Through the primary election on August 2, on 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 46^th House District is located in Oakland County and includes Addison Township, Brandon Township, Orion Township, Oxford Township, and a portion of Oakland Charter Township.  The district has a 67% Republican base; thus the winner of the GOP primary is all but assured to win this November.

Commentary

Current State Representative Brad Jacobsen (R-Oxford) isn’t eligible to run for reelection due to term limits.  Republican candidate John Reilly challenged Rep. Jacobsen two years ago and put up a strong challenge despite losing and is hoping to building on his previous campaign.  Mr. Reilly has enlisted the support of former libertarian leaning representative Tom McMillin and will work to engage with the tea-party wing of the republican party.  Also in the GOP primary is Joe Kent, who started the race strong by enlisting the support of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Senator Jim Marleau, and current Representative Brad Jacobsen. He has a solid political operation, has shown an impressive ability to raise money, and has been working hard to increase his name recognition across the district.  This race will be a hotly contested primary and could attract engagement from 3^rd party groups supporting both candidates.

Democratic Candidates:

• David Lillis – Cruise ship sous chef.

Republican Candidates:

• Joe Kent – Tax and accounting firm owner.
  • Endorsements – Great Lakes Education Project, Right to Life of Michigan PAC, Small Business Association of Michigan, Associated Builders and Contractors, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Oxford Township Supervisor, Orion Township Supervisor, Addison Township Supervisor, Michigan Bankers Association.
• John Reilly – Small business owner, retired automotive engineer.

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