Lt. Gov. John Cherry ended his sputtering Democratic campaign for governor, saying he was unable to raise the money he needed.
“I was not successful in that endeavor to the degree that was needed. With that in mind, I have come to the conclusion that to wage a successful campaign will be difficult at best,” Cherry said in a prepared statement.
Cherry, who had not formally announced his candidacy, expressed disappointment for those who had worked on his campaign and contributed money.
Given that Cherry had some significant troubles in the polls, this move is probably a good thing for Democrats. Perhaps someone with fewer connections to the Granholm administration like Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero will seize upon this opportunity.
UPDATE (Crisituntiy): Politico has a few other tidbits, in a piece provocatively titled “Dems cheer Cherry’s exit from race:” for starters, it sounds like Cherry may have been shown the door (or at least pointed in that direction) by Beltway Democrats.
Cherry was in Washington last month to meet with Democratic officials, where they showed him bleak polling numbers and questioned whether he would be able to win the contest.
The article also states that multiple Democratic sources say state House speaker Andy Dillon will be entering the race. (Dillon has already made his interest in the race known and has shown up often in polls of the Democratic primary, but hasn’t taken official steps yet.) Dillon has had poor relations with organized labor, though, and would probably still draw a serious challenge. Politico also says that Lansing mayor Virg Bernero, as speculated above, is “also expected” to enter the race, although they don’t even rely on unidentified sources for that.
Also, a variety of minor Dems are already in the race and presumably now more motivated to stay in: state Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, former state Rep. John Freeman, Flint mayor Don Williamson, and MSU trustee (and former football coach) George Perles. The removal of front-running Cherry mightily scrambles the field — but given Cherry’s weak numbers and weak fundraising, we may in fact be better off rolling the dice on someone else here.
RaceTracker Wiki: MI-Gov
Can be from MI’s private sector or a state legislator with good independent record. This a classic case of MI voters prepared to go for a new like NJ votes did. Mike Cox, the probable GOP nominee, is a two-faced hypocritical opportunist that coudl still win if viewed as the non-incumbent, of course, this won’t be the case if the Dems find an outsider to run a change message (see AK: Murkowski to Palin; CT: Rowland to Rell; WV: Wise to Manchin )
This guy is awesome
http://www.rasmussenreports.co…
For most of 2008, former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer was considering running, but eventually decided to sit the race out. I always assumed it was because Cherry had everything locked up. He might be reconsidering.
From where I sit as a complete non-expert, I’d say that Archer, Dillon (ugh), and Bernero are in a good position to put together strong campaigns, with maybe a surprise by someone unknown. Maybe a David Bonior comeback? Bart Stupak ditches the House and abortion/HCR for the governor’s mansion? But until some strong candidates emerge, we’re just as far behind as if Cherry stayed in– it’s only good news depending on who jumps into the race. The next couple of weeks will determine everything.
Regardless, I do think it’s a shame that John Cherry won’t have a shot at being governor. He’s not inspiring and he’s not flashy, but he really seems competent and thoughtful. He just couldn’t make it happen as a candidate.
I think Cherry was a better candidate than most people gave him credit for. He wasn’t the political star that Granholm was but few people are. He was seen as a horrible candidate because everyone kept calling him a horrible candidate. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Cherry was the best chance to win. Dillon is a DINO and won’t get the base (I won’t vote for him). Bernero is unknown, as is Alma Wheeler Smith. I’m not sure who should be the nominee now.
She was polled awhile back by a Detroit-area news station, and could easily raise the money, not to mention have the statewide name rec, to be an extremely credible candidate. Any word if she’s considering it now?
Dillon is the outsider in this race; his proposal to put all state employees in a single health insurance pool along with most other state municipal agencies was truly radical for a state Democrat.
I think Dillon has the best shot at this because he has consistently stood apart from the Granholm administration and does not appear beholden to Big Labor…
I’m no union member but that includes me. Anyone who knows anything about state politics knows that he’s a DINO.
Virg Bernero, on the other hand, is just the crusading economic populist the Democratic party needs to run in this state to win. People here are ANGRY about the economy, and right or wrong they blame Granholm for some of the mess. I think there’s a strong inclination here to roll the dice with the Republicans, but that may change with Bernero. He’s also great on gay rights. His obvious drawback is name rec, but it’s not like everyone’s going around with “Dillon” on their lips, either.
Mr. Marlinga needs to forget about wasting time in the State Senate.
Cox can lose statewide because he is not from Grand Rapids.
To win a Republican must turnout money and support from Grand Rapids, like John Engler.
Cox —- like Granholm — is a McNamara Machine tool from Livonia.
Any Democrat from Wayne County or Detroit (Archer) will lose statewide because they are all tainted by the stink of the McNamara Machine.
Ficano is corrupt and actually worse than McNamara, because he is totally incompetent.
The Democrats only way to win statewide is with a Macomb County Democrat, such as Sheriff Mark Hackel or Carl Marlinga.
Both Marlinga and Bonoir are UAW loyalists. The UAW hates Dillon
Just like Fieger, Marlingas past troubles could endear him to voters in the states urban areas such as Detroit and Flint.
Marlinga the outsider with insider experience, vs. Cox the self-serving windbag.
Marlinga vs. Cox would equal a narrow victory for the Democrats.