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November 2020 Election | Lansing Area Results

November 2020 Election
Unsplash Creative Commons

Ingham County and Eaton County local election unofficial result updates. All precincts are counted for both Ingham and Eaton County.

 

UPDATED: 4:20 p.m. November 4, 2020

For other key race results around the state, click here.

 

Ingham County Candidates 

*Eaton County local results are listed half way done the page.

 

67th District Representative in Michigan House (39/39 precincts reported)

  • Kara Hope (DEM) 28,502 votes (54%)
  • Nate J. Ross (REP) 23,945 votes (45%)

68th District Representative in Michigan House (39/39 precincts reported)

  • Sarah Anthony (DEM) 33,770 votes (76%)
  • Robert J. Atkinson (REP) 10,717 votes (24%)

69th District Representative in Michigan House (38/38 precincts reported)

  • Julie Brixie (DEM) 30,079 votes (69%)
  • Grace S. Norris (REP) 12,648 votes (29%)
  • Gene Gutierrez (GREEN) 680 votes (1.5%)

 
The Michigan House will stay red, but four Lansing area Democratic state representatives will keep their seats for a second term.

Representatives Kara Hope, Sarah Anthony, Julie Brixie and Angela Witwer were elected to the House as part of the freshman class of 2018. Each defeated their Republican challengers.

Anthony won by a three to one margin, the largest lead of the three.

Republican Graham Filler also won re-election in the 93rd House district, which includes Clinton and parts of Gratiot Counties.

Republicans will maintain their majority in the Michigan House for the sixth consecutive term.

- Kevin Lavery

Prosecuting Attorney (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Carol A. Siemon (DEM) 90,584 votes (66%)
  • George Platsis (REP) 45,757 votes (44%)

 

SIEMON-WEB.mp3
WKAR's Kevin Lavery reports on Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney Carol Siemon.

Ingham County Prosecuting Attorney Carol Siemon has won her re-election bid.

Siemon was first elected in 2016. She carried nearly twice as many votes as her Republican challenger, George Platsis.

As Prosecuting Attorney, Siemon created policies to end overrepresentation of minorities in juvenile facilities and prosecuted sexual assault and domestic violence offenders.

Siemon declined the endorsement of local police unions, saying she wanted her office to remain independent from the police.

- Kevin Lavery

Sheriff (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Scott A. Wriggelsworth (DEM) 98,738 votes (70%)
  • Daniel J. Wells (REP) 41,841 votes (30%)
SHERIFF1104.mp3
WKAR's Scott Pohl reports on Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wrigglesworth.

Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wrigglesworth has been re-elected.

Sheriff Wrigglesworth was first elected in Ingham County four years ago, succeeding his father Gene, who had been Sheriff for 28 years.

The Democrat had an easy time of it in this election, beating Republican Daniel Wells by about 57,000 votes.

He’ll serve a four-year term.

- Scott Pohl

County Clerk (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Barb Byrum (DEM) 95,723 votes (68%)
  • Joseph W. Werner (REP) 44,406 votes (32%)
BYRUM1104.mp3
WKAR's Scott Pohl reports on Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum.

Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum has won another term in office.

Byrum, a Democrat, easily outpaced her Republican challenger Joseph Werner. She got 68%  of the vote.

She will serve another four years in the Clerk’s office, which oversees elections, keeps birth and death records, and processes concealed pistol licenses.

- Scott Pohl

County Treasurer (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Eric A. Schertzing (DEM) 92,141 votes (67%)
  • Bruce A. Little (REP) 46,355, 947 votes (33%)

County Drain Commissioner (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Patrick Lindemann (DEM) 91,189 votes (66%)
  • Brian B. Beauchine (REP) 46,593 votes (34%)

Justice of Supreme Court - two positions available (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Susan L. Hubbard 15,963 votes (8%)
  • Mary Kelly 26,362 votes (13%)
  • Bridget Mary McCormack (Justice of the Supreme Court) 74,152 votes (36%)
  • Kerry Lee Morgan 8,698 votes (4%)
  • Katherine Mary Nepton 9,398 votes (5%)
  • Brock Swartzle 24,269 votes (12%)
  • Elizabeth M. Welch 49,893 votes (24%)

30th Circuit Court Judge Non-Incumbent (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Colline Cheltenham 11,138 votes (10.8%)
  • Morgan Elizabeth Cole 24,353 (23.7%)
  • Carol Koenig 31,322 (30.4%)
  • Steve Kwasnik 13,144 (12.8%)
  • Landis Lain 6,892 (0.7%)
  • Brandon Waddel 15,850 (15.4%) 
KOENIG1104-1.mp3
WKAR's Scott Pohl reports on the new Ingham County 30th Circuit Court Judge Carol Koenig.

An open seat on the Ingham County Circuit Court bench has been won by county commissioner Carol Koenig. In a field of six candidates, Koenig beat her nearest competitor by almost 7,000 votes.

Koenig said she’s already heard from other judges on the court, offering to help prepare her for the job.

“They’ve offered to share their bench notes, things that they use to make hearings go efficiently. It’s kind of a community effort,” said Koenig.

Koenig points to a strategy that included digital advertising and mailings for her margin of victory. The new judge will take office January 1st.

- Scott Pohl

State Board of Education - two positions available (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Ellen Cogen Lipton (DEM) 84,367 votes (31%)
  • Jason Strayhorn (DEM) 81,712 votes (30%)
  • Tami Carlone (REP) 42,421 votes (16%)
  • Michelle A. Frederick (REP) 42,920 votes (16%)
  • Bill Hall (LIBERTARIAN) 3,357 votes (1.2%)
  • Richard A. Hewer (LIBERTARIAN) 2,635 votes (1%)
  • Karen Adams (U.S. TAXPAYERS) 1,998 votes (0.7%)
  • Douglas Levesque (U.S. TAXPAYERS) 902 votes (0.3%)
  • Mary Ann Hering (WORKING CLASS) 4,658 votes (2%)
  • Hali McEachern (WORKING CLASS) 2,402 votes (1%)
  • Tom Mair (GREEN) 2,097 votes (1%)

Michigan State University Trustee - two positions available (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Brian Mosallam (DEM) 79,612 votes (30%)
  • Rema Ella Vassar (DEM) 81,704 votes (31%)
  • Pat O'Keefe (REP) 46,734 votes (18%)
  • Tonya Schuitmaker (REP) 43,702 votes (16%)
  • Will Tyler White (LIBERTARIAN) 3,571 votes (1.3%)
  • Janet M. Sanger (U.S. TAXPAYERS) 2,319 votes (0.9%)
  • John Paul Sanger (U.S. TAXPAYERS) 1,506 votes (0.6%)
  • Brandon Hu (GREEN) 2,719 votes (1%)
  • Robin Lea Laurain (GREEN) 2,982 votes (1.1%)
  • Bridgette Abraham-Guzman (NATURAL LAW) 1,586 votes (0.6%)

Lansing Community College Trustee - two positions available (115/115 precincts reported)

  • Andrew P. Abood 44,680 votes (25%)
  • Kimberly Kaye Azima 36,475 votes (21%)
  • Gregory Sinicropi 20,835 votes (12%)
  • Howard T. Spence 31,159 votes (20%)
  • LaShunda Thomas 42,511 votes (24%)

East Lansing Public Schools Board Members - three positions available (21/21 precincts reported)

  • Joshua R. Barber 1,554 votes (4.8%)
  • Monica M. Fink 5,705 votes (17.7%)
  • Matthew J. Heos 3,515 votes (10.9%)
  • Gregory Hess 2,037 votes (6.3%)
  • Elizabeth Guerrero Lyons 6,140 votes (19%)
  • Nicole Martin 4,562 votes (14.1%)
  • Dorian Prier 2,445 votes (7.5%)
  • Debbie Walton 6,259 votes (19.4%)

This is a condensed list of results. For a full list of results, please visit Ingham County's election results here.

 

Ingham County Ballot Proposals

 

Millage for the public transportation system for elderly and disabled persons in Ingham County (115/115 precincts reported)

  • YES 108,803 votes (81%)
  • NO 25,229 votes (19%)

Eaton County Candidates

 

7th District Representative in Congress (51/51 precincts reported)

  • Gretchen D. Driskell (DEM) 29,921 (48%)
  • Tim Walberg (REP) 32,892 (52%)

 

WALBERG-WEB.mp3
WKAR's Kevin Lavery reports on 7th District Representative in Congress Tim Walberg.

Michigan Republican Tim Walberg will return to Congress next year to represent the state’s 7th district.

Walberg captured nearly 59 percent of the vote, handily defeating Democrat Gretchen Driskell in her third attempt to unseat him.

Walberg was first elected to Congress in 2006 but lost in 2008 to Democrat and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer. He regained his seat in 2010.

Walberg has voted several times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and supported the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which took effect in July.

- Kevin Lavery

65th District Representative in Congress (7/7 precincts reported)

  • Nancy Smith (DEM) 2,728 votes (35%)
  • Sarah L. Lightner (REP) 4,995 votes (65%)

71st District Representative in Congress (44/44 precincts reported)

  • Angela Witwer (DEM) 28,200 votes (51%)
  • Gina Johnsen (REP) 26,049 votes (47%)
  • Dalton R. McCuiston (GREEN) 807 votes (2%)

Sheriff (51/51 precincts reported)

  • Tom Reich (DEM) 32,046 votes (51%)
  • Rick Jones (REP) 30,403 votes (49%)

Democratic incumbent Tom Reich narrowly edged out Republican challenger Rick Jones to win a third term as Eaton County Sheriff.
Jones, a former Michigan state senator, previously served as sheriff before being elected to the legislature.

He said an incident of alleged police brutality under Reich’s command prompted him to run again.

“I felt pretty strongly that we needed a change in Eaton County,” said Jones. “ But it’s a very odd year, with Trump and Biden on the ticket, things just didn’t go my way. I’m going to move on and do other things.”

Jones claims Reich never requested criminal action against a deputy who was allegedly caught on video assaulting a driver during a traffic stop. Sheriff Reich declined our request for an interview.

- Kevin Lavery

 

Treasurer (51/51 precincts reported)

  • Bob Robinson (DEM) 31,878 votes (52%)
  • Mike Atayan (REP) 29,154 votes (48%)

Drain Commissioner (51/51 precincts reported)

  • Branden Dyer (DEM) 28,162 votes (46%)
  • Richard Wagner (REP) 32,471 votes (54%)

Justice of Supreme Court - two positions available (51/51 precincts reported)

  • Susan L. Hubbard 7,130 votes (8%)
  • Mary Kelly 14,336 votes (17%)
  • Bridget Mary McCormack (Justice of the Supreme Court) 26,544 votes (31%)
  • Kerry Lee Morgan 4,523 votes (5%)
  • Katherine Mary Nepton 3,057 votes (4%)
  • Brock Swartzle 13,059 votes (16%)
  • Elizabeth M. Welch 15,923 votes (19%)

State Board of Education - two positions available (51/51 precincts reported)

  • Ellen Cogen Lipton (DEM) 26,999 votes (23%)
  • Jason Strayhorn (DEM) 26,524 votes (22%)
  • Tami Carlone (REP) 27,260 votes (24%)
  • Michelle A. Frederick (REP) 27,683 votes (24%)
  • Bill Hall (LIBERTARIAN) 1,676 votes (1%)
  • Richard A. Hewer (LIBERTARIAN) 1,220 votes (1%)
  • Karen Adams (U.S. TAXPAYERS) 927 votes (0.8%)
  • Douglas Levesque (U.S. TAXPAYERS) 417 votes (0.3%)
  • Mary Ann Hering (WORKING CLASS) 1,881 votes (2%)
  • Hali McEachern (WORKING CLASS) 1,133 votes (1%)
  • Tom Mair (GREEN) 698 votes (0.6%)

Michigan State University Trustee - two positions available (51/51 precincts reported)

  • Brian Mosallam (DEM) 25,369 votes (22%)
  • Rema Ella Vassar (DEM) 25,882 votes (22%)
  • Pat O'Keefe (REP) 29,813 votes (27%)
  • Tonya Schuitmaker (REP) 27,551 votes (24%)
  • Will Tyler White (LIBERTARIAN) 1,602 votes (1%)
  • Janet M. Sanger (U.S. TAXPAYERS) 1,136 votes (1%)
  • John Paul Sanger (U.S. TAXPAYERS) 793 votes (0.7%)
  • Brandon Hu (GREEN) 824 votes (0.7%)
  • Robin Lea Laurain (GREEN) 885 votes (0.8%)
  • Bridgette Abraham-Guzman (NATURAL LAW) 633 votes (0.5%)

Eaton Rapids Public Schools Board Members - three positions available (10/10 precincts reported)

  • Steven Curry 3,194 votes (26%)
  • Wesley R. Elsberry 2,292 votes (19%)
  • Daniel E. Guy 3,173 votes (26%)
  • Jann Jansen 3,320 votes (28%)

This is a condensed list of results. For a full list of results, please visit Eaton County's election results here.

 

Eaton County Ballot Proposals

 

The proposal is for funding for the public transportation for elderly and disabled persons in Eaton County (51/51 precincts reported)

  • YES 42,709 votes (74%)
  • NO 14,945 votes (26%)

The Charlotte Public Schools would like to borrow $36 million for remodeling, security, equipment and technology (15/15 precincts reported)

  • YES 5,427 votes (55%)
  • NO 4,694 votes (46%)

The Eaton Rapids Public Schools would like to borrow $45,175,000 for remodeling, equipment and technology (10/10 precincts reported)

  • YES 4,285 votes (56%)
  • NO 3,346 votes (44%)

 
 

Karel Vega served as radio news managing editor at WKAR from 2020 to 2023.
Amanda Barberena helps write stories for online and books interviews for newscasts. The Michigan State University student started with WKAR in the Fall of 2017 during her freshman year.
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