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Michigan's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Republican primary)
- Primary date: Aug. 4
- Primary type: Open
- Registration deadline(s): July 21
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Early voting starts: June 10 (Michigan permits early voting in the form of in-person absentee voting)
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Aug. 4 (received)
- Voter ID: Photo ID (affidavit option for those without ID)
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
2022 →
← 2018
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| Michigan's 6th Congressional District |
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 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: May 8, 2020 |
| Primary: August 4, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Fred Upton (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Michigan |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Likely Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th Michigan elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
A Republican Party primary took place on August 4, 2020, in Michigan's 6th Congressional District to determine which Republican candidate would run in the district's general election on November 3, 2020.
Incumbent Fred Upton advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 6.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
Heading into the election, the incumbent was Fred Upton (Republican), who was first elected in 1986.
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.[1][2]
This page focuses on Michigan's 6th Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Michigan's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)
- Michigan's 6th Congressional District election, 2020
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Michigan modified its primary election process as follows:
- Candidate filing procedures: The petition signature requirements for select primary candidates was reduced to 50 percent of their statutory requirements. The filing deadline was extended from April 21 to May 8.
- Voting procedures: Absentee ballot applications sent automatically to all registered voters in the primary election.
- Political party events: The Democratic Party of Michigan canceled its state convention, originally scheduled for March 21, 2020.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 6
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Fred Upton  | 62.7 | 53,495 |
 | Elena Oelke | 37.3 | 31,884 | |
| Total votes: 85,379 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[3] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office: U.S. House of Representatives (Assumed office: 1987)
Submitted Biography: "Congressman Fred Upton - known more commonly as "Fred" - is a sincere, hardworking leader who listens to all perspectives and achieves results for folks here in Southwest Michigan. In the midst of these challenging times, Fred has helped rush coronavirus relief to southwest Michigan families, is working to protect Michigan seniors, and is fighting in Washington to help get our economy on the road to recovery. Meanwhile, Fred has also continued his efforts to support our extraordinary veterans, protect our country's national defense, preserve our Great Lakes, and increase opportunities for our agriculture industry. In D.C. and here at home, Fred is known for his work ethic and has consistently been named one of the "Top 25 Hardest Working Members of Congress." He delivers results for the folks he represents - always has and always will. Fred is a graduate of the University of Michigan and remains a die-hard Wolverines fan. He and his wife Amey of 37 years are the proud parents of two children and just had their first grandchild earlier this year."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Michigan District 6 in 2020.
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+4, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 4 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Michigan's 6th Congressional District the 200th most Republican nationally.[4]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.06. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.06 points toward that party.[5]
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[6] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[7] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Upton | Republican Party | $3,646,564 | $3,494,801 | $187,875 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Elena Oelke | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[8]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[9][10][11]
| Race ratings: Michigan's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. | |||||||||
See also
- Michigan's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primary)
- Michigan's 6th Congressional District election, 2020
- United States House elections in Michigan, 2020 (August 4 Democratic primaries)
- United States House elections in Michigan, 2020 (August 4 Republican primaries)
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2020
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
- U.S. House battlegrounds, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ NCSL, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Michigan.gov, "Questions and Answers: Michigan’s Presidential Primary," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
