Michigan voters headed to the polls Tuesday for the state's primary election, setting the stage for several closely watched races this November.
In the gubernatorial race, Jocelyn Benson and John James secured the Democratic and Republican nominations, respectively, and will face off in the general election.
In the race for the U.S. Senate, progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Congresswoman Haley Stevens to earn the Democratic nomination. He will run against Republican Mike Rogers in what is expected to be one of the nation's most competitive Senate contests.
As the political action committee of the Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS), the Michigan Doctors' PAC (MDPAC) does not typically endorse candidates in primary elections. This year, however, the MDPAC Board made an exception in the Democratic primary for Michigan Senate District 10, where Representative Natalie Price faced a challenge from Royal Oak community advocate Amanda Treppa.
Recognizing Representative Price's strong record of advocating for physicians and patients, especially on issues of medical liability and scope of practice, the MDPAC Board endorsed her candidacy for the State Senate. Representative Price was successful in her primary bid and, with the district widely considered safely Democratic, MDPAC looks forward to continuing its productive partnership with anticipated Senator-elect Price.
A complete list of Michigan primary election results is available here.
With the primary election complete, the MDPAC Board will now focus on identifying and supporting pro-medicine candidates running for state office in the November general election. Over the past several months, the Board has updated and refined its candidate questionnaire, which will be distributed to all candidates who advanced from the primary. Candidate responses will be carefully evaluated alongside voting records, where applicable, and recommendations from MSMS members.
If you know a candidate whom you believe would be a strong advocate for physicians and patients, we encourage you to share your recommendation by contacting Kate Dorsey at kdorsey@msms.org. This is no guarantee of endorsement but will be taken into consideration with all other information regarding each candidate. The MDPAC Board expects to announce its general election endorsements in late September.
To help elect candidates who support the practice of medicine and the health of Michigan patients, please consider making a contribution to MDPAC today.