Thank You - Supreme Challenge 2012 Becomes Supreme Challenge 2014

Fellow Justice Caucus Members:

On behalf of our Officers and Directors, I write to thank you for your work to restore justice and elect Bridget McCormack to the Michigan Supreme Court this last Tuesday.   

Many of you worked on our Supreme Challenge 2012 campaign. Well over 100 Justice for Michigan volunteers reached out to neighbors, friends and strangers to talk about the importance of the Michigan Supreme Court. 

Some of you volunteered directly with the campaigns of our Supreme Court candidates Bridget McCormack, Connie Kelley or Shelia Johnson.  

You walked and talked with voters at the doors of their homes. You worked the phones. You shared our message with thousands of absentee voters at the Detroit City Clerk's Election Bureau sites.   In your communities, at many meetings and in your emails, you promoted our video pieces featuring Justice Alton Davis, political commentator Nancy Skinner and our candidates.   You worked the polls on Election Day.

Together we reached many thousands of Michigan voters.  

We thank you for your commitment to the cause of justice.  We also thank Justice-Elect Bridget McCormack and Judges Connie Kelley and Shelia Johnson for their courage, commitment and the significant personal sacrifices each made during this grueling campaign.

I especially want to single out and thank our Justice Caucus Board Member, Tracy Jensen.  An attorney and busy mother of two young boys, Tracy undertook the responsibility to serve as Director of our Justice for Michigan Supreme Challenge 2012 Campaign.  We salute Tracy for her diligence, hard work and calm and steady leadership.

We also thank our Justice for Michigan Supreme Challenge 2012 Campaign "Kitchen Cabinet": Justice Caucus Co-Chair Jim Kruer, Database Manager Nan Melke, Board Member Mark Miller and Campaign Director Tracy Jensen.  Thank you, too, to our Social Media Director Donald Stuckey.

There is some unfinished business.  Thank you to all of you who have already turned in your canvass and call sheets.  For those of you who still have sheets, please return them to our Campaign Director Tracy Jensen.  That information is extremely helpful to us as we wrap up this campaign and plan for 2014.    Please send all information to:

Tracy Jensen

Campaign Director

Justice for Michigan

3029 Lakehaven

Ann Arbor MI 48105

Your hard work contributed to the success in the election of Justice-Elect Bridget McCormack to the Michigan Supreme Court.  Though Judge Connie Kelley and Judge Shelia Johnson were not elected, their margin of defeat reaffirms the importance of what we have been saying for years: Direct voter grassroots contact at the doors, on the streets and at the polls matters in Michigan Supreme Court races.

In coming days, we will analyze results in specific precincts we worked as well as the total results statewide. 

For now, please check out the unofficial results [all counties reporting] from the Secretary of State's web site listed below.  We have calculated the average margin of defeat per precinct.  The Kelley number, an average margin of defeat per precinct of fewer than 19 votes per precinct, reaffirms the importance of a serious door-to-door direct voter contact program in MSC races as an indispensable part of a successful campaign plan. 

Justice of the Supreme Court 8 Year Terms (2) Positions

1^st        Bridget McCormack            1,545,262

2^nd       Stephen Markman                1,494,361

3^rd        Connie Kelley                       1,397,973

4^th        Colleen O’Brien                    1,384,474

5^th        Kerry Morgan                             263,573

6^th        Doug Dern                                  218,990

7^th        Bob Roddis                                180,833

Stephen Markman       1,494,361

Connie Kelley             - 1,397,973

                                              96,388

96,388 ÷ 5099 precincts = 18.9 votes average margin of defeat per precinct statewide. 

Justice of the Supreme Court Incumbent - Partial Term

 Zahra                   1,742,193

Johnson            - 1,467,483

                                  274,710

274,710 ÷ 5099 precincts = 53.8 votes average margin of defeat per precinct statewide.