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| Michigan House of Representatives District 85 | ||
| Current incumbent | Ben Frederick  | |
| Population | 90,341 | |
| Gender | 50.7% Female, 49.3% Male | |
| Race | 95.2% White, 1.6% Two or More Races, 1.2% Black, 0.9% Asian, 0.6% Other, 0.5% Native American | |
| Ethnicity | 97.4% Non-Hispanic, 2.6% Hispanic | |
Michigan's eighty-fifth state house district is held by Republican Representative Ben Frederick.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 90,341 civilians reside within Michigan's eighty-fifth 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 Ben Frederick (R) defeated Eric Sabin (D) in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 85 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Ben Frederick (R) |
61.8
|
23,692 |
|
|
Eric Sabin (D) |
38.2
|
14,652 | |
|
|
Total votes: 38,344 (100.00% precincts reporting) |
Eric Sabin advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 85 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Eric Sabin (D) |
100
|
6,750 |
|
|
Total votes: 6,750 |
Incumbent Ben Frederick advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 85 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Ben Frederick (R) |
100
|
9,792 |
|
|
Total votes: 9,792 |
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 Ben Glardon (R) did not seek re-election because of term-limits.
Ben Frederick defeated Anthony Karhoff, Roger Snyder and Matthew Shepard in the Michigan House of Representatives District 85 general election.Michigan House of Representatives, District 85 General Election, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Ben Frederick |
56.22% | 24,683 | |
| Democratic | Anthony Karhoff | 34.45% | 15,124 | |
| Libertarian | Roger Snyder | 5.52% | 2,425 | |
| U.S. Taxpayers | Matthew Shepard | 3.81% | 1,674 | |
| Total Votes | 43,906 | |||
| Source: Michigan Secretary of State | ||||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 85 Democratic Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Anthony Karhoff |
34.53% | 1,157 | |
| Democratic | John Horvath | 33.15% | 1,111 | |
| Democratic | Joyce Surprenant | 25.40% | 851 | |
| Democratic | John Vincent | 6.92% | 232 | |
| Total Votes | 3,351 | |||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 85 Republican Primary, 2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ben Frederick |
64.91% | 5,690 | |
| Republican | Hartman Aue | 23.81% | 2,087 | |
| Republican | Robert Cottrell | 8.05% | 706 | |
| Republican | George Sode | 3.23% | 283 | |
| Total Votes | 8,766 | |||
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. Annie Braidwood was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Ben Glardon defeated George Sode in the Republican primary. Glardon defeated Braidwood and Roger Snyder (L) in the general election.
Michigan House of Representatives, District 85 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ben Glardon Incumbent |
52.6% | 16,881 | |
| Democratic | Annie Braidwood | 42.8% | 13,714 | |
| Libertarian | Roger Snyder | 4.6% | 1,473 | |
| Total Votes | 32,068 | |||
Michigan House of Representatives, District 85 Republican Primary, 2014
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Ben Glardon Incumbent |
82.9% | 6,542 |
| George Sode | 17.1% | 1,350 |
| Total Votes | 7,892 | |
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 Ben Glardon (R) defeated Paul Ray (D) and independent candidate Matthew Shepard in the general election. Both party candidates were unopposed in the August 7 primary elections.
Michigan House of Representatives, District 85, General Election, 2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ben Glardon Incumbent |
53.6% | 23,185 | |
| Democratic | Paul Ray | 39.9% | 17,278 | |
| Independent | Matthew Shepard | 6.5% | 2,803 | |
| Total Votes | 43,266 | |||
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Michigan House of Representatives District 85 raised a total of $1,949,250. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $51,296 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Michigan House of Representatives District 85
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $254,230 | 10 | $25,423 |
| 2014 | $577,387 | 4 | $144,347 |
| 2012 | $105,607 | 3 | $35,202 |
| 2010 | $225,156 | 6 | $37,526 |
| 2008 | $36,495 | 2 | $18,248 |
| 2006 | $91,560 | 2 | $45,780 |
| 2004 | $327,531 | 6 | $54,589 |
| 2002 | $131,358 | 2 | $65,679 |
| 2000 | $199,926 | 3 | $66,642 |
| Total | $1,949,250 | 38 | $51,296 |
