More than 1.6 million Michiganders voted absentee in the state’s first August primary since no-reason absentee voting was passed in 2018. By midnight, several had been called but others were delayed because of a surge in absentee voting. Key races in Michigan’s 13th and 8th congressional districts weren’t called until Wednesday.
WKAR’s Sophia Saliby and Abigail Censky discussed the results of some key races. Below is a summary of their conversation.
In Michigan’s third congressional district Republican primary, Peter Meijer sailed to an early victory against state representative Lynn Affendoulis claiming just over 50% of the vote according to unofficial results.
Rashida Tlaib’s win in Michigan’s 13th congressional district was shored up by mid-morning, putting an end to speculation that she’d have trouble holding onto her congressional seat up against Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones. In a statement via Twitter, Tlaib said her “community responded last night” and "our Squad is big.”
Paul Junge clawed his way out of the crowded Republican primary in Michigan’s eighth congressional district. The district is heavily gerrymandered and stretches across Ingham, Oakland, and Livingston counties.
After narrowly leading grassroots conservative Mike Detmer for most of the night, by early morning Wednesday Junge had pulled ahead.
He claimed victory via Facebook post Tuesday night before the race was officially called. Absentee ballot counting problems in Meridian Township delayed the final race call until late Wednesday afternoon. Junge defended his early victory claim saying:
“My biggest margins of victory are in Ingham County, followed by Oakland County. And my biggest margins are also in absentee ballots. If there is some portion of the vote that’s left out there and it’s Ingham County and it’s absentee ballots I would expect my 6% margin to just grow.”
According to unofficial results he bested Detmer by more than 5,000 votes—winning over voters in Ingham and Oakland Counties, as well as voters who voted absentee, but losing deep-red Livingston County to Detmer. Junge also defeated Alan Hoover and Kristina Lyke.
“You know I never expected I was going to win 50% of the vote, so I feel very good about the fact that we got strong support in all three counties of the district,” said Junge.
The former TV anchor will go up against Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin who flipped the district from red to blue in 2018 after President Trump carried the district in 2016.
Junge has primarily self-funded his campaign thus far, sinking in more than $500,000 of his own money via loans to his campaign according to Federal Election Commission reports. He’ll face obstacles going up against Slotkin who has raised more than $6 million.
Slotkin, who ran uncontested for the Democratic nomination, invited her opponent to participate in three debates before the election in a statement Tuesday.
