Gogebie, Baraga, Iron, Dickinson, Marquette, Menominee, Delta, Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce, Chippewa, Mackinac, Presque Isle, Cheboyan, Emmett, Charlevcix, Antrim, Leelanau, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Manistee, Mason, Kalkaska, Crawford, Oscoda, Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, and Otsego counties.[3]
Candidates
General election candidates
August 7, 2012, primary results
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Election results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gary McDowell | 47.6% | 165,179 | |
| Republican |  Dan Benishek Incumbent |
48.1% | 167,060 | |
| Libertarian | Emily Salvette | 3.1% | 10,630 | |
| Green | Ellis Boal | 1.2% | 4,168 | |
| Total Votes | 347,037 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Race background
Competitiveness
Using the Federal Election Commission's October Quarterly campaign finance filings, the Brennan Center for Justice at The New York University School of Law published a report on October 22nd focusing on the 25 House races rated most competitive by The Cook Political Report, including the race for Michigan's 1st. The report examined the relative spending presence of non-candidate groups, candidates, and small donors in these races.[6]
| List of 25 Toss Up Races from the Cook Political Report:[7] | |
|---|---|
|
Democratic Toss Ups: Republican Toss Ups: | |
Michigan's 1st was considered to be a Tossup according to the New York Times race ratings. Republican incumbent Dan Benishek was challenged by Gary McDowell (D). The district became slightly more Republican following redistricting.[8]
The district was 1 of 36 nominated to receive additional resources through the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) “Red to Blue” program. The 1st District was the only one in Michigan that was targeted.[9]
Incumbent Dan Benishek was a part of the National Republican Congressional Committee's Patriot Program, a program to help House Republicans increase their majority in 2012.[10]
Polls
Dan Benishek vs. Gary McDowell
| Dan Benishek vs. Gary McDowell | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Dan Benishek | Gary McDowell | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| (June 25, 2012) | 40% | 38% | 22% | +/-4.9 | 402 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Media
The two campaign ads below were released by Republican incumbent Dan Benishek and Democratic challenger Gary McDowell.
Dan Benishek
Dan Benishek, "Ad: Promotion"[11] |
Gary McDowell
Gary McDowell, "Send a Message"[12] |
Impact of Redistricting
- See also Redistricting in Michigan
District partisanship
FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012 study
- See also: FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012
In 2012, FairVote did a study on partisanship in the congressional districts, giving each a percentage ranking (D/R) based on the new 2012 maps and comparing that to the old 2010 maps. Michigan's 1st District partisan breakdown did not change because of redistricting.[13]
- 2012: 47D / 53R
- 2010: 47D / 53R
Cook Political Report's PVI
In 2012, Cook Political Report released its updated figures on the Partisan Voter Index, which measures each congressional district's partisanship relative to the rest of the country. Michigan's 1st Congressional District had a PVI of R+4, which was the 201st most Republican district in the country. In 2008, this district was won by Barack Obama (D), 51-49 percent over John McCain (R). In 2004, George W. Bush (R) won the district 55-45 percent over John Kerry (D).[14]
Campaign donors
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2012 elections season. Below are Benishek and McDowell's reports.
Dan Benishek
| Dan Benishek (2012) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[15] | March 31, 2012 | $277,055.84 | $336,236.67 | $(100,995.4) | $512,297.11 | ||||
| July Quarterly[16] | June 30, 2012 | $512,297.11 | $305,245.35 | $(203,306.98) | $614,235.48 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[17] | July 26, 2012 | $614,235.48 | $36,273.6 | $(152,229.94) | $498,729.14 | ||||
| October Quarterly[18] | October 28, 2012 | $498,314.14 | $487,308.29 | $(411,287.53) | $574,334.9 | ||||
| Pre-General[19] | October 25, 2012 | $574,334.9 | $128,790.84 | $(412,751.98) | $290,373.56 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,293,854.75 | $(1,280,571.83) | ||||||||
Gary McDowell
| Gary McDowell (2012) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[20] | March 31, 2012 | $303,077.60 | $273,981.60 | $(74,385.12) | $502,674.08 | ||||
| July Quarterly[21] | June 30, 2012 | $502,674.08 | $291,062.38 | $(107,074.92) | $686,661.54 | ||||
| Pre-General[22] | October 15, 2012 | $686,661.54 | $15,238.40 | $(81,542.06) | $620,357.88 | ||||
| October Quarterly[23] | October 15, 2012 | $620,357.88 | $385,760.60 | $(402,305.70) | $603,812.78 | ||||
| Pre-General[24] | October 25, 2012 | $603,812.78 | $77,966.34 | $(299,508.03) | $382,271.09 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,044,009.32 | $(964,815.83) | ||||||||
McDowell reported raising $400,000 in the third quarter, leaving his campaign with $600,000 cash on hand.[25]
District history
2010
On November 2, 2010, Benishek won election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Gary McDowell (D), Keith Shelton (L), Patrick Lambert (U.S. Taxpayers'), Ellis Boal (G), and Glenn A. Wilson (I) in the general election.[26]
| U.S. House of Representatives, Michigan's 1st Congressional District, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Dan Benishek |
51.9% | 120,523 | |
| Democratic | Gary McDowell | 40.9% | 94,824 | |
| Libertarian | Keith Shelton | 1.1% | 2,571 | |
| U.S. Taxpayers' | Patrick Lambert | 1.8% | 4,200 | |
| Green | Ellis Boal | 0.9% | 2,072 | |
| Independent | Glenn A. Wilson | 3.4% | 7,847 | |
| Total Votes | 232,037 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2012
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2012
- United States Senate elections in Michigan, 2012
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Michigan"
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2012 Registration Deadlines and Election Dates," accessed June 29, 2012
- ↑ Michigan Redistricting Map, "Map" accessed August 31, 2012
- ↑ "UP's Benishek welcomes McDowell to Congressional race" September 14, 2011
- ↑ Elect Derek Bailey "Author Archives" May 15, 2012
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Election Spending 2012: 25 Toss-Up House Races," October 22, 2012
- ↑ The Cook Political Report, "House: Race Ratings," updated October 18, 2012
- ↑ New York Times, "House Race Ratings," accessed August 10, 2012
- ↑ http://www.freep.com/article/20120118/NEWS15/120118041/Red-to-blue-Democrats-target-one-Michigan-soon-to-be-district "Red to blue? Democrats target one Michigan soon-to-be district" January 18 2012]
- ↑ NRCC "Patriot Program 2012"
- ↑ YouTube channel
- ↑ YouTube channel
- ↑ "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in Michigan," September 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" accessed October 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed August 1, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed August 1, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Pre-Primary," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Pre-General," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed August 1, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed August 1, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Pre-Primary," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Pre-General," accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Gary McDowell's campaign website
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013 accessed December 1, 2011
