By Zachary Gorchow
President of Michigan Operations
Posted: November 9, 2018 9:57 AM

EAST LANSING – If the Republican candidate's last name were Jones, the race for the 70th House District would be much different.

But his name is Hollister, Bill Hollister to be exact. And having a candidate with the same last name as the popular mayor of neighboring Lansing-though there is no relation between the pair-has given the race between Mr. Hollister and Democrat Gretchen Whitmer an interesting wrinkle.

The contest between the two East Lansing residents in a district centered in Lansing's eastern suburbs looks poised for a photo finish. It's probably the only district where no incumbent is seeking re-election (Democratic Rep. Laura Baird of Okemos is term limited) that ranks as true toss-up with less than three weeks until the November 7 election. Other such races are competitive, but lean toward one party's favor at this stage.

Comprising East Lansing (including the Michigan State University campus) and most of Meridian Township, Republican voters have a slight edge in this district, making up about 52.3 percent of the electorate, according to the Lansing polling firm EPIC/MRA. But Democrats have held the seat for the last 26 years, capitalizing on voters' socially liberal bent and the Republican habit of nominating conservative, pro-life candidates.

But Mr. Hollister, a businessman, comes from a more moderate ilk, making his race against Ms. Whitmer, an attorney, hotly contested. Another emerging theme in the race is experience vs. new vision. Mr. Hollister touts his considerable experience while Ms. Whitmer talks of the need for new leadership.

On issues, both sides largely sound the same themes: preserving strong funding for the district's schools-some of the best in the state-and improving per student funding to hometown MSU.

Republicans control the House 58-52, and if they can snare this district with Mr. Hollister, they will have all but assured retention of their majority.

Whitmer works name issue, touts self as true progressive

Fearful that voters will confuse Mr. Hollister with Lansing Mayor David Hollister, Ms. Whitmer, 29, has gone to extraordinary lengths to clarify the situation. Mayor Hollister has done a radio advertisement in which he says: "Bill Hollister's no Dave Hollister. This Hollister's supporting Gretchen Whitmer. Gretchen Whitmer will be a great state representative."

Also, Ms. Whitmer recently mailed a brochure to voters that features several homonyms, such as a bow ribbon and an archery bow before getting to side-by-side pictures of the two Hollisters with the heading, "Some things that sound the same sure are different." There's also a letter from former Rep. Lynn Jondahl that seeks to prevent any blurring of the two men.

"I think my opponent is doing everything he can to perpetuate that confusion," she said during a recent interview in her campaign office. "If you look at his yard signs, it doesn't say his first name, it doesn't say his party. I think it's important that people know who they're voting for."

Although Mr. Hollister casts himself as a moderate, Ms. Whitmer said she doubts his commitment to the pro-choice cause and other issues. In a June interview, Mr. Hollister said he "does not like being called a pro-choice candidate," saying he is "neither fish nor fowl." But in an interview this week, Mr. Hollister unhesitatingly proclaimed himself to be "pro-choice."

"The most important vote a legislator casts is a vote for leadership-for speaker of the House," she said. "When you look at the viable declared candidates on the Republican side, they're all pro-charter school, pro-voucher, anti-public education and anti-choice."

In fact, Ms. Whitmer seems poised to reverse a charge that Republicans have used to great effect against Democrats in pro-life districts. There, GOP candidates have slammed Democrats over their first vote going to elect a pro-choice speaker.

Mr. Hollister has questioned the depth of Ms. Whitmer's experience, but she refuted that charge.

"I'm the only one in this race that has worked in government," she said of staff work in the House and her position on the East Lansing Transportation Commission. "I may not have been on this earth as long as Bill, but I've done a lot of things. The real thing we should be talking about is not our resumes. We should be talking about vision and issues."

Arguably Ms. Whitmer's biggest obstacle in the general election contest is overcoming a nasty primary campaign that left her party badly divided and her considerable financial resources depleted. Ms. Whitmer and her principal opponent, Mary Lindemann (who was named associate director AARP Michigan Wednesday), bitterly clashed, and there is some question over whether those wounds have healed.

"I hope so," she said if the hatchet had been buried. "That's been a big priority of mine, to bring Democrats together."

Ms. Lindemann could not be reached for comment.

Financially, the consequences have been rough after Ms. Whitmer spent a believed record $148,000 to win the primary, airing television ads on broadcast channels and distributing flashy brochures. Now, the television ads are running on cable and her brochures are mostly black and white. And her campaign is low on yard signs.

Overall, Ms. Whitmer said she expects Mr. Hollister to outspend her by at least two-to-one, a stunning estimate after she raised so much money since declaring her candidacy in 1999.

The Democratic Party also has mailed brochures touting her, assistance that could have gone to other candidates. Asked if she felt bad about that, Ms. Whitmer said "yes and no." But Ms. Whitmer said she expects to have enough money to do what she needs to do.

"Every dime we spent in the primary is carrying over," she said. "It was an investment."

Hollister stresses experience

When he visits voters at their homes, Mr. Hollister, 59, urges them to vote for him because he "has more experience on education and health care" than Ms. Whitmer.

A member of groups that helped keep General Motors Corporation in Lansing and determine improvements to Lansing's schools while also serving on a local hospital's board, Mr. Hollister said his work in the community would make him an asset in the House. Ms. Whitmer has talked about focusing on education and health care, but Mr. Hollister said that's what he has worked on his whole life.

"People are recognizing that in a term-limited Legislature, somebody with experience is a good person to elect," he said during a recent interview in his home. "I'm not going to be influenced by the first person who whispers in my ear. I have too much experience and background."

As an example, Mr. Hollister said David Hollister persuaded Ms. Whitmer into supporting the Proposal 2 constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds majority of both houses in the Legislature to intervene in local affairs-a charge denied by Ms. Whitmer.

On the subject of his last name, Mr. Hollister said it delights him to see the radio ads and brochures repeating it. His own surveying indicates voters know the difference between the two Hollisters, he said.

"If (David Hollister) was trying to overcome name ID, it's a peculiar way to do it by running an ad with my name over and over again," he said.

On a host of issues, Mr. Hollister takes different positions than most of his potentially future House Republican colleagues, staking out a more liberal view on subjects like abortion, education and the environment. Mr. Hollister said he supports keeping the cap on the number of university-sponsored charter schools at 150 and compares his views on the environment to those of former Governor William Milliken.

But on abortion, Mr. Hollister struck a decidedly different note than he did in an interview earlier this year when he resisted being cast as either pro-choice or pro-life. Now, he says, "I'm pro-choice" and "I support the right of a woman to choose." He cautioned that he wants to reduce the number of abortions, but declined to say how he might vote on some of the abortion-related issues the Legislature took up over the last two years, saying he would want to study the specific bills.

Planned Parenthood Advocates has made a dual endorsement in the race.

Ms. Whitmer's lavish spending in a divisive primary has greatly helped him, Mr. Hollister said. The Republican candidate is running radio and television advertisements touting his experience, including one where a Democrat endorses him.

"Despite that she spent that overwhelming amount of money in the primary, her message is not getting through," he said.

On the issue of whom he would support for House Republican leader (the speaker's post if the GOP keeps the majority), Mr. Hollister seemed genuinely unaware of the leadership contest, downplaying it as an issue.

Between his philosophical views and his past support of Democrats like Mr. Jondahl, the former liberal representative, Mr. Hollister was asked what in particular draws him to the Republican Party.

"A Republican is for less government and more opportunity to let people make their own choices," he said. "I think I'm a Republican."