MICHIGAN
     Nov. 4, 2014 U.S. Senate                                      

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+Gary Peters (D)
1,704,936
54.61%
Terri Lynn Land (R)
1,290,199
41.33%
Jim Fulner (L) 62,897
2.01%
Richard A. Matkin (USTP)
37,529
1.20%
Chris Wahmhoff (G)
26,137
0.84%
write-ins (4)
77


3,121,775

Registered voters: 6,578,733.  Total voters: 3,188,956.
Plurality: 414,737 votes (13.28 percentage points).

 MI Secretary of State




Notes:  This was an open seat.  Sen. Carl Levin (D), first elected to the Senate in 1976, announced on Mar. 7, 2013 that he would not run for re-election. 
U.S. Rep. Gary Peters (D), a three-term congressman from Bloomfield Township, kept the seat in the Democratic column, defeating former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land (R), as well as Jim Fulner (L), Richard A. Matkin (USTP) and Chris Wahmhoff (G).

Land and Peters were both unopposed for their parties' nominations. Peters announced his candidacy on May 1, 2013. 
He had worked as an investment advisor for 22 years and served in the U.S. Navy Reserve.  Peters was elected to the Rochester Hills City Council in 1991 and the Michigan Senate in 1994; he also served as Michigan State Lottery Commissioner, before being elected to Congress in 2008.  Land announced her candidacy on June 3, 2013.  She served as the elected Clerk of Kent County from 1992 to 2000, ran unsuccessfully for the state Board of Education in 2000, and was elected Secretary of State in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.  Land was also the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010. 

A first opportunity to compare the two candidates came on May 28, 2014 at a Detroit Regional Chamber reception at the Mackinac Policy Conference where Land and Peters made back-to-back appearances.  Michigan Radio political analyst Jack Lessenberry opined that Land was "clearly not ready for prime time."  In September, USN&WR political reporter David Catanese penned a unflattering piece characterizing Land as "the invisible Senate candidate."  Land did run a sustained advertising campaign starting in April 2014 (>).  Her opening ad portrayed her as a success story who worked her way up from cleaning motel rooms.  In an ad from October she declared "moms like me get things done."  There were no debates; after Land ducked participating for months, Peters then insisted he would only debate in a town hall format.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Land campaign spent $12.3 million and the Peters campaign $10.3 million.  Outside spending totaled $31.2 million.  Seven groups spent more than $1 million.  On the Democratic side, top spenders were the DSCC (5.0 million, NextGen Climate Action ($3.8 million), Senate Majority PAC, ($3.5 million), AFSCME ($2 million) and LCV ($1.3 million).  Ending Spending Action Fund ($5.4 million) and the NRSC ($1.5 million) led spending on the Republican side.


Campaign Managers:
Gary Peters  Paul Tencher
(reported Mar. 2014, succeeding Julie Petrick)  Campaigns director at the DSCC, Mar. 2013-Apr. 2014.  Campaign manager on Joe for Indiana (Joe Donnelly's U.S. Senate campaign), July 2011-Nov. 2012.  Coordinated campaign manager for the Vermont Democratic Party, Sept.-Nov. 2010.  Campaign manager on Deb Markowitz for Governor (VT), Oct. 2009-Aug. 2010.  Communications director to U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH), Jan.-Oct. 2009.  Director of communications and research on Judy Baker for Congress (MO), Aug.-Nov. 2008.  Director of strategic communications for the RI Free Clinic, June-Aug. 2008.  Chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts, Jan. 2007-May 2008.  Rhode Island political outreach on Hillary Clinton for President, 2008.  Campaign manager on Roberts for Lt. Governor, Jan.-Dec. 2006.  Press secretary to Secretary of State Matt Brown, 2004-06.  Account executive at Vision Strategies, Jan.-Sept. 2004.  Campaign manager for Camden County Democrats, 2003.  Deputy press secretary on Anne Sumers for Congress, 2002.  Bachelor's degree in communication, general from Seton Hall University, 2002.

Julie Petrick
(May 2013-Mar. 2014)  Political department at EMILY's List, Oct. 2009-May 2013.  Virginia state director on change that works, May-Oct. 2009.  Manager on Peters for Congress, Feb.-Nov. 2008.  South Florida regional director for the Florida Democratic Party, 2005-09.  Manager on Friends of Karen Schultz, 2007.  Organizer on Virginia Victory; Tim Kaine campaign, 2005.  B.S. in political science from University of South Florida, 2004; bachelor's degree in political science from University of Florida, 2003.


Terri Lynn Land
: ?




See also:
Molly Ball.  "Did Republicans Blow the Michigan Senate Race?"  The Atlantic, Oct. 14, 2014.

David Catanese.  "The Invisible Senate Candidate."  U.S. News & World Report, Sept. 10, 2014.

Jack Lessenberry.  "
Terri Lynn Land shows she's not ready for prime time at Mackinac."  Michigan Radio, May 29, 2014.  (Commentary)

postscript: 

In July 2014 the Detroit Free Press raised questions about nearly $3 million that Land had given to her own campaign (>).  In 2018 Land, her husband and the campaign reached a settlement with the FEC (>), agreeing to pay $66,000 in fines over excessive contributions.





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