Election Reflections:
9 ervlc ory
ByTHO V. TWERP
LANSING--Gov.-elect John
Engler won the closest guber­
natorial election in Michigan
history, but many reporters
ho covered the election say
it as more a case of
Blanchard 10 ing the election
than Engler winning it.
Everybody has . favorite
rea on for the election results,
including member of the
capitol pres corps, who fol-
. lowed the election closel y.
"I come bac to two tbings:
The 10 turnout in Detroit and
Engle's nickels," said Jeff
Holyfield, Lansing bureau
chief for the A sociated Pre .
The turnout in Detroit wa
. di mal. Banchard had 90,000 .
votes les in this election than
he had in the previous one,"
Holyfield aid.
"I THE MICHIG
poli tical land cape except for
a
- 8, 1
PAGE 13
.,
isolated pockets the outlying
areas of the state are
Republican. That means a
Democra tic candidate has to
come out of Detroit with the
Blac vote in his pocket, in
order to offset the re t of the
state. "
People believe property
taxes are too high and that's
. an area where Blanchard was
vulnerable. Engler charged
that Blanchard had eight years
in office, but hadn't done any­
thing, Holyfield said.
Other reporter felt many
factors were involved. The
margin of victory in Gov.­
elect Engler's victory was so
lim-19,134 vote or roughly
3 votes per precinct- that any
lobby or interest group claim­
ing it swung the election may
be correct.
"A YTHI 'G
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made marginal difference
made a difference that coin ted .
said Rick PI uta, Lansing
bureau chief for United Press
Intern tional.
"No single thing decided it. .
There were many little things:
Abortion, Detroit Macomb
County, outside voters, and I
don't know how much of an
impact this may have
made,but there may have been
people who wanted to send a
mes age to Gov. Blanchard 0
tbey voted for Engler."
. There is an abundance of
reason why the gubernatorial
race between John.Engler and
James Blanchard turned out
tbe way it did: Another cor-
respondent Blanchard's age to give to the people. All
10 s should be attributed to h did was go negative. That
Blanchard. was another: thing people
"Pride go before the fall; dir'n't feel good about."
I think that's what the epitaph Peter Luke corre pondent
on the Blan hard tombstone for the Booth ew papers
hould read, Roger Martin, capitol bureau has a imple
Lansing bur u chief for the .. pet re on: "Blanchard 10 t hi
Detroit ew said. ba e of support."
"The Bla hard camp s "Blanchard 's b e in
made up of bunch of Ken- urban Michigan. In eight year
nedy discipl ,but Kennedy he n ver developed an urban
didn't go fl . ng over people trategy. He was almo t afraid
head in his jet airpl ne, t to be een in Detroit. People
2,000 feet" Martin said. th re n ver sa the Blanchard
"Engler wa orced to run the campaign" Lu e said.
h ad-to-hand election." "Engler's b e turned out
Blanchard' didn't."
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