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| Michigan State Senate District 16 | ||
| Current incumbent | Mike Shirkey  | |
| Population | 253,123 | |
| Gender | 50.5% Male, 49.5% Female | |
| Race | 92.9% White, 2.3% Black, 2.0% Other, 1.9% Two or More Races, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Native American | |
| Ethnicity | 94.4% Non-Hispanic, 5.6% Hispanic | |
Michigan's sixteenth state senate district is held by Republican Senator Mike Shirkey.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 253,123 civilians reside within Michigan's sixteenth state senate district. Michigan state senators represent an average of 260,096 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 261,538 residents.
Members of the Michigan State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits. Senators are elected at the same time as the governor and serve four-year terms concurrent with the governor's term of office. Senate elections are offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 2000 and 2004, senate elections were in 2002 and 2006). Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.
Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $71,685/year | $10,800/year expense allowance for session and interim. Set by the compensation commission. |
The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years. Senators who have not served more than half of someone else's Senate term are eligible for two full terms (i.e. - eight years). Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.
The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.
Whenever a vacancy occurs in the senate, it is up to the Governor to call for a special election. A special election must be held during the next scheduled general election. If the vacancy happened after the statewide primary, leaders of the respective party organizations within the Senate district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. A vote must be held no later than 21 days after the vacancy.
Incumbent Mike Shirkey (R) defeated Val Cochran Toops (D) and Ronald Muszynski (L) in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 16 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Mike Shirkey (R) |
62.7
|
56,980 |
|
|
Val Cochran Toops (D) |
34.3
|
31,129 | |
|
|
Ronald Muszynski (L) |
3.0
|
2,760 | |
|
|
Total votes: 90,869 (100.00% precincts reporting) |
Val Cochran Toops advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 16 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Val Cochran Toops (D) |
100
|
14,255 |
|
|
Total votes: 14,255 |
Incumbent Mike Shirkey defeated Matt Dame in the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 16 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Mike Shirkey (R) |
63.5
|
18,105 |
|
|
Matt Dame (R) |
36.5
|
10,389 | |
|
|
Total votes: 28,494 |
Ronald Muszynski advanced from the Libertarian primary for Michigan State Senate District 16 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Ronald Muszynski (L) |
100
|
211 |
|
|
Total votes: 211 |
Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Kevin Commet was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Mike Shirkey was unopposed in the Republican primary. Shirkey defeated Commet in the general election.
Michigan State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Mike Shirkey |
60.8% | 41,667 | |
| Democratic | Kevin Commet | 39.2% | 26,823 | |
| Total Votes | 68,490 | |||
Elections for the office of Michigan State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 3, 2010 and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 11, 2010. The deadline for independent candidates was July 15, 2010. Bruce Caswell (R) defeated Doug Spade (D) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the August 3 primary elections.
Michigan State Senate, District 16, General Election, 2010
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bruce Caswell |
64.5% | 47,504 | |
| Democratic | Doug Spade | 35.5% | 26,181 | |
| Total Votes | 73,685 | |||
From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Michigan State Senate District 16 raised a total of $1,027,923. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $128,490 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Michigan State Senate District 16
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $141,040 | 2 | $70,520 |
| 2010 | $388,327 | 2 | $194,164 |
| 2006 | $55,267 | 1 | $55,267 |
| 2002 | $443,289 | 3 | $147,763 |
| Total | $1,027,923 | 8 | $128,490 |
