by Gongwer News Service
June 19, 2009

Several big-name candidates have now decided to sit out the 2010 Republican contest for governor, and Secretary of State Terri Land’s surprise decision this week to go to the sidelines also removes gender politics in the race for primary voters. To be sure, star power does remain for the party attempting to regain power after eight years of the administration of Governor Jennifer Granholm.

Still 19 months out from next year’s primary, Ms. Land’s decision suggests the field remains somewhat fluid, with some speculation that other candidates are still weighing whether to jump in.

But for now, stay focused on Attorney General Mike Cox, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Holland), Ann Arbor business executive Rick Snyder and Sen. Tom George (R-Kalamazoo), who constitute the GOP group of hopefuls.

On the Democratic side, Lt. Governor John Cherry remains the prohibitive favorite and is being challenged by Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Township), who on Friday made her interest official with the launching of a campaign website. Former Rep. John Freeman and Michigan State University Trustee and former football coach George Perles are also considering tossing in their hats.

It’s the second go-round for Ms. Smith, who was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2002 before dropping her bid and forming an unusual alliance with U.S. Rep. David Bonior, who tapped her as his running mate.

Could that be the pattern for Ms. Land, whose non-candidate announcement was focused more on her endorsement of Mr. Bouchard?

The principals say no such deal was made, though Mr. Bouchard said she should be on anybody’s short list of candidates for lieutenant governor. But should Mr. Bouchard prevail in his bid for the nomination, a political pairing of Ms. Land’s West Michigan political base centered in Kent County with Mr. Bouchard’s southeast Michigan base can’t be ruled out.

Ms. Land said only that her focus is on helping Mr. Bouchard get elected. Of her own political future, the term-limited Ms. Land said that at age 50, “I feel I have an opportunity to participate in other ways.”

She said while the party has a strong field of candidates, she endorsed Mr. Bouchard because his nine years of legislative experience and his current job running the sheriff’s office mean he is prepared to work to get his agenda approved from Day One.

Other campaigns said the endorsement will have little impact, noting the early stage of the election and their assessment that primary voters are unlikely to be moved by who an ex-candidate favors.

Underscoring that theory was Stu Sandler of the Cox campaign, who said Ms. Land’s action “reminded me of when Al Gore endorsed Howard Dean.” That move by the former vice president, of a seemingly leading candidate in what at the time was a crowded field, came to an unsuccessful end.

But some analysts saw Mr. Hoekstra getting the immediate boost, with his work made easier to translate popular support in West Michigan to needed financial support.

“Every poll shows Hoekstra to be the dominant gubernatorial candidate in West Michigan and this bolsters that,” said Tom Shields, president of the Republican consulting firm Marketing Resource Group.

The departure of Ms. Land, who had traveled the state after forming an exploratory committee and was the subject of much gubernatorial speculation for several years, follows decisions by Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson and 2006 candidate Dick DeVos to not run.

One name some still mention as a potential candidate, with any announcement likely not due for several months, is Domino’s Pizza President David Brandon.

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