In battle for Michigan House, four Oakland County Democrats can restore balance

To understand how much gerrymandering has distorted the democratic process in Michigan, look no further than Oakland County. where legislative boundaries drawn after the 2010 Census have systematically diluted the influence of Democratic voters for a decade.

Oakland voters historically have given the major parties alternating turns at the state's top elected office. Republican candidates carried Oakland in three of Michigan's last six gubernatorial contests (1998, 2010 and 2014); Democrats came out on top in the other three (2002, 2006 and 2018). In each instance, the candidate who prevailed in Oakland also won statewide.

But in legislative elections, Oakland's swing don't mean a thing -- or at least it hasn't until now,

Because Republican legislators who controlled the redistricting process in 2011 crammed most of Oakland's Democratic voters into just five of its 14 state House districts, Republicans have managed to hold the other nine seats in three of the last four elections, even when a majority of Oakland voters favored Democratic House candidates.

in 2018, only 43% of Oakland voters cast their ballots for GOP legislators. Republicans still managed to hold half of Oakland's seats in the House.

One consequence of this distortion is that the Democratic governor who carried Oakland by 17 points in 2018 has faced relentless opposition from a state House in which Republicans continue to enjoy a 57-51 majority.

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Because Democratic voters in Oakland and other Southeastern Michigan counties are denied legislative representation proportionate to their numbers, the GOP House majority has adopted legislation designed to suppress absentee voting, opposed a mask mandate and other measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, and refused even to discuss legislation that would ban visitors from carrying assault weapons into the state Capitol.

As in the last four election cycles, most of this year's House contests in Oakland were effectively decided in partisan primaries last August.

But the demographic changes wrought by time have transformed four state House districts that were previously GOP sinecures into competitive battlegrounds:

District 38

(Northville, Novi, South Lyon,Walled Lake; Lyon Twp. and Novi Twp.)

Attorney Kelly Breen, a 34-year-old Democrat who currently serves on the Novi City Council, lost to incumbent state Rep. Kathy Crawford by just 588 votes out of 45,000 cast in 2018. We were optimistic a crowded GOP primary contest would yield a credible GOP candidate to replace the term-limited Crawford, but Chase Turner, the 24-year-old marketing specialist who won the Republican nomination, cannot match Breen's legislative experience or command of the challenges facing state government in the pandemic era.

KELLY BREEN is the superior choice for voters in 2020.

District 39

(Wixom; Commerce Twp, and part of West Bloomfield Twp.)

Incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Berman, 39, pulled off an upset in 2018 when his Democratic opponent was indicted for embezzling funds from Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner's campaign. But Ryan is a conservative ideologue who was always a bad fit for this moderate district. He incurred the wrath of public school officials this summer when he opposed their petition for federal funds to defray expenses associated with the pandemic. Berman said he worried that taxpayer dollars would be diverted to underfunded teacher pensions.

This year Berman faces a far more formidable Democratic challenger in Julia Pulver, a 36-year-old nursing consultant from West Bloomfield. We endorsed Pulver two years ago when she took on incumbent state Sen. Jim Runestead, R-White Lake in her first bid for public office, and her long experience in public health and patient advocacy makes her an even stronger candidate in 2020.

Voters in the 39th should elect JULIA PULVER to the state House.

District 41

(Clawson, Troy)

Democratic state Rep. Padma Kuppa, 54, is a mechanical engineer and business analyst who has worked in manufacturing, finance and IT. The first Indian immigrant elected to the state Legislature, she has focused in her first term on health care issues, and is the chief sponsor of legislation that would restore paid sick-pay provisions stripped out of a citizens initiative Republican legislators gutted in 2018's lame-duck session.

Republican Andrew Sosnoski, 34, is an accountant who oversees construction and reporting for southeast Michigan's regional water authority. He has campaigned on an initiative to reduce state legislators to part-time status and slash their pay, and he opposes the Affordable Care Act and abortion rights. This is Sosnoski;s second bid for legislative office, but he has made no compelling argument for unseating an incumbent whose priorities seem aligned with those of her constituents.

Voters should return Rep. PADMA KUPPA to Lansing for a second two-year term.

District 45

(Rochester, Rochester Hills)

Two candidates with names familiar to 45th District residents Rochester Hills are running in what one handicapper aptly describes as a congenial contest to fill the seat being vacated by term-limited Republican Rep. Michael Webber. Republican Mike Tisdel, 64, is the president of the Rochester Hills City Council; Democrat Barb Anness, 53 is a member of the Rochester Community Schools board.

Tisdel is a among the best qualified candidates Oakland Republicans have fielded this year, but he no longer represents the aspirations of his changing district, whose voters supported Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2018.

We supported Anness, a small business owner who serves as the federal legislative chair of Michigan's statewide Parent Teacher Association, in the Democratic primary. We continue to believe her experience at the intersection of public education and government policy makes her best suited to represent a district with a legacy of K-12 excellence.

In a contest between two proven public servants, our endorsement goes to BARB ANNESS.

Other Oakland House seats

Democratic primary winners are overwhelming favorites to win in six districts, including the formerly Republican leaning 40th, where first-term Rep. Mari Manoogian has parlayed her own formidable energy and the emerging strength of younger Democratic voters into a formidable advantage..

Republican incumbents enjoy a similarly prohibitive advantage n four exurban districts.

(The names of candidates we endorsed in the August primary or in the 2018 general election or primary appear in BOLDFACE CAPITALS.)

District 26 (Madison Heights, Royal Oak)::

Democrat Jim Ellison (incumbent)

District 27 (Berkley, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge; Royal Oak. Twp.)

Democrat REGINA WEISS

District 29 (Auburn Hills, Keego, Harbor, Orchard Lake Village, Pontiac, and Sylvan Lake):

Democrat BRENDA CARTER

District 35 (Lathrup Village, Southfield; Southfield.Twp):

Democrat KYRA HARRIS BOLDEN (incumbent)

District 37 (Farmington and Farmington Hills.)

Democrat SAMANTHA STECKLOFF

District 40 (Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills; Bloomfield Twp. and part of West Bloomfield Twp.

Democrat MARI MANOOGIAN (incumbent)

District 43 (Lake Angelus, Clarkston Village; Independence Twp. Waterford Twp.)

Republican ANDREA SCHROEDER (incumbent)

District 44 (Highland Twp., Milford Twp., Springfield Twp. part of Waterford Twp.,and White Lake.Twp.)

Republican Matt Maddock (incumbent)

District 46 (Addison Twp., Brandon Twp., Orion Twp., Oxford.Twp., and part of Oakland Twp.):

Republican John Reilly (incumbent)

District 51 (Groveland Twp., Holly Twp, and Rose Twp.):

Republican Mike Mueller (incumbent)

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: In battle for Michigan House, four Oakland County Democrats can restore balance

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