Beginning next week, and running through the primary election on August 2, every Tuesday and Thursday on the MLC Blog we will be highlighting races for which the primary is the key race due to the voter base.  Candidate’s website and professional information is listed when available.

District Overview

The 2^nd House District encompasses part of the City of Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, and Grosse Park.  The City of Detroit portion makes up about two-thirds of this 75% Democratic district, thus the primary election is really the only election that matters.

Commentary

The current Representative for the district, Alberta Tinsley-Talabi, is ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.  Her daughter, Carla Tinsley-Smith, is one of several democratic candidates vying for the seat and has the benefit of name recognition, and an early start to her campaign in 2015.  Former State Representative Bettie Cook Scott is running for a third term in this seat, after an unsuccessful run for the Michigan Senate, and is known to be a strong campaigner.  While possibly lacking the name recognition of Tinsley-Smith and Cook Scott, candidate Willie Bell is Vice Chair of the Detroit Police Commission and has received the endorsement of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Wayne County Black Caucus, and the Operating Engineers Local 324.

Democratic Candidates:

• Willie Bell – Retired Detroit Police Officer of 32 years and currently serves on the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners.
• Jeremy Henner – Attorney and Air Force Veteran.
• Angles Hunt – Retired notary public for the City of Detroit.
• Regina Jones – Private practice attorney.
• Bettie Cook Scott – Former state representative, retired Sergeant with the Detroit Police Department.
• Joseph Tate – U.S. Marine Veteran and former NFL player.  Currently studying for his MBA at the University of Michigan.
• Carla Tinsley-Smith – Communications Planner, advertising and events at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Republican Candidates:

• Molly Augustine
• Anthony Murray

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