State Rep. seat up for election
There will be two elections held at once to fill the seat of deceased State Rep. Isaac Robinson (right). Read the story find out why there will be two elections at once.
By Charles Sercombe
A special election will be held to fill the vacant seat of State Rep. Isaac Robinson, who died two weeks ago.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for the special election last week. As usual, the election begins with a primary, which will be held Aug. 4.
The winners of the Democratic and Republican primary will then square off on Nov. 3.
Whoever wins, though, will enjoy a short-lived victory. Robinson’s remaining term, at that point, has only six weeks before it ends.
Robinson, 44, died recently, and the suspected cause is COVID-19. He was in his first term.
Believe it or not, that’s not the only election for that seat.
Robinson was up for re-election this year, so at the same time that there will be an election to fill out his remaining term, there will also be a regular election for his seat.
In other words, The Aug. 4 primary will be to fill his vacant seat, and then in a separate primary election, held on the same day, candidates will vie for the brand-new term.
Those winners for the brand-new term will then face-off on Nov. 4 to see who gets to go to Lansing for two years, before doing it all over again.
So, to recap, a primary election will be held on Aug. 4 for the vacant seat, and then on the same day, same place, another primary election will be held for the new term.
Candidates can sign up for both primary elections: one to fill his seat for the remaining term, and the other for a whole new two-year term.
Candidates must file by April 21.
If past elections for this position when there was no incumbent running is any indication, expect there to be a crowded field of candidates.
Robinson’s mother, Rose Mary C. Robinson, held the state representative seat for the same district for six previous years until she was termed out of office. She told The Review that her daughter, Sarah Robinson, who is an attorney, is interested in the seat.
Isaac Robinson, a Democrat, easily outdistanced his challengers in the 2018 primary election – beating second-place finisher, former Hamtramck City Councilmember Saad Almasmari, by about 600 votes. Coming in just a handful of votes behind Almasmari was another Hamtramck resident, Michele Oberholtzer.
Several other candidates finished far behind those top three candidates.
Because the district votes heavily Democratic, whoever wins the Democrat primary elections is virtually guaranteed to win the November election.
The district includes Hamtramck and part of Detroit, including a portion of Midtown.
The position pays $71,685 a year, with an additional $10,800 year expense allowance.
Posted April 17, 2020
8 Responses to State Rep. seat up for election
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Roadman
April 18, 2020 at 12:46 am
Michele Oberholzer and Chris Wojtowicz – both Hamtramck residents – have filed with the Wayne County Clerk on 4/15 as candidates for the Special Election to fill the vacancy caused by Isaac Robinson’s untimely passing. That term will expire at the end of 2020. No other candidates as of yet have filed for the Special Election.
No other candidates have filed as of yet for the Special Election but that could change as the filing deadline is 4/21/2020.
Oberholzer, a U-M graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering, has also filed for the seat in the term commencing January 1,2021. Wojtowicz has also filed.
Delorean Holmes and two other Detroiters have likewise filed for the regular election.
Roadman
April 20, 2020 at 5:30 pm
Abraaham Aiyash has become the THIRD Hamtramck resident to file for both the Special Election AND Regular Election to fill the seat of the late Issac Robinson.
Speculation continues to swirl on the issue of whether Isaac’s sister, Sarah Robinson, will also file – she has until tomorrow to do so.
Roadman
April 21, 2020 at 5:58 pm
14 Democrats and ONE Republican have fled for the Fourth Michigan House District seat that Robinson held.
Saad Almasmari and Shahab Ahmed are the only additional Hamtramck residents who have filed for the seat in the August primary for the term ending at the end of 2022.
A Special Election has drawn a slightly lesser number of candidate filers.
There is speculation that Aiyash and Almasmari could divide the Yemeni-American vote if one does not withdraw as they are the only Yemeni-Americans in the race.
Shahab Ahmed is the ONLY Bengali-American who has filed.
Sarah Robinson did NOT file, per SOS sources.
Filed candidates may withdraw by this Friday under state law..
Nasr Hussain
April 21, 2020 at 8:27 pm
https://www.wxyz.com/news/coronavirus/federal-judge-delays-filing-deadline-for-michigan-candidates
Filing deadline extended
csercombe
April 22, 2020 at 8:44 am
doesn’t look like it applies to the state rep. race:
https://www.michiganradio.org/post/federal-judge-orders-state-michigan-extend-august-primary-filing-date-due-covid-19
excerpt:
The order only pertains to offices that do not include an option to file with a filing fee. This means that the order doesn’t apply to any county or township office, nor does it apply to the office of State Representative. The only offices affected are:
U.S. Senate
U.S. Congress
Wayne County Community College Trustee
All Judicial Offices (only for candidates who are not the current incumbents
Any city office where the city charter does not allow the option to file with a fee
For all other offices, the filing deadline remains April 21.
Nasr Hussain
April 22, 2020 at 11:34 am
Thanks for clarifying
Roadman
April 23, 2020 at 7:17 pm
Hamtramck resident MD Rabbi Alam – director of the Bangladeshi-American Political Action Committee – made a 4/21/2020 filing and with the addition of a few more candidates have rounded out the Michigan Fourth House District candidate list.
A total of 17 candidates have now filed in the August 2020 Democratic primary for this House seat. Detroiter Howard Weatherington filed for the Republican primary as the sole GOP candidate.
Mohammed Hassan has filed in the Democratic primary to oppose Martha Scott for her Wayne County Commission seat. Taras Nykoriak has filed also as a Democrat for the seat. Nykoriak in a prior election had been a GOP nominee for state senator.
Nykoriak also has filed for the Democratic primary for Wayne County Sheriff, challenging incumbent Benny Napoleon.
Roadman
May 4, 2020 at 9:19 pm
Update:
Taras Nykoriak has withdrawn from the County Board of Commissioners race – leaving Hamtramck City Council member Hassan to be the sole Democratic Party candidate to challenge Martha Scott for her seat.
Nykoriak – despite being a GOP precinct delegate in Detroit – remains one of two candidates challenging Sheriff Benny Napoleon for his office of Wayne County Sheriff.
Former Hamtramck P.D. sergeant Wally Tripp has filed as a Republican Party precinct delegate candidate in Macomb County.
Abraham Aiyash, a former aide to State Representative Rose Robinson when she held that seat, has been busy trying to organize his campaign and receive endorsements from key leaders.