Hoekstra led businessman Clark Durant (R) by 54 percent to 33 percent, with 36 percent of precincts reporting. The Associated Press has called the race.
The former congressman started out the race as the clear front-runner, well known statewide after an unsuccessful run for governor two years ago and with a strong political base in his old congressional district in Western Michigan, the most conservative part of the state.
Durant proved a strong fundraiser and rallied some Tea Partiers, who were unhappy with Hoekstra’s support of the Wall Street bailout and some other issues, to his side, but he was never able to overcome Hoekstra’s initial support.
Pete's going to have quite a tough time. Despite running ads against Stabenow back in February (that's how sure he was of his win six months before the primary) Stabenow has the lead and Hoekstra has some problems:
A few of Hoekstra’s missteps could haunt him in the general election. A campaign ad he ran featuring an Asian-American actress speaking in broken English was widely criticized as racist, and he was caught on tape questioning whether President Obama was born in the U.S.
Stabenow starts off as the heavy favorite in the general election. She holds a double-digit lead in recent polls and has a big cash advantage, with more than $4.5 million in the bank to $1 million for Hoekstra as of the last campaign report filing in mid-July.
I expect Stabenow to win easily, mainly because Hoekstra is laughably bad. We'll see.
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