However, a genuine citizen challenger — Clark Durant — has come forward. Plagued by massive federal debt and a troubled economy, the fed-up public will have to sort out the vast differences between the leading contenders: two career politicians and a proven reformer.

A quest for genuine change
During the last couple election cycles, politicians of every shade have feared for their previously safe — and equally comfortable — seats in our nation’s capital. Seniority no longer assures a smooth re-election. Americans are clamoring for a crop of fresh faces committed to bringing about a new era of governance. Both Stabenow and Hoekstra, veterans of the Beltway, are creatures of a swamped Washington. The former was elected to Congress a total of four times, having accepted a taxpayer-funded salary essentially since 1975. The latter celebrated 18 years as a federal legislator. Stabenow’s Senate has not passed a budget in more than 1,000 days, and Hoekstra personally supported the Wall Street bailout. Each advocated on behalf of Big Government, not individual liberty. And perhaps most importantly: neither represents a break from the past. There is, however, an attractive alternative.

The American Way
The voters ought to send a decorated school choice advocate to Washington. Amongst a long list of accomplishments, Durant served as vice president of Hillsdale College where he started Imprimis, an intellectual publication with over two million subscribers. From 1995 to 1999, upon statewide election, he served as President of the Michigan Board of Education. Durant has also sat on educational boards for University of Detroit Jesuit, 2001 to 2010, and the Skillman Foundation’s Excellent Schools Detroit initiative. Given the dire need for institutional innovation, the candidate focused on boosting the availability of a quality education is the evident choice.

Distinction in the D
As a longtime advocate of educational improvement in practice, Durant, an eager proponent of shaking up the traditional political landscape, co-founded Detroit’s Cornerstone Schools. The private-independent and charter system experiment has had great success, opening doors for hundreds of inner-city students a year. Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press editorial page editor, applauded the candidate for his effective work: “The charter movement, the number of independent schools cropping up around the city — it all really started with Durant and Cornerstone.”

Detroiters involved in the education reform movement — including numerous thankful families — are well-aware of Durant and his myriad contributions to moving the Motor City forward. For the past two decades, 95 percent of its students have graduated, compared to a worst-in-the-nation 25 percent rate for Detroit Public Schools.

Mayor Dave Bing had nothing but praise for the alternative academic startup, stating that “When a child attends Cornerstone Schools they are entering a learning community that brings together children, parents, teachers and partners all working toward a single goal: the success of our children,” according to CornerstoneSchools.org.

It is time Michiganians are represented by an individual with a proven track record of making a difference. A pair of D.C. insiders — Stabenow, whose approval numbers remain dangerously low and steadily are sinking, and the aforementioned Hoekstra — symbolizes all that is wrong with status quo politics.

We the people deserve better than that. Recent rallies and the midterm cycle made crystal clear that the current climate, filled with a clarion call for real change, suits the conservative underdog well. Clark Durant is the right man for the job.

Nicholas Kowalski is a State News guest columnist and political theory junior. Reach him at kowal112@msu.edu.