Here’s a pretty big surprise coming out of Michigan: Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land is term-limited out of her job in 2010 and has had an exploratory committee open for the 2010 open gubernatorial race (and has been considered a top-tier contender for that race for many years). She scheduled two news conferences for today, leading most people to assume she’d be announcing her bid — but instead announced that:
the Secretary of State has taken herself out of the race and is backing Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, who announced his candidacy last month.
This would initially appear to give a big boost to Bouchard, who you may remember from his decisive 2006 loss to Debbie Stabenow. However, before her terms as SoS, Land was county clerk in Kent County in Michigan’s conservative west. She shares this turf with Rep. Pete Hoekstra, who now has the west to himself. Meanwhile, AG Mike Cox and Bouchard are both based in the more moderate Detroit suburbs, where they’re left to battle it out. Hoekstra has to be viewing this as good news… and with a recent poll showing likely Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. John Cherry beating Hoekstra by 3 but losing to Land by 1, Democrats have to be feeling good too. (Discussion underway in pbratt‘s diary.)
RaceTracker: MI-Gov
Though the fact that she never had a phone number up on her exploratory site (I’d wanted to call to request an interview) should have told me she wasn’t that serious.
Very odd, maybe we will save this one yet.
I think Lynn was their best potential nominee, and her dropping out is pretty surprising. I have no fear of Hoekstra and little for Cox.
Maybe Cherry might be able to hang on after all…
Do we have any candidates for the downballot offices (SoS, AG)?