Some Wins and Some Losses for REALTOR-Endorsed Candidates and Issues on November 5th
The election results were a mixed bag for the candidates and issues endorsed by the National Association of REALTORS®, Michigan REALTORS®, and Aspire North REALTORS®. In this week's GAD Top 3, I dive into the election results for REALTOR®-endorsed candidates and issues from the November 5th election.
1. Despite Aspire North REALTORS' Opposition, Traverse City Proposals 1 & 2 Both Pass
If you keep up with the Aspire North REALTORS GAD Top 3, we have covered pretty extensively the position taken by Aspire North REALTORS Public Policy Committee and the Aspire North REALTORS Board of Directors to oppose Traverse City (TC) Proposals 1 & 2 (Covered in the July 1st, July 22nd, August 26th, September 16th, September 30th, and November 4th GAD Top 3). Unfortunately, both Traverse City Proposals passed with fairly large margins. TC Proposal 1 passed 55% to 45% and TC Proposal 2 passed 54% to 46%. These results will almost certainly lead to a lawsuit in the coming months as TC Proposal 1 was found to be in violation of state law back in early July of this year by the state attorney general’s office and Governor Gretchen Whitmer rejected the proposed charter amendment. As a result of Aspire North REALTORS' involvement in the efforts to oppose and Vote NO on City Proposals 1 & 2, we could be in communication with members of the Traverse Together campaign committee and will inform our membership as new developments unfold concerning this issue.
2. Some Wins and Some Losses for Michigan REALTORS endorsed State House and Statewide Candidates
Michigan REALTORS endorsed candidates experienced some wins and losses on Tuesday, November 5th. In one of the most targeted state house races in Michigan this year, the 103rd State House district, incumbent representative Betsy Coffia (D) defeated Michigan REALTORS endorsed candidate Lisa Trombley, 53% to 47%. However, Michigan REALTORS endorsed incumbent candidates in our region were successful in their reelection bids Rep. John Roth (104th State House District) 63% to 29%, Rep. Ken Borton (105th State House District) 72% to 28%, and Rep. Joseph Fox (101st State House District) 69% to 31%. Statewide candidates were also a mixed bag with the re-election of Michigan REALTORS endorsed candidate Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Harris Bolden 61.5% to 38.5% over Patrick O’Grady and the loss by Michigan REALTORS endorsed Michigan Supreme Court candidate Andrew Fink to Kimberly Thomas, with Thomas winning 61% to 39%.
3. NAR-Endorsed Michigan Candidates Elected in U.S. House of Representatives, Not in U.S. Senate
At the national level, the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) endorsed candidates in our region were successful in the U.S House of Representatives, with Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan’s 1st Congressional District winning 59% to 38% over Callie Barr and Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan 2nd Congressional District winning 65% to 32% over Michael Lynch. However, for the open U.S. Senate seat Rep. Elissa Slotkin squeaked out a victory over NAR-endorsed candidate Mike Rogers, 48.6% to 48.3%.
There will be further analysis over the coming weeks and months of what these local, state, and national results may mean to our industry, but one item of note is the Michigan State House after this election will be shifting from a Democrat-controlled State House of 56-54 to a Republican-controlled State House of 58-52. This could lead to an active lame-duck session (post-election until the end of 2024) where the current Democrat Michigan State House majority looks to pass any priority agenda items before the end of this year. So these priority agenda items could have a significant effect on real estate. We will have more updates in GAD Top 3 of these developments as they unfold over the coming weeks.
