Examiner.com analysis of the November election

Richard Bernstein, shown here in 2011, won his election for Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.  Getty Images.

Washtenaw County helped Democrats do better in 2014 than in 2010

Despite the loss of the four statewide offices at the top of the ballot, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State, Democrats did much better in November's general election this year than four years ago, when Republican candidates won election to every single statewide office.  This election cycle, Democrats won election to eight statewide offices, nine if one counts Gary Peters' victory over Terri Lynn Land for U.S. Senate, to seven for the Republicans.  Even two of the losing efforts for Democrats, Governor and Attorney General, were closer than four years ago.

Democrats earned wins for two members of the State Board of Education, two University of Michigan Regents, one Michigan State University Trustee, two Wayne State University Governors, and one Michigan Supreme Court Justice.  In addition to Governor, Lieutanant Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State, Republicans were able to put one Michigan State University Trustee and two Michigan Supreme Court Justices into office.

Four years ago, Washtenaw County bucked the statewide trend by giving all but one Democratic nominee majorities or pluralities in a losing effort.  The one Republican nominee who earned a plurality in 2010 was a Supreme Court Justice.  This year, Washtenaw County repeated this pattern, down to giving one Democratic candidate for Supreme Court a plurality, but this time its votes helped Democrats earn their way into office.  In two of these contests, Washtenaw County's voters were able to provide more votes than the candidate's statewide margin of victory.

More at the link in the headline.  Consider this article a follow up to Why the well-off turn out to vote and what happens when they do.

I just celebrated my fifth anniversary writing for Examiner.com.  It would have been a shame to have lost my position by not writing.  I managed to beat the deadline by mere hours.