No matter what the results showed in Tuesday’s primary election, a new plan for all the candidates begins now.
Less than three months from the general election on Nov. 6, candidates who are moving on are preparing their campaigns in different ways, as other candidates, who weren’t so fortunate, end their campaigns.
East Lansing lawyer Andrea Larkin, who will be on the general election ballot to become a judge in East Lansing’s 54B District Court, said she has never run for a political office before and was not sure what to expect at the polls.
Larkin, who would be the first female judge in East Lansing if she wins on Nov. 6, said becoming a judge would be one of the highest levels of community service she could provide.
“I already started today working on the general election,” Larkin said. “There will be a much larger electorate, more people to meet and get to know me and my qualifications. That work started this morning as soon as I woke up.”
State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, who will face off with Larkin in November, said he has been through the election process several times and every election is a different experience.
“The campaign starts the next day,” Meadows said. “Having (a) routine that I follow is the best thing to have me concentrate on the job that I already have to do as well.”
Meadows picked up 46.4 percent of the vote, and Larkin earned 32.7 percent, both moving onto the general election.
In one of the closest races of the night in Ingham County, Sam Singh eked out a victory over Susan Schmidt to nab the Democratic nomination for the 69th district House of Representatives seat.
Singh earned just 508 more votes than Schmidt, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State, and will square off against Republican Susan McGillicuddy in the general election.
“I’m very pleased with the campaign that we’ve run,” Singh said. “I wanted to run the campaign about the community, and I’ve been really honored by the support we’ve received throughout the entire district.”
Still, looking ahead, Singh said he plans to take one day at a time before the election.
Schmidt, a Lansing Community College adjunct instructor, said she hadn’t given much thought to after the primary. She might return to teaching for a short time, but added she wouldn’t rule out running for office again in the future.
Despite her loss, Schmidt said she knew she would find a way to continue being involved in the community.
“It’s going to be kind of fun (after the primary),” Schmidt said Tuesday afternoon. “I’m going to be able to move forward with whatever there is.”
Staff writer Lilly Keyes contributed to this report.
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