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| Michigan House of Representatives District 31 | ||
| Current incumbent | William Sowerby  | |
| Population | 86,265 | |
| Gender | 51.9% Female, 48.1% Male | |
| Race | 78.3% White, 16.7% Black, 2.6% Two or More Races, 1.4% Asian, 0.6% Other, 0.4% Native American | |
| Ethnicity | 97.6% Non-Hispanic, 2.4% Hispanic | |
Michigan's thirty-first state house district is held by Democratic Representative William Sowerby.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 86,265 civilians reside within Michigan's thirty-first state house district. Michigan state representatives represent an average of 89,851 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 90,349 residents.
Members of the Michigan House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits. 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 representatives are subject to term limits of no more than three two-year terms, or a total of six years.
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 house, 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.
This district is one of 710 state legislative districts that intersects with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
The 206 Pivot Counties are located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. The partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties is slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.
Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is April 21, 2020.
Incumbent William Sowerby (D) defeated Lisa Valerio-Nowc (R) in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
William Sowerby (D) |
59.9
|
20,791 |
|
|
Lisa Valerio-Nowc (R) |
40.1
|
13,925 | |
|
|
Total votes: 34,716 (100.00% precincts reporting) |
Incumbent William Sowerby defeated Michelle Robertson in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
William Sowerby (D) |
56.2
|
5,474 |
|
|
Michelle Robertson (D) |
43.8
|
4,271 | |
|
|
Total votes: 9,745 |
Lisa Valerio-Nowc defeated Catherine Osinski Dinka in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Lisa Valerio-Nowc (R) |
50.5
|
3,002 |
|
|
Catherine Osinski Dinka (R) |
49.5
|
2,947 | |
|
|
Total votes: 5,949 |
Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 19, 2016. Incumbent Marilyn Lane (D) did not seek re-election because of term-limits.
William Sowerby defeated Lisa Valerio-Nowc and Michael Saliba in the Michigan House of Representatives District 31 general election.Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  William Sowerby |
56.16% | 22,735 | |
| Republican | Lisa Valerio-Nowc | 38.89% | 15,743 | |
| Libertarian | Michael Saliba | 4.96% | 2,007 | |
| Total Votes | 40,485 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State | ||||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Sowerby |
78.31% | 4,561 | |
| Democratic | Michael Brewington | 21.69% | 1,263 | |
| Total Votes | 5,824 | |||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 Republican Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lisa Valerio-Nowc |
66.87% | 2,206 | |
| Republican | Austin Negipe | 33.13% | 1,093 | |
| Total Votes | 3,299 | |||
Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Incumbent Marilyn Lane defeated Kathy Blanke and Juliana Goldwater in the Democratic primary. Phil Rode was unopposed in the Republican primary. Lane defeated Rode in the general election.
Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marilyn Lane Incumbent |
61.1% | 15,769 | |
| Republican | Phil Rode | 38.9% | 10,054 | |
| Total Votes | 25,823 | |||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2014
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Marilyn Lane Incumbent |
69.8% | 3,803 |
| Kathy Blanke | 18.4% | 1,004 |
| Juliana Goldwater | 11.8% | 643 |
| Total Votes | 5,450 | |
Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 7, 2012 and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 15, 2012. The deadline for independent candidates was July 19, 2012. The deadline for write-in candidates was July 27, 2012. Incumbent Marilyn Lane (D) defeated Lynn Evans (R) and James Miller (L) in the general election. Lane was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Evans defeated Phil Rode in the Republican primary.
Michigan House of Representatives, District 31, General Election, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marilyn Lane Incumbent |
61.7% | 24,443 | |
| Republican | Lynn Evans | 33.9% | 13,404 | |
| Libertarian | James Miller | 4.4% | 1,742 | |
| Total Votes | 39,589 | |||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 31 Republican Primary, 2012
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Lynn Evans |
61.9% | 2,625 |
| Phil Rode | 38.1% | 1,618 |
| Total Votes | 4,243 | |
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Michigan House of Representatives District 31 raised a total of $1,026,586. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $39,484 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Michigan House of Representatives District 31
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $37,799 | 5 | $7,560 |
| 2014 | $92,994 | 4 | $23,249 |
| 2012 | $82,747 | 3 | $27,582 |
| 2010 | $50,221 | 4 | $12,555 |
| 2008 | $122,852 | 2 | $61,426 |
| 2006 | $202,038 | 2 | $101,019 |
| 2004 | $300,920 | 3 | $100,307 |
| 2002 | $59,469 | 1 | $59,469 |
| 2000 | $77,546 | 2 | $38,773 |
| Total | $1,026,586 | 26 | $39,484 |
