Michigan state governor primary results are in, and the selections for who will be on the ballot this November have been decided: Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and Republican Bill Schuette have been chosen as the candidates for Michigan’s governor race. 

Schuette and Whitmer received close numbers for Kent County, but Schuette’s votes in Ottawa County were much higher. Whitmer served on the Michigan House of Representatives from 2000 to 2006. Schuette has been Michigan’s State Attorney General since 2011. Both candidates have received support from their primary opponents in an attempt to unify their political parties. 

Primary candidate for the Democratic nomination Abdul El-Sayed finished well behind Whitmer in both Kent and Ottawa County primary votes. El-Sayed held a rally in Grand Rapids two weeks before the primary election that had an exceptional turnout for the progressive democrat. Tuesday night following the primary results, El-Sayed endorsed Whitmer and said the goal now in place for Michigan democrats is to defeat Schuette in the November election. 

Schuette managed to pull 50 percent of the primary vote that beat out his opponent, Brian Calley, the current Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, who received 25 percent. Calley and Schuette had close numbers in Kent and Ottawa County, but Schuette had a large amount of support from Michigan’s eastern counties. 

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow ran uncontested for her seat in the Senate, a position which she first won in 2001. Army veteran, John James, won the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate and will be challenging Stabenow for the seat she has held for the past 17 years. 

A GOP “unit rally” was held in Grand Rapids following the primary results where many high-ranking republicans were present. Several of these participants included Schuette, Senate nominee John James and Vice President Mike Pence. Current Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was not present at the rally and has not endorsed Schuette.  

Grand Valley and its neighboring city of Grand Rapids are commonly a “red” area in the state of Michigan, often voting for the republican candidate. However, with the city continuing to grow and as more students fill Grand Valley’s campus, this election season remains up in the air for west Michigan and the rest of the state. 

Following the 2016 presidential election, many Grand Rapids residents took part in protests and demonstrations in response to candidate, Donald Trump, winning the presidential race. Two years later, many are curious to see who Michigan will choose for their representation this time around. 

Michigan’s 2018 gubernatorial election will be hold on Nov. 6, 2018. This election will decide the next Governor of Michigan and the state’s U.S. Senate seat. Visit www.michigan.gov/sos for more information about voting in Michigan the 2018 election season.