1990-11-07; Central Michigan Life

              WEATHER
SPORTS
ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT
MID
30
LOWER
20
^   HIGH
S   TODAY
_   LOW
S   TONIGHT
FIELDING A LOSS
Field hockey is taking a nosedive
See Page 10
Centra I
Michigan
ENDOWMENTS
7 CMU art students receive scholarships
See Page 8
WEDNESDAY
November 7, 1990
Blanchard, Engler go neck-to-neck
Incumbent leading at latest ballot count
JIM BLANCHARD
by SUSAN MAAS
l !'A   Cor-\   f 'f.toi
Partisan fingers throughout
Michigan were tightly crossed
into early Wednesday morning
when Republican gubernatorial
challenger -John Fuller of .Mount
Pleasant gave incumbent -James
-J. Blanc/hard a run lor his
nickels.
Kxit polls around the nation
were showing ant i-incu Mibent
moods in the gu herna t oria i
rates, and Michigan's appeared
to  be  no exception.
Miiny people prohahly field the
govei nor responsible for the
economic chaos in Washington
and I he teetering national
economy when they voted
Tuesday, said Nancy Austin
Schwartz. Blanchard's deputy
chief of staff.
"People hold the executive
branch ofthe state government
to a very high standard: lies held
accountable to a greater degree
than most other elected
ofllcials." Schwartz said.
"Some oi the frustration
people fee! about the federal
government     is     expressed     in
gubernatorial  races.
Parly   in   the   evening.   Engler
led Blanchard 52 to 4S percent.
Around midnight, when  half the
precincts   had   reported   results,
that  margin dosed to al   to 49.
An hour later-, it was 50 - .10.
with Engler leading slightly. By
2:."U> a.m.. with Sf) percent ol
precincts reporting results.
Blanchard was winning hy about
T.OOO votes of more than two
mil lion cast.
In Isabella County. Engler
carried b.9 1"i votes to
Blanchard's 0.541   votes.
Schwartz said absentee
ballots, among the last counted,
may help Blanchard.
"People would have voted
• absentee i before the last-minute
barrage of negative campaigning
from  Kngler." she said
Many ('Ml' students said they
did not vote, some because they
did not obtain an absentee ballot
in time, some because they were
exasperated with the tone of
both the Blanchard and Kngler
cam pa tgns.
b« e GOVERNOR Page 2      JOHN ENGLER
| Levin retakes seat
j with record margin
I Schuette concedes defeat by 9 p.m.
by MARY CHURCH
LIFE Photo Chris Birks
Gail   Torreano,   Isabella   County   Republicans   chair,   writes   election  results Tuesday  night  as  probable state representative
winner Jim McBryde, R-Mount Pleasant (center) looks on at the Holiday Inn, 5665 East Pickard.
McBryde wins 99th District House seat
by MATTHEW BACH
Lira   Asstsi.int News Ki tor
and DON TURNBULL
l lf-h  5; A VVr T-r
Negative campaigning* — everyone dislikes it.
But -Jim McBryde attributes part of his win over Kurt Fisher for
the 99th District House seat to his opponent's dirty campaigning.
"There's a lot of evidence my opponent began the negative
campaigning and the people are responding to that." the Mount
Pleasant Republican said. "I've tried to ruv\ a positive campaign
(and i I've aggressively defended my record."
But Fisher, Shepherd Democrat, said he ran a good campaign
and was the underdog from the start
"I dealt with the issues — I don't think he ever did." Fisher said.
"I hope -Jim does a good job. lie deserves it."
Isabella County voters elected McBryde with 7.110 votes.
compared to Fisher's 0..'?5(i. Absentee ballots were not counted as ot
Tuesday night.
At  press time, eight of Mecosta County's  1 b" townships reported
votes totaling 2.190 for McBryde to 1.644 for Fisher.
The 99th District is the only district in Michigan with two
universities — CML* and Ferris State I'niversity.
Alt bough both candidates have strong pro-CMU platforms.
McBryde said his primary goal is to gain funding equity for all state
universities on a per-student basis at  the undergraduate level.
"I don't want to build more jails." McBryde said. "It will be my
priority to improve education  in Michigan."
Fisher's stand on higher education was geared toward funding
equality between simiiar-sized schools and looked to bring Central
up to the level of Western Michigan and Northern Michigan
universities.
McBryde has been an Isabella County commissioner for six years
and was a promoter of  Isabella County's Emergency 911 system.
"People have appreciated the things I've done as county
commissioner for the past six years." McBryde said.
Fisher said his first attempt for public office may not be his last.
He will consider his options while he works this fall to harvest the
remaining  1.000 acres of  his family's 2.200-acre farm.
Camp blitzes into U.S. Congress seat
by KRIS BANFIELD
i If-b"   SLiff  Writer
Dave Camp, a state representative and former Schuette aide.
easily won the 10th District seat
in U.S. Congress Tuesday.
With '.M percent of the votes
counted at press time. Camp.
R-Midland. had twice as maiiv
votes iis his Democratic
challenger Joan Louise
Dennison.
Camp received 42.7N8 votes.
while Dennison. D-Owosso.
received 21.104 votes.
In Isabella County. Camp
received 8.4.S1 votes; Dennison
garnered 4.052 votes: and Libertarian candidate Charles
Congdon gathered 411  votes.
"I would like to serve the
people in this district." said
Camp in a previous interview
His  experience  and  background
as ii native of the district would
help him serve his constituents"
interests, he said.
Neither candidate could be
leached for comment after the
election.
John Guzik. Camp's campaign
manager, said the Republicans
were confident that Camp, 37.
would win.
In an interview last week.
Camp said he wants to attain a
seat on the Agricultural
Committee. He also plans to
address the national deficit
because it "influences how we
face all other programs."
Camp has served as a precinct
delegate. Michigan Special
Assistant Attorney General and
as a member of the 1 Oth District
Republican Executive
Committee    and    the    Midland
See HOUSE Page 2
Despite a close race in Isabella
County. I'.S. Rep. Bill Schuette
was unable lo upset incumbent
L'.S.  Sen. Carl  Levin.
Lev; n. D-I )et to it. won his third
race for the l.T.S. Senate seat
with the widest margin ever in
his political career.
With 20 percent of the returns
reported. Levin had 400.144
voles, or about aa percent while
Schuette. R-Sanford. had
325.<S9."^ votes, or about 45
percent.
"It was no surprise." said Del
Ringquist. political science chair.
"They clearly were different."
Mike Thomson, president of
the I'niversity Democrats, said
he was happy with the victory
but agreed that the results were
expected.
"It would hurt for him not to be
re-elected." said Thomson.
1 llinois senior.
In Isabella County, however.
Levin defeated Schuette by less
than 1.000 votes Levin received
7.19.S votes in the county and
Schuette took 6..J69 votes.
Republican Bo Zeerip. Zeeiand
junior-, said he expected those
results.
""This is ( Schuette's > home." he
CARL LEVIN
said. "It"s part of his base. People
in the outstate areas are more
conservative.'"
Schuette. who gave up his U.S.
Representative seat to run
against Levin, conceded defeat
at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
"The people of Michigan have-
given us a tremendous victory,"
Levin told hundreds of joyous
supporters at a downtown
Det roit hotel. "I campaigned on a
positive record, on issues that
matter to Michigan
See SENATE P;w. 9
Emmons moves to
Senate; McLachlan
to continue politics
by JENNIFER CHRISMAN
l ;: •    Assis":m! Ni;ws Fcl'Or
There were no losers in Tuesday's election lo fill the state's .'i5th
District Senate seat — only a new senator and a candidate vowing
that her political career is far from over.
-Jo McLachlan. D-Evart. came out in the polls behind -Joanne
Kmnions. R-Big Rapids, but McLachlan said she is pleased with her
showing" and may be seen again on the campaign trail.
Figures provided by Rminons' campaign manager Kurt Barry man
showed Emmons with the lead in all of the 35th District counties,
including Clare. Gratiot. Isabella. Mecosta. Midland and Osceola.
Emmons, a two-term 99th District representative, brought in about 61
percent of the votes.
In Isabella County, Emmons received 8.305 votes, while McLachlan
received 5.159.
"I didn't take this on thinking I was going to lose." Emmons said. "I
thought I would win it."
Emmons' opponent, however, had different views ofthe election and
her own campaign.
"I'm a new person at this." McLachlan said. "I think I've done real
well. With all ofthe people i involved >, it's come down to tonight, two
people — and I'm one of them.
"I feel like I'm still a winner."
See EMMONS Page 2
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