By ANDREA POTEET
Sunday Times Newspapers
Tuesday may have been a major victory for Republicans, who took control of the U.S. House of Representatives, but locally, Democrats had cause for celebration.
In the race for the 13th District, which includes Riverview, Southgate and Trenton, Rep. Andrew Kandrevas, D-Southgate, defeated Republican Cynthia Kallgren of Trenton and Libertarian Jesse Church of Riverview. Kandrevas earned 14,335 votes, according to unofficial election results posted on the state’s Website.
In the 14th District, Democrat Paul Clemente of Lincoln Park beat out Republican Parick O’Connell of Allen Park with 14,536 votes, a margin of more than 7,000 votes. The seat formerly was held by Clemente’s cousin, Edward Clemente, who was term limited out of office.
The 14th District includes Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, River Rouge and part of Allen Park.
Democrat Douglas Geiss of Taylor defeated Republican Darrell McNeil, also of Taylor, by more than 7,500 votes to claim the 22nd District House seat. Geiss claimed 14,294 votes in the district, which encompasses Taylor and Romulus.
In the 16th District, state Rep. Robert Constan D-Dearborn Heights, claimed 14,724 votes, beating out Republican Michael Mullins, of Allen Park, who received 7,153 votes. The district includes parts of Allen Park and Dearborn Heights and all of Garden City and Inkster.
In the state Senate race, incumbent Tupac Hunter, D-Detroit, won in a landslide against Republican Bonnie Patrick of Inkster in the 5th District seat, which includes northwest Detroit, Dearborn Heights, and Inkster. Hunter won 44,054 votes to Patrick’s 8,859. Senate terms are for four years.
In the 7th District race, Republican Patrick Colbeck defeated Democrat Kathleen Law, a former state representative, Libertarian Marlin Brandys, independents John Stewart, a former state representative, and Michael Kheibari of Northville to win the seat vacated by term-limited Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton Twp. Colbeck captured 55,284 of 105,832 votes.
The 7th District comprises Belleville, Brownstown Township, Canton Township, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile Township, Huron Township, a part of Northville, Northville Township, Plymouth, Plymouth Township, Rockwood, Sumpter Township, Trenton, Van Buren Township and Woodhaven.
In the District 8 State Senate race, Democrat Hoon-Yung Hopgood beat out Republican Ken Larkin with 37,841, by a margin of more than 12,000 votes. The district includes Allen Park, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, Riverview, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Wayne and Wyandotte.
Three positions were filled in the U.S. House of Representatives. Incumbent John Conyers Jr., D-Detroit, won 115,250 of 150,200 total votes, defeating Don Ukrainec, R-Trenton, Marc Sosnowski of the U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan and Libertarian Richard Secula in a 14th District which includes Allen Park, Dearborn, Detroit, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile Township, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Melvindale, Riverview, Southgate and Trenton.
After defeating incumbent Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Detroit – mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick – in the Democratic primary, Democrat Hansen Clarke of Detroit defeated John Hauler, R-Grosse Pointe Woods, for the 13th District, which includes Detroit, Ecorse, Garden City, Grosse Pointe, Harper Woods, Lincoln Park, River Rouge and Wyandotte. Clarke won 100,507 of 126,675 available votes.
In the 15th District, which includes Taylor, Brownstown Township, Flat Rock, Huron Township, Rockwood, Romulus, Woodhaven, west Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Inkster, Sumpter Township, eastern Washtenaw County and all of Monroe County, incumbent John Dingell, D-Dearborn, won 118,333 votes, while Republican cardiologist Dr. Rob Steele took 83,488.
County government
At the county level, Robert Ficano, D-Detroit, defeated Mario Fundarski, R-Inkster, for the four-year Wayne County executive position. Ficano took 381,142, or 74 percent of the vote.
Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, D-Detroit, will keep his position for a partial term ending in 2012, after defeating Shelly Milton, R-Belleville. Napoleon took 364,274 votes, or 72 percent.
The Wayne County Commission races for the 13th (Allen Park, Dearborn and Melvindale), 14th (Ecorse, Grosse Ile Township, River Rouge, Riverview, Southgate, Trenton, Woodhaven and Wyandotte) and 15th (Brownstown Township, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Huron Township, Rockwood, Romulus and Taylor) districts all are looking at narrow victory margins based on August primary numbers. Commission terms are two years.
Incumbent Ilona Varga, D-Lincoln Park, defeated Republican Keith Steffke in the 5th District, encompassing Lincoln Park and part of Detroit, with 76 percent of the vote.
Incumbent Gary Woronchak, D-Dearborn, won with 66 percent of the vote, defeating J. Scott Saionz, R-Dearborn.
Incumbent Joseph Palamara, D-Grosse Ile, got 60 percent of the vote, defeating C.B. Clark, R-Grosse Ile, in the 14th District.
In the 15th District, Democrat Raymond Basham of Taylor defeated Jackie Jones, R-Brownstown Township, with 59 percent of the vote. Incumbent Chairman Edward Boike Jr., D-Taylor, did not seek re-election.