Michigan's 6th Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
August 2, 2016 |
Fred Upton  |
Fred Upton |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 6th Congressional District of Michigan held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Fred Upton (R) defeated Paul Clements (D) and Lorence Wenke (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent in August.[4][5][6][7]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Michigan utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. All candidates appear on the same ballot and a voter may only vote for candidates of one party at any primary.[8][9]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Fred Upton (R), who was first elected in 1987.
As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, Michigan's 6th Congressional District was located in the southwestern region of the lower peninsula of Michigan and included the city of Kalamazoo. It includes Van Buren, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Cass, and Berrien counties and a part of Allegan County.[10]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Fred Upton Incumbent |
58.6% | 193,259 | |
| Democratic | Paul Clements | 36.4% | 119,980 | |
| Libertarian | Lorence Wenke | 4.9% | 16,248 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0% | 78 | |
| Total Votes | 329,565 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State | ||||
Candidates
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General election candidates: Fred Upton   Paul Clements Lorence Wenke |
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Primary candidates:[11] |
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Democratic |
Republican |
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Third Party/Other |
Endorsements
Paul Clements
Media
Paul Clements
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District history
2014
The 6th Congressional District of Michigan held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Fred Upton (R) defeated Paul Clements (D), John Lawrence (G) and Erwin J. Haas (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Fred Upton Incumbent |
55.9% | 116,801 | |
| Democratic | Paul Clements | 40.4% | 84,391 | |
| Libertarian | Erwin Haas | 2.6% | 5,530 | |
| Green | John Lawrence | 1.1% | 2,254 | |
| Total Votes | 208,976 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State Vote totals above are unofficial and will be updated once official totals are made available. | ||||
2012
The 6th Congressional District of Michigan held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Fred Upton (R) won the election in the district.[15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike O'Brien | 42.6% | 136,563 | |
| Republican | Fred Upton Incumbent |
54.6% | 174,955 | |
| Libertarian | Christie Gelineau | 2% | 6,366 | |
| UST | Jason Gatties | 0.8% | 2,591 | |
| Total Votes | 320,475 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Michigan elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Michigan in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| February 12, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| February 23, 2016 | Election date | Election | |
| March 21, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for incumbent judges seeking re-election to file for the state primary | |
| March 24, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-election report due | |
| April 19, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for partisan and nonpartisan candidates (other than incumbent judges) to file for the state primary | |
| April 22, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| May 3, 2016 | Election date | Election | |
| June 2, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-election report due | |
| July 21, 2016 | Ballot access | Deadline for unaffiliated candidates to file for the general election | |
| July 22, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| August 2, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| September 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-election report due | |
| October 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-election report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| December 8, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-election report due | |
| Sources: Michigan Secretary of State, "2015 and 2016 Campaign Finance Filing Schedule," accessed July 1, 2015 Michigan Secretary of State, ,"2016 Michigan Election Dates," accessed January 16, 2016 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Candidate Listing," accessed April 20, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Michigan House Primaries Results," August 2, 2016
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Candidate Listing," accessed September 6, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ Michigan Legislature, "MCL - Section 168.531," accessed December 9, 2025
- ↑ Michigan Legislature, "MCL - Section 168.576," accessed December 9, 2025
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ Mlive, "Democrat Paul Clements announces bid for Congress in 2016," August 12, 2015
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2016 Michigan Candidate Listing," accessed June 26, 2016
- ↑ Scribd, " Bernie Sanders Endorses Paul Clements," June 7, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map," accessed August 15, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
