Michigan Democrats, Republicans nominate candidates for Nov. ballot at conventions

The Michigan Democratic Party and Michigan GOP held conventions Saturday to nominate candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court, State Board of Education and the three publicly-elected university boards.

While political parties in Michigan nominate candidates to serve on the state's high court, the party's picks appear on the nonpartisan section of the ballot. The other candidates nominated at state party conventions will appear on the partisan section of the Nov. 5 ballot.

Here's a look at the candidates selected.

Michigan Supreme Court

Current partisan make-up of the Michigan Supreme Court: Democratic-nominated justices currently hold a 4-3 majority

Michigan Democratic Party nominees

• Kyra Harris Bolden lost her 2022 election to serve on the state’s high court. But after her defeat, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed her to court to fill a vacancy left by then-Justice Bridget Mary McCormack. Bolden is the first Black woman to serve on the court and she’s running again to serve out the remainder of McCormack’s term which ends Jan. 1, 2029.
• Kimberly Ann Thomas is a clinical professor of law at the University of Michigan and the director and co-founder of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Michigan Law. Whitmer appointed her to the Michigan Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform.

Michigan GOP nominees

• Branch County Circuit Judge Patrick O'Grady was elected to the 15th Circuit Court in 2008 and has served there as chief judge several times. The former member of the U.S. Army Reserve has a 1999 law degree from Thomas Cooley Law School. He is a candidate for the court's partial term of four years.
• State Rep. Andrew Fink, a Hillsdale Republican, is completing his second two-year term in the state House, where he serves as minority vice-chair of the House Judiciary Committee. The former U.S. Marine has a 2010 law degree from U-M. He will be a candidate for the full eight-year term made vacant by Justice David Viviano's decision not to seek another term.

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State Board of Education

Current partisan make-up of the State Board of Education: Democrats currently hold a 6-2 majority

Michigan Democratic Party nominees

• Ted Jones previously worked as a central office administrator for Detroit's public school system. He currently works as the Senior Director of Talent Initiatives at Global Detroit. In his acceptance speech, he promised to be "a tireless advocate" to ensure students in Michigan can recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, including through tutoring and small student group initiatives.
• Adam Zemke is a former Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives from Ann Arbor. Upon accepting his nomination, he talked about "extremists targeting our kids" and a "white-washing" of history. He called the upcoming election a moment to "save public education." He also called for more funding for public schools.

Michigan GOP nominees

• Tom McMillin is a former state lawmaker who has been a member of the state board since 2017. He describes himself as a strong advocate of local control, parental choice, and students' rights. McMillin served in the state House from 2009 through 2014 and is a former mayor of Auburn Hills and member of the Oakland County Commission.
• Nikki Snyder is completing her first term on the board after she was first elected in 2016. The Eastern Michigan University graduate and mother of three served first as a registered nurse and then as a nurse educator at Washtenaw Community College. She also has experience as a disability advocate.

Michigan State University Board of Trustees

Current partisan make-up of Michigan State University Board of Trustees: Democrats currently hold a 7-1 majority

Michigan Democratic Party nominees

• Rebecca Bahar-Cook is the current CEO of Capitol Fundraising Associates, a Lansing-based fundraising firm, and former Ingham County Commissioner.
• Tommy Stallworth is a former Democratic member of the Michigan House of Representatives.

Michigan GOP nominees

• Mike Balow is an MSU parent and military veteran. He says he wants to be a "voice of reason" on a board he considers dysfunctional. Balow pledges to put students first, keep tuition as affordable as possible, build on MSU's core academic strengths, and engage stakeholders so people don't feel ignored.
• Julie Maday is an economic development committee member and former councilwoman for the city of Novi. She is the spouse of an MSU alum and the mother of two MSU graduates. She says she will stand up for conservative voices on campus and "direct professors to educate students, not indoctrinate them."

University of Michigan Board of Regents

Current partisan make-up of the University of Michigan Board of Regents: Democrats currently hold a 6-2 majority

Michigan Democratic Party nominees

• Denise Ilitch previously served as the president of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. and was first elected to the Board of Regents in 2008.
• Dr. Shauna Ryder Diggs is a dermatologist who graduated college and medical school at the University of Michigan. Among her campaign priorities, she said she wants to make tuition free for families of four with household incomes below $65,000.

Michigan GOP nominees

• Sevag Vartanian graduated from U-M with a degree in actuarial mathematics and has since worked in various areas of the financial sector, with an emphasis on the credit sector and asset management. He is calling for more fiscal discipline and a campus environment where conservative opinions can be freely expressed by both students and faculty.
• Carl Meyers is a senior vice president of investments at Raymond James & Associates in Dearborn who has worked more than 30 years in finance. He is a past appointee to the Michigan State Police pension board who now chairs an employee and police pension board for the city of Dearborn. He previously ran for regent in 2004.

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Wayne State University Board of Governors

Current partisan make-up of the Wayne State University Board of Governors: Democrats currently hold a 6-2 majority

Michigan Democratic Party nominees

• Mark Gaffney currently serves on the Wayne State University Board of Governors. He previously served as the President of the Michigan AFL-CIO. He was first elected to the board in 2016. He also serves as a part-time faculty member of the university's Employment and Labor Relations program.
• Rasha Demashkieh was born in Damascus, Syria where she was educated. She was previously appointed to serve on the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and currently serves on the board of directors of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services.

Michigan GOP nominees

• Dr. Michael Busuito is a physician and lifelong Detroit resident who earned his medical degree at Wayne State. He practices plastic and reconstructive surgery and serves as a volunteer as a clinical associate professor of surgery at the university's School of Medicine.
• Sunny Reddy is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has a master's degree in chemical engineering from Wayne State. He "understands the value of a quality education and is determined to contribute to the ongoing success of his alma mater," according to his campaign website.

Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen .

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Democrats, Republicans nominate candidates for Nov. ballot at conventions