Published: Tuesday, August 07, 2012, 10:11 PM Updated: Tuesday, August 07, 2012, 11:14 PM
PONTIAC, MI - Former U.S. congressman Pete Hoekstra was easily holding off a challenge Tuesday, winning Michigan’s Republican U.S. Senate primary and setting up a November showdown with incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow.
Hoekstra was collecting 54 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Republican primary with 67 percent of precincts reporting, according to The Associated Press. Cornerstone Schools co-founder Clark Durant was at 34 percent, while Randy Hekman was at 7 percent. Gary Glenn had 5 percent of the vote, although he had suspended his campaign to support Durant.
Hoekstra supporters gathered late Tuesday at the Centerpoint Marriott in Pontiac to celebrate his victory.
"We will hold Debbie Stabenow accountable and say 'we can do better,' Hoekstra told supporters. "This campaign will continue to talk about solutions."
Hoekstra, of Holland, served in Congress from 1993 through 2010. He ran for governor in 2010 but lost the Republican primary to Rick Snyder, who then beat Democrat Virg Bernero in the general election.
Hoekstra, 58, has been considered the frontrunner on the Republican side of the U.S. Senate race, leading Durant and Randy Hekman in recent polls by wide margins. Until recently, his campaign was focused almost exclusively on Stabenow.
That included a controversial anti-Stabenow ad that aired during the Super Bowl early this year. It featured a young Asian woman speaking in broken English and thanking Sen. “Spenditnow" for sending American jobs overseas. Critics of the ad described it as racially insensitive.
Republican rivals also questioned Hoekstra’s conservative credentials, including his vote for the Wall Street bailout while serving in Congress.
Much of Hoekstra’s opposition came from candidates backed by Tea Party groups. But Hoekstra described himself as a “fiscal conservative” and snared some endorsements to help his credentials. Among those backing Hoekstra in the Michigan race were former presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann. He also had endorsements from Snyder and others.
Hoekstra supporters said they expect their candidate to survive attacks from his Republican opponents.
“He’s got a lot of experience. He can hit the ground running,” said John Chouinard, a Hoekstra supporter from Grosse Pointe Park. “I like his conservatism. I think he’s been painted wrongly as a big spender. He’s not.”
“He’s got a lot of experience. He can hit the ground running,” said John Chouinard, a Hoekstra supporter from Grosse Pointe Park. “I like his conservatism. I think he’s been painted wrongly as a big spender. He’s not.”
Hoekstra has emphasized his opposition to the federal Affordable Care Act, which critics call Obamacare.
Hoekstra will face a tough challenge in Stabenow, who is seeking her third term in the U.S. Senate. Her campaign is well-funded, and she has led Hoekstra in polls with hypothetical head-to-head matchups.
An EPIC-MRA poll from late July, for example, had Stabenow with a 49 percent to 35 percent lead over Hoekstra. About 16 percent were undecided in the poll of 600 likely voters, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
But now the matchup is real, and other factors will be in play. A key one will be the presidential election between President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Hoekstra would be aided if Romney, a Michigan native, does well in the Great Lakes State in November. But a solid Obama win in Michigan would help Stabenow.
Durant, 63, was making his second bid for U.S. Senate. He lost the 1990 Republican primary to Bill Schuette, who in turn lost to U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, a Democrat, in the general election.
Durant is a co-founder of Cornerstone Schools in Detroit and a former member of the State Board of Education. The Grosse Pointe Farms resident promoted himself as a Washington outsider, and his campaign had gained some late momentum when conservative Gary Glenn dropped out of the race and shifted his support to Durant. But Glenn’s decision came so late his name had remained on the ballot, limiting the effectiveness of the move for Durant.
Durant had been endorsed by former Republican presidential candidates Fred Thompson and Steve Forbes, among others. He also was backed in a late endorsement from the national Tea Party Express.
Hekman had served as executive director of CBH Ministries and pastor at Crossroads Bible Church. He previously had been a probate judge and assistant prosecutor in Kent County.
Mark Brewer, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said any of the Republican candidates would struggle against Stabenow. He said each has pushed an agenda that would hurt the middle class while favoring wealthy business interests.
“After making promises to the extreme elements of their party during the primary, these guys are going to have a hard time explaining their out-of-the-mainstream agenda to Michigan voters,” Brewer said recently.
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