The deadline for fil
ing candidacy for the vacancy created by the expulsion of State Rep. Cindy Gamrat is less than a week away.
Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley Friday announced that the primary election for the 80th District seat will be Tuesday, Nov. 3. The deadline for filing has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Allegan County Clerks’ office.
The special general election will be held March 8, the same day as the Michigan Presidential Primary.
The elections are necessary because State Rep. Cindy Gamrat (R-Plainwell) was expelled early Friday morning by more than two-thirds of the Michigan House membership. This came in the wake of an investigation and allegations that she and fellow State Rep. Todd Courser (R-Lapeer) used staff members and public resources to try to cover up their extra-marital affair.
Courser resigned in the wee hours of Friday morning before the House took a vote on his expulsion.
Both Courser and Gamrat ran as Republicans, but they are identified as members of the Tea Party. Gamrat, in fact, was president of the Allegan County Tea Party before she was elected in the 2014 primary and general elections.
The 80th Legislative District includes all of Allegan County except Wayland, Dorr and Leighton Townships and the City of Wayland. That area is represented by State Rep. Kenneth Yonker.
Gamrat in August won the GOP primary with 41 percent of the total vote, picking up just over 4,000 votes. She won by plurality over Mary Whiteford, Steve Schulz and Randy Brinks. Courser won by plurality in the 82nd District with 39& of the vote.
Both Gamrat and Courser were elected handily in the November 2014 general election.
Whiteford, who polled the second highest number votes in last year’s primary at 29%, already has filed her candidacy for the vacancy. She announced she was a candidate earlier this year, regardless of whether Gamrat would resign or be expelled, explaining that if necessary she would challenge Gamrat in the August 2016 GOP primary.
There is no word yet if other candidates have expressed interest or have taken steps to file.
PHOTO: Mary Whiteford