Lisa Trombley, the retired government contractor for Lockheed Martin, defeated MAGA-style Republican Katie Kniss, 63.10 to 30.52 percent Tuesday night in the 103rd House district Republican primary. A third candidate, Tripp Garcia, received the final 6.37 percent. Trombley’s victory gives the House Republicans the candidate they wanted to face freshman Rep. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City) in the General Election.
Trombley was the recipient of $200,000 in spending from the Consumers Energy-connected PAC Citizens for Energizing Michigan’s Economy. Outside of that, however, Trombley had resources of her own. She put $17,000 into her own campaign as part of the $80,547 reported at the July 26 campaign finance reporting deadline. By comparison, Kniss received $9,925, which she was able to put into some TV ads.
Trombley’s win was among 10 “Step One” primary races, in which the winner will now run in a competitive General Election.
By and large, Lansing Republicans got the candidates they wanted to advance through the primary so as to give the incumbent Democrat a presumed tougher challenge come November.
On the Republican side:
- Rylee Linting, the youth vice chair of the Michigan Republican Party, will face Rep. Jaime Churches (D-Wyandotte) this fall in the 27th House district. She dispatched Cody Dill 71.34% to 20.48% and Maria Mendoza-Boc (7.99%). Linting’s lively, “All-American” personality ingratiated herself with those at the doors, sources tell MIRS.
- Kevin Whiteford, a former vice chair of the Michigan Republican Party, will get another shot at defeating Rep. Joey Andrews (D-St. Joseph) in the 38th House district along the southern Lake Michigan shoreline, after Whiteford took down real estate agent George Lucas in the Republican primary for the second straight cycle. This time, Whiteford won 56% to 44%. Whiteford won a three-way primary in 2022, but lost to Andrews 51.9% to 48.1% in the General. Whiteford is the husband of former Rep. Mary Whiteford and runs a wealth management company.
- Calhoun County Commissioner Steve Frisbie, 61, won the 44th House district Republican primary in a landslide over Alexander Harris and Just Shotts. Frisbie, who works as the vice president of LifeCare Ambulance, is an associate at an EMS consulting business. He’ll now face Rep. Jim Haadsma (D-Battle Creek) in the General Election.
- In the 48th House District, the general manager of a water filtration service, Brian Igantowski, defeated Northfield Township Board member Tawn Beliger, 68% to 32%. He’ll now face Rep. Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor) in a district the Democrat won with 53% of the vote in 2022.
- The Republicans again got the candidate they wanted out of the 58th House district, when Ron Robinson, an Utica City Council member, defeated Roger Goodrich, a technology project engineer in the Republican primary. A first-time political candidate, Goodrich has been on the executive board of the Macomb County Republican headquarters. However, Goodrich was overwhelmed by the money Robinson was able to put into the race and lost. Robinson will now face Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights).
- And in the 76th, Charlotte pastor and founder of Real Life Church Andy Shaver, crushed restauranter Peter Jones, 85% to 15%. He will now face Rep. Angela Witwer (D-Lansing). Shaver was described by one Eaton County source as the hardest working campaigner he’s seen since Rick Jones, who ended up backing Shaver.
- In the 61st district Republican primary race, Robert Wojtowicz won with 45.29% of the vote to Russ Cleary’s 39.76%. John Grossenbacher acquired the remaining 14.94%. Wojtowicz now faces Rep. Denise Mentzer (D-Mount Clemens) in one of the most watched elections in the fall.
On the Democratic side:
- Trevis Harrold, a U.S. Army military intelligence and senior foreign policy advisor, won the Democratic primary in the 55th House district by 512 votes, 4,859 to 4,347 over Alexander Hawkins, a former aide to U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly). Harrold will now face Rep. Mark Tisdel (R-Rochester Hills) in the General Election.
- And in the 57th House district, attorney and film director Aisha Farooqi defeated Tyler Fox, 73% to 27%, for the Democratic nomination and the right to face Rep. Tom Kuhn (R-Troy) in the General Election.
Article courtesy MIRS News for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
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