With the entire country tuned in to coverage of the too-close-to-call presidential election, the 8th Congressional District race may have been forgotten by some voters.
But that doesn’t mean it was lacking in drama.
At about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, state Sen. Dianne Byrum announced her victory over state Sen. Mike Rogers.
“We figured we’re ready to say we have a victory to bring home tonight,” said Byrum, D-Onondaga, early Wednesday morning. “We’re going to end this rally tonight on a high note - we brought a victory home for the Democrats.”
The only problem?
She didn’t win.
With all of the election tallies in, Rogers, R-Brighton, finished with 144,041 votes to Byrum’s 143,517 - a difference of 524 votes - in the race to replace Lansing Democrat Debbie Stabenow.
Stabenow upset U.S. Sen. Spence Abraham, R-Auburn Hills, in his re-election attempt.
Rogers’ press secretary Sylvia Warner said the night was full of tension, but it was too early for Byrum to call a victory. Byrum and Rogers had been running nearly neck-and-neck in the polls leading up to Tuesday’s election.
“There were not enough numbers in,” Warner said Wednesday. “From day one, Senator Rogers has been saying that this race would be won by less than 2,000 votes.
“He was absolutely right.”
The close tally could eventually lead to a recount, but no plans for such action are in the works yet, said Chuck Bell, an election specialist for the Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections.
“The short answer is no,” Bell said. “But some people are looking at the Byrum-Rogers race as a potential recount.”
Election results must first be reviewed by individual counties and the State Board of Canvassers - pushing any such effort back into November.
Byrum’s press secretary Adam Wright thinks the race was close enough to warrant a recount, and the campaign is very optimistic for the future.
“There’s a lot of math going on at the Byrum campaign,” Wright said. “Every phone call that comes in we hope is more votes.
“It’s definitely going to be close. We’re redefining the word close.”
Disregarding the pressure from past months, both candidates are using the post-campaign time to rest.
“It’s been quite a few last couple days, so (Byrum) is getting well-deserved rest at home,” Wright said.
Rogers is taking advantage of the time to be with his friends and family, but he is already planning his first order of business - learning to be a congressman.
He will attend an orientation next week that will welcome him to the new office and help him adjust to the job.
“Mike Rogers is well prepared for the transition to Congress,” Warner said. “He’s had the kind of organizational background and he is so well versed in so many issues that he’ll be on ground running.”
Jamie Gumbrecht can be reached at gumbrec1@msu.edu.
