Eye on Lansing Hoekstra may need Snyder-style primary strategy

By Kathy Barks Hoffman AP Political Writer MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) -- Pete Hoekstra's U.S. Senate race strategy may need to take a page from the campaign Rick Snyder ran to win last year's Republican gubernatorial primary. Snyder allowed the congressman and three other GOP rivals to split the staunch conservative vote, while he concentrated on getting more moderate Michigan voters. Now that Hoekstra's past support for bailing out failing banks and raising the federal debt ceiling are under attack by some of his fellow Senate candidates, Hoekstra also may have to turn to more moderate supporters to win. The GOP field keeps growing, making a scenario under which Hoekstra wins with a plurality of votes more likely. The race includes Clark Durant, a charter schools executive from Grosse Pointe; Gary Glenn of Midland, president of the American Family Association of Michigan; former Kent County Judge Randy Hekman; Roscommon businessman Peter Konetchy; former Libertarian Scotty Boman of Detroit; Brighton businessman Chuck Marino; and Rick Wilson of Grand Blanc, a former manager at an auto supplier. Republican officials are giving each of the candidates a few minutes to address party activists at different times during the three-day Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. But there was no organized event where all the candidates could be seen together, avoiding what could have been a bruising confrontation between Hoekstra and others eager to take him on. Many traditional GOP leaders want Hoekstra to be the one to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2012. He's been endorsed by elected officials from Snyder to Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and most of the state's GOP congressional members, and is well ahead in recent polls. Supporters point to his long record of fiscal and social conservatism representing western Michigan. But Durant could mount a serious challenge if he raises enough money and attracts tea partiers and others upset with Hoekstra's voting record during 18 years in the U.S. House. Durant has extensive fundraising experience, having raised enough money to start several charter schools in Detroit, and recently got former GM vice chairman Bob Lutz to join his campaign finance team. Durant's supporters point out that Hoekstra has had trouble raising money in the past and recently lowered expectations for how much he'll raise by the end of the month. Retired equipment sales manager Roger Warner of Buchanan in southwest Michigan met Durant for the first time Saturday at the Mackinac conference and liked what he saw. "He's a straight shooter and he's not tainted from having spent so many years in Washington already. I think it's time for a clean team," said Warner, 67. "His positions say that he is a leader, and deeply committed to American ideals, as am I." John Dexter, a 36-year-old Birmingham attorney, said Hoekstra is better known than the other candidates and did well in last year's GOP gubernatorial primary, coming in second in the five-way field. The Holland Republican would have the best chance of beating Stabenow in 2012 because Michigan voters tend to pick more moderate senators, Dexter added. Michigan Republican Chairman Bobby Schostak told reporters he expects the GOP race to come down to a contest between Hoekstra and Durant. Alex Gage of Virginia-based TargetPoint Consulting, which helped Republican President George W. Bush target voters in his 2004 campaign, said Hoekstra and Durant will need different strategies to win the primary. For Hoekstra, "the more fragmented the vote, the better," Gage said. He expects about 600,000 voters to participate in Michigan's Feb. 28 closed GOP primary, making it easier for Hoekstra to target the 200,000 needed to win a plurality in the eight-way race. Durant will benefit if Hoekstra's long congressional career and current job with a Washington lobbying firm label him a Washington insider, Gage added. By painting Hoekstra and Stabenow with the same brush, Durant can argue he has the best chance to draw a distinction with Stabenow next year. "The most powerful dynamic in politics is 'time for a change,'" Gage said. Stabenow, the Senate Agricultural Committee chairwoman running for a third six-year term, had $4 million on hand in the last reporting period and could show even more in reports due next month. Republicans consider her vulnerable because of the sluggish economy, but Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer said she's more in line with Michigan voters than any of the Republicans. "Whether it's a guy who works at a Washington lobbying firm or a tea party extremist who wins the Republican primary, there will be a clear choice between these defenders of special interests and Debbie Stabenow, a fighter for Michigan families," Brewer said. Published: Wed, Sep 28, 2011