Posted on 03/05/2015 1:40:47 PM PST by Darren McCarty
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-Harrison Township) announced Thursday that she will not seek re-election in 2016.
"I freely pass the baton to whomever my community chooses to serve as their next voice in the US House of Representatives," Miller said in a statement. "I pledge to support their choice to the very best of my ability, as I pledge to finish my term with a commitment to fulfill my duties and responsibilities to the best of my ability, as I swore in my oath of office."
(Excerpt) Read more at clickondetroit.com ...
Nothing about what state.
Michigan.
Stabenow isn’t up until 2018, and Miller passed on the race in 2006 and 2012 despite entreaties from many Republicans ... I doubt that she’ll run.
Barcia did represent part of the Thumb until he retired from Congress in 2002 (rather than face a primary against the more senior Dale “Uncle Ernie” Kildee, who actually represented less of the new district than Barcia; it’s a shame, because Barcia would be as conservative a congressman as that district could have elected), but not only would he be 16 years removed from last appearing on the ballot there, but his base is in Bay City and Saginaw, which are in the 5th District. He expressed interest in running in the 5th when Kildee (aka “Bizarro Bob Dole”) retired (2010 I believe), but deferred to Kildee’s nephew (not the one that Kildee allegedly abused sexually as a child). Barcia would be a non-factor in the largest population centers in the MI-10 (Macomb and St. Clair Counties), and if the Democrats want to run a retread they’d be better off with David Bonior (although he wouldn’t win, either).
By which time Miller will be almost 65 (in May 2019), a bit past her prime to be running for a Senate career. We’ve seen how bad it’s been running older candidates for freshman terms (such as Tommy Thompson, running 14 years too late in 2012 when he could’ve taken out a weak freshman, Russ Feingold in 1998).
I can’t imagine Bonior coming back to run. He exited in 2002 rather than face Miller (for a quixotic bid for Governor) under the new lines. Getting back to Miller again, it’s unfortunate she passed on 3 opportunities for risk (but high reward) runs (as you cited, the two runs for Senator, but also she resisted entreaties to run early against Bonior in 2000 when the lines favored him, but popularity in statewide office favored her). She did take one “risky” run in 1994 against a past-his-prime Richard Austin for Sec of State, which paid off, but failed to parlay that ever again. It was in 2000 when I actually soured on her a bit when she didn’t take out Bonior when she was able to.
In hindsight, she might’ve been better off running for Governor in 2002 (instead of Lt Gov Dick Posthumus) against the grossly incompetent Jenny Granholm (AKA Grandstand) and spared the state 8 years of that nonsense. She’d likely have been a damn sight better than the squish currently occupying the Governorship, Snyder.
Barcia lives in Bay City. 5th District.
Barcia’s Senate district also had part of the Thumb (Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola, not very populous). It went Republican in a landslide in 2010 when he retired.
http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=680954
Dale Kildee diddled his nephew? I missed that. (Checking wikipedia, it was his 2nd cousin).
He kinda looks like the unholy child of Bob Dole and Bob Byrd.
I’m quite miffed at Miller for never running for the Senate, I agree it’s quite unlikely she’ll ever do so.
Yes. But he can legally run in ANY congressional district in the state.
The MI-10 does not include the more marginal/Democrat townships in western Tuscola, and, of course, does not include Bay City (or any of Bay County for that matter), so Barcia wouldn’t have much of a base if he ran there.
http://nationalmap.gov/small_scale/printable/images/pdf/congdist/pagecgd113_mi.pdf
Okay, he’s history.
The Tommy Thompson comparison is a good example. At his peak popularity as Governor, he would have been the ideal candidate and taken out Senator Slimemold. But by running when he was long past his prime and old news, he managed to lose to some extreme lezbo marxist.
I had high hopes that Miller would have sought a Senate seat a decade ago, when she was Michigan Secretary of State. She would have been the perfect choice at the time. But now her window of opportunity seems to have passed and we need to look elsewhere for new blood in 2016.
I suppose its possible he'd try to revive his political career, but if Bonior ran again it would remind me of Bob Kerrey's quixotic bid for Nebraska's Senate seat in 2012.
Actually, 2018 (which is when Stabenow’s seat is up).
I remember when the scandal broke. I had never seen a photo of Kildee before, and mentioned on FR that he looked like an evil version of Bob Dole.
If J.J. Abrams Star Trek ever does a mirror universe movie, Kildee can play himself and appear as evil Democrat child molester Bob Dole, running against an honest Republican Bill Clinton who respects his marriage vows. That sounds like an entertaining storyline. Someone tell Zachary Quinto to grow a goatee!
They CAN run, but it’s usually not smart. Michigan usually hates carpetbaggers unless it’s basically across the street with community ties.
The only exception of a successful one I can remember was Gary Peters (Bloomfield Twp) after 2012 when he took advantage of split votes in Detroit when he ran for a district with next door Pontiac which he represented for a long time.
I don’t count Conyers, as he lived in the city and always represented most of the west side of Detroit. Same city.
Brian Rooney lost. Jason Allen lost (and he represented part of the district as a state senator). Nancy Skinner just moved back from Illinois to Michigan to run and lost to Knollenberg.
Back when Bart Stupak retired, Barcia was rumored to run for the first, as northern Bay County was in that district then. A friend of mine was lobbying on 2nd Amendment issues to the State Senate and Barcia was actually in his office. He wondered where the rumors were coming from. I’ll be shocked if he runs.
Dear God, I've never seen the picture. Yikes.
She just would’ve become another IL RINO Combiner most likely and gone to prison at some point for corrupt practices.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m GLAD she’s not on our side!
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