The race to fill two spots on the MSU Board of Trustees took form this weekend as state Democrats and Republicans submitted their candidates for the Nov. 5 general election.

The four trustee hopefuls include incumbents Colleen McNamara, D-Okemos, and Don Nugent, R-Frankfort. They will compete with state Sen. Joanne Emmons, R-Big Rapids and Cal Rapson, D-Fenton.

Two of the four candidates will be elected to the university’s governing body during the general election on Nov. 5.

Trustees are responsible for directing policy, including setting tuition rates, the hiring of a school president and technology decisions.

Trustee David Porteous, a Republican, says he isn’t picking favorites and will be rooting on all the candidates to join him on the board.

“What’s most important is the fact both parties have nominated two extraordinary individuals,” Porteous said. “I think the fact you have four great individuals running for those two positions is an indication the administration and faculty and employees of Michigan State are moving this university in the right direction.”

But some political experts are willing to forecast the race.

Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of the Lansing-based Inside Michigan Politics, said McNamara and Rapson should have the advantage in the race, if gubernatorial hopeful Attorney General Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, can build and maintain a solid following in their statewide races.

Voters select trustees on the same day they decide the gubernatorial and senate races.

If Granholm and Levin can’t drum up the necessary support, the election will come down to which trustee candidate runs the best campaign, Ballenger said.

“Usually these races get down to what party’s on top,” Ballenger said. “The fact that this guy, Cal Rapson, was nominated a second straight time shows the Democrats feel so confident that they can get McNamara and Rapson.”

Rapson ran and lost for a trustee position in 2000, but he has high hopes for this election.

“We came close last time,” Rapson said. “The name recognition of (Trustee Scott) Romney was difficult, but we’re going to work hard to get the full ticket from the top with Jennifer Granholm, to the bottom.”

Rapson said his labor background would be a valuable asset to the board. He also said labor relations between faculty, staff and students could be strengthened with his help.

McNamara, who has been on the board since 1995 and is a 1974 alumna, said she is also the right candidate for several reasons.

Being a trustee, she says, includes “bringing your common sense to the table.”

“Eighty percent of my decisions are common sense,” she added.

McNamara is against increasing tuition again and has opposed parts of MSU’s riot policy, which calls for expulsion if charged with rioting. She said a bad economy and inflation led to this year’s tuition increase of 8.5 percent but the board will need to address the issue with Provost Lou Anna Simon and other administrators.

Republicans say Nugent is the right candidate to again lead the GOP to victory. If re-elected, he plans to keep tuition and health care affordable, as well as to figure out how to limit energy spending while still supplying MSU with an adequate power source.

Nugent was elected in 1994 to his first term as trustee and now is seeking his second eight-year term. He is the board’s chairperson and graduated from MSU in 1965.

“I think there’s been a lot of progress in the past few years, and there’s still more to be done,” Nugent said. “In general, the university has made some cost-cutting measures, and there’s some other ways to save money.”

Meanwhile, Emmons welcomes the opportunity to be on the board.

“I’m also thrilled to join them at the institution that means so much to me,” Emmons, who graduated from MSU in 1956, said.

She said she’ll work to make tuition affordable, and said she’ll be hard on people who violate the rules on campus.

However, MSU students may not impact the state-wide race much, especially with the way some students feel about the race.

“I had no idea - I never heard about it,” engineering freshman Jesse Janson said. “I wasn’t planning on (voting). I’ll just never get around to it.”

Chad Previch can be reached at previchc@msu.edu and Kristofer Karol can be reached at karolkri@msu.edu.