Write-in candidate who launched last-minute bid following Sneller's death wins Dem primary

In one of Michigan's most competitive races that could decide control of the state House this fall, the state's elections panel certified Democrat Matt Schlinker as the winner of his party's primary for the 68th District on Monday, after he launched a last-minute write-in campaign following the death of former state Rep. Tim Sneller, D-Burton.

Voters had already begun receiving absentee ballots bearing Sneller's name when he died unexpectedly less than a month before the August primary election. A little over a week before Election Day, Schlinker announced his decision to run as a write-in candidate after his legal bid to reprint ballots to add his name failed. Since Sneller had no opponent in the Democratic primary, his was the only name that appeared on the ballot.

Schlinker — a longtime employee for General Motors who lives in Goodrich — said he had known Sneller for decades through their involvement in local campaigns. Schlinker described his decision to step into the race as a way to continue Sneller's legacy.

"His commitment to civil rights and working families inspired many, and his vision for our future was one we were all eager to support," Schlinker wrote of Sneller in a Facebook post. "In light of this, I am stepping forward as a write-in candidate to continue the mission that Tim so passionately championed."

"It wasn't something that I wanted to do," said Schlinker of his House run. "But Tim's death was something that took a lot of us by surprise and we were just kind of sad that he was gone and we wanted to have some way to continue what he was working on," he told the Free Press.

Schlinker is among the Democrats fighting to keep their party's control of the state House, where they currently hold a narrow 56-54 majority over Republicans. In November, Schlinker will face incumbent state Rep. David Martin, R-Davison, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary. He was first elected to the state House in 2020.

Martin, in a statement to the Free Press, defended his track record as he heads into his fall campaign. "My commitment has always been to stay connected with my constituents. Whether it's visiting local businesses, holding regular office hours, attending community meetings or knocking on thousands of doors, I am acutely aware of the needs and priorities of my district," he said.

Martin won the district in 2022 by more than nine percentage points. That year marked the first election held under new district lines which include Genesee County's Atlas Township, Davison, Davison Township, Grand Blanc and Village of Goodrich and parts of Burton, Genesee Township and Grand Blanc Township, along with Oakland County's Groveland Township.

Past election results show the district has swung for both Democratic and Republican candidates. As voters look toward the Nov. 5 election that will determine whether Democrats keep their majority in the state House, they have a potential opportunity to play a decisive role. But it's not the race they thought they would have.

Last-minute write-in campaign

Sneller served in the Michigan House from 2017 to 2022 and could not seek reelection two years ago due to term limits. But after voters amended the Michigan Constitution to allow lawmakers to serve up to 12 years in the state House, Sneller hoped to return to the chamber.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer described him as a friend and champion for making Michigan a more inclusive state. "As one of the first openly gay Michiganders to serve in the state legislature, he fought hard to expand civil rights and build a more welcoming Michigan for all," she said in a statement. Sneller was 68 when he died. The main cause of death was heart disease, according to a copy of his death certificate obtained by the Detroit Free Press.

Under Michigan election law, votes cast for a dead candidate are "void and shall not be counted." But the law allows precinct delegates to replace a deceased candidate in a partisan primary election if the death leaves a party without a candidate.

Democrats chose Schlinker to replace Sneller on the ballot. But county clerks said it was too late to reprint ballots, according to a court filing in the Michigan Court of Claims in the lawsuit from Schlinker seeking a court order to replace Sneller's name with his. A Court of Claims judge rejected the request because it was too close to the election. The judge noted that while state election law enables a political party to replace a dead candidate, it doesn't indicate whether ballots must be reprinted after they've gone out to voters.

Schlinker subsequently decided to launch a write-in campaign.

"It seemed intimidating to me. It seemed unlikely to me that we could do it," he said. Schlinker recalled standing outside polling locations greeting voters on a rainy Election Day, encountering those who didn't know Sneller died. "And his name was the name that they were going to see on the ballot if they were Democrats," he said. Schlinker was then able to draw their attention to a part of the ballot voters' eyes usually glaze over — the write-in line — and ask them to put his name there.

Receiving 1,247 votes in the primary, Schlinker cleared the threshold of votes needed to win his write-in campaign under a formula set by Michigan election law. Martin received 6,762 votes in his primary.

Schlinker — who previously ran for a spot on the Genesee County Commission and served on the Flint City Council — faces what he sees as his toughest election fight yet.

Do Democrats have a shot to flip the 68th?

Both Democrats and Republicans running statewide have won over voters in the 68th District, according to past election results compiled by the Michigan commission that drew the district lines.

Former President Donald Trump won the district in 2020 and 2016. But former President Barack Obama won it in 2012. The Democrats holding Michigan's top three statewide offices — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Whitmer — all carried the district in 2022. Whitmer and Benson also won the district in 2018, while Nessel lost it.

Contact Clara Hendrickson: [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Death, write-in bid shape competitive Michigan House race