The yard signs are gone and thankfully the television commercials have ceased. That’s right – another presidential election has come and gone.

The big story nationwide, of course, is President Bush’s ability to do what no other son-of-a-former-president has been able to do – win re-election to a second term. Again ranking as one of the closest races history has witnessed, President Bush exceeded the needed 270 electoral votes when the closely watched Ohio results became official. Unlike 2000, Republicans were able to claim the popular vote.

Also under close scrutiny in Washington was the Republican Party’s increase in majority in the U.S. Senate – including a victory over incumbent Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) and a win in Louisiana; the first time a Republican has represented the State of Louisiana in the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction.

Closer to home, all 15 incumbent members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan were victorious – no surprise to political pundits; however, the Michigan House of Representatives is a different story. After securing the largest majority in nearly 80 years in 2002, Republicans hoped to build, or at a minimum, maintain their 63-47 advantage over the House Democratic Caucus. The Republicans still maintain a majority in the lower chamber, but Democrats were able to cut in, gaining a net of five seats resulting in a 58-52 Republican majority.

Both parties lost one incumbent as Rep. Jennifer Elkins (D-Clare) and Rep. Matt Milosch (R-Temperance) lost their seats in the House of Representatives. But it was the strength of two surprise candidates that helped the Democrats narrow the margin. John Espinoza won the State Representative seat for the 83rd District (Sanilac County and portions of St. Clair County) and Gary McDowell beat State Senator Walt North to become the State Representative from the 107th District – a geographically huge area encompassing Mackinaw County north to the Sault.

In a big win for Michigan CPAs, MACPA member Dudley Spade won a very close race in 57th House District (most of Lenawee County including the city of Adrian) to replace his term-limited brother, Rep. Doug Spade.

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