Conyers' House seat to remain vacant for nearly a year

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Associated Press

Conyers House seat to remain vacant for nearly a year

By COREY WILLIAMS and DAVID EGGERT
Today

DETROIT (AP) Michigans Republican governor announced Friday that Democrat John Conyers congressional seat will not be filled until the regularly scheduled November election, leaving it vacant for nearly a year.

Gov. Rick Snyder decided the post will be listed twice on the August primary and November general election ballots. While unlikely, it is possible voters could choose one candidate to fill the vacancy until January 2019 and elect another to a full two-year term after that.

It is unusual for a congressional district to stay vacant for so long, according to a review of roughly 100 vacancies and successors listed on the House website for the last 20 years. The longest time a seat stayed empty was about 10 months both in 2014, when Rep. Melvin Watt of North Carolina left to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and 2006, when Rep. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was appointed to the Senate.

Snyder said he opted against having an earlier special election to give potential candidates ample time to decide about running, provide voters in the predominantly Democratic district more options and save money. .... Michael Gilmore, a Detroit attorney who is running for the seat, said not having representation in the House for almost a year is unfair to residents. ... I think its unfortunate that the governor thinks this is what were worth, Gilmore said. ... Snyders office said it consulted with Wayne County leaders before making a decision. The 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization backed the decision, too.
....

Eggert reported from Lansing, Michigan.

Read more: https://www.apnews.com/edf042fe5ba640e382a4b2bf093191e0

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Retweeted by Dave weigel: https://twitter.com/daveweigel

Dems lose a House vote for this whole period, while the people of Detroit don’t have a representative in Congress.

Link to tweet

[MichMan]

1. Sounds like the local Democratic leadership agrees

From the Detroit News


"Jonathan Kinloch, who chairs the Democratic Party in the 13th District, wanted Snyder to set the special election to coincide with the regularly scheduled election dates in August and November, even though it leaves the seat vacant for months. He said the district offices remain open to serve constituents in the meantime.

“This seat only becomes available once every 50 years,” Kinloch said this week. “We all know that in those special elections that are called outside the normal election cycle that voter turnout is less.”

Snyder spokeswoman Anna Heaton noted that Kinloch had recommended the dates, and that the governor’s office also consulted with Wayne County officials and the City of Detroit before making a decision.

Fred Woodhams, spokesman for the state Elections Bureau, said Snyder’s use of the regularly scheduled 2018 election dates will save local communities an estimated $2 million." 

[Lonestarblue]

2. What nonsense!

This action just makes it easier for Republicans to pass their godawful legislation. A special election should be held now, now matter how few people come out. Isn’t this seat safe for Democrats?

[Igel]

3. Trivially so, in the event.

However, given the dynastic aspirations of the family involved, a bit of cooling off time is appropriate. In the case of that seat, there's also a family-name advantage. People should vote for policies and promises, for claims and qualifications, not out of misbegotten loyalty to a brand or out of familiarity with a family's pater familia.

Incumbents almost always have an advantage. Name recognition constitutes an advantaged. In this race, there is a privileged party and we shouldn't be the party of privilege.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. A few "family names" will be running for this seat.

Conyers' son might run for it. His great-nephew (already in the state legislature) has a good shot at it. Coleman A Young Jr (son of a former Detroit mayor) will probably also run. Conyers' wife Monica will probably not run, but she was on Detroit's city council, so don't count her out.

The primary is the only race that matters. The district is gerrymandered to be highly "D".

[MichMan]

8. Wonder if there will be multiple family members running?

John Conyers III has never held political office before and hasn't indicated he is even interested in doing so

Ian Conyers, along with Coleman Young Jr are in the State legislature

Monica Conyers served a couple years in jail after a bribery conviction when she was in the Detroit City Council, so she would be a real longshot

[Dopers_Greed]

4. We go high!

[DeminPennswoods]

5. PA-18 (Tim Murphy) R seat will be

open for 6 months as he resigned in Oct and the special election isn't until March.

[jmowreader]

6. Move along, nothing to see here

If this was a safe R seat and the Orange Menace would have been sent back to Manhattan to evict more widows and orphans, the special election would have been held the second it was legal to do so.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. This reduces the number of Ds in the House during crucial votes.

They should try taking that to court.

[Bradical79]

10. The article said the Democrats wanted this -nt

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Yes but did the constituents want it? nt

[onenote]

12. When was the last time a House vote was close enough for one Democratic vote to matter?

[BumRushDaShow]

13. When the votes of the 20+ "moderate" GOPers might also decide the outcome of legislation.

As an example, there were 4 "moderate" Rs in gerrymandered swing districts in PA alone who voted to kill the House version of the ACA repeal that ultimately passed with 5 missing votes (217-213). As we know, the entire thing failed in the Senate.

House legislation normally needs 218 to pass but with vacancies, it would just need a majority. We need every vote we can muster to throw something our way when we have those swing district GOPers around. The current tax giveaway is getting major pressure from GOPers in states with high income/property taxes and there are enough of them to scuttle the legislation (so we need everyone we can to hasten the scuttling).