DETROIT (AP) — Michigan Democrats and their allies defended their majority on the state Supreme Court Tuesday after a campaign marked by exorbitant spending.
Court races are nonpartisan, but candidates are nominated at party conventions. Democratic-backed judges currently hold a 4-3 lead, and Republicans have spent the past two years trying to flip it to regain a margin of control in a Democratic-dominated state. To do this, they must win both seats.
The four candidates spent most of their official campaign resources promoting their career experiences and qualifications, leaving the issues to state parties and outside spending groups.
Republican-backed Judge Patrick O’Grady is seeking election to the seat held by Judge Kyra Harris Bolden, who ran unsuccessfully for the court before being appointed to a vacancy in 2022 by Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
She is the first Black woman on the bench and would be the first to be elected as a judge if she wins the race. O’Grady has campaigned on his experience as a state trooper, prosecutor and longtime circuit judge in southern Michigan. The winner will serve the final four years of the eight-year term vacated in 2022 by former Judge Bridget McCormick.
Republican candidate for state Rep. Andrew Fink and Democratic candidate for law professor Kimberly Anne Thomas are vying for a full-term seat being vacated by Judge David Viviano, a Republican-backed judge. Thomas and Bolden have campaigned hard since they were officially nominated by the Democratic party in August.
Fink, like O’Grady, has said his election would restore balance to a court accused of “legislating from the bench” in recent years in favor of liberal causes and Democratic policies.
Abortion access was enshrined in the state constitution by voters in 2022. Democratic allies have viewed the race through the lens of reproductive rights and said the court has the potential to rule on abortion in the future. Republicans have rejected the idea, saying the amendment would end abortion protections that cannot be undone.
