Reason for Faith in Voters: Courser and Gamrat Lose Bid For Comeback

Michigan Reps. Todd Courser, 43, no longer smiling.

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Updated: Wednesday: 12:28 a.m. -- Both former state lawmakers Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat were soundly defeated in their bids to recapture the seats they lost in September when they were forced out of the state House. Courser came in sixth place out of 11 candidates in the Republican primary in Lapeer County, capturing 3.6 percent of the vote, the Detroit News reports.

In west Michigan’s Allegan County, Gamrat edged out fellow tea party member Bill Sage for third place, with 9.3 percent of the vote in the Republican primary. The News reports that the winners in both GOP primaries in Allegan and Lapeer counties are favorites to win in the March 8 general election. 

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From Tuesday Night

If voters had returned the ousted state lawmaker Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser to their House seats, there would have been good reason to lose faith in the electorate

Thankfully, that doesn't appear to be the case.

As of 9:20 p.m., they both appeared to be going down in defeat in the special primary election on Tuesday, according to the Detroit News. In September, the House expelled Gamrat and and Courser quit just before he was about to kicked out. Both were having an affair and tried to cover it up, allegedly using government resources to do so.

Chad Livengood and Gary Heinlein write for The Detroit News:

In Lapeer County, Gary Howell, a county school board member and road commissioner, led an 11-candidate Republican field for the House District 82 seat at 24.5 percent with a third of the precincts reporting. Nurse Jan Peabody was second with 15.2 percent while Courser trailed far behind in fifth place with 3 percent of the vote.

In west Michigan’s Allegan County, Mary Whiteford of South Haven comfortably led with 49 percent of the vote among eight Republican candidates with 60 percent of the precincts reporting. Allegan County Commissioner Jim Storey was in second at 26 percent and Gamrat was fighting fellow tea party member Bill Sage for third place. The special primary was a rematch for Whiteford, who lost to Gamrat in the August 2014 primary.

 

Photo: Progress Michigan, a Lansing group that backs progressive political causes, created mock campaign posters last month