By Alethia Kasben
Managing Editor
Posted: July 23, 2018 4:25 PM

Michigan voters will hear about two different judicial candidates during the next few weeks and months. One is conservative and is nominated for a spot the highest court in the nation. The other is a Democrat and will appear on the ballot for the highest court in the state. Their last names are pronounced identically.

While the name Kavanaugh has been prevalent in the news nationwide lately with President Donald Trump’s latest U.S. Supreme Court nominee, the name was already widely known in Michigan belonging to the storied family on the Democratic side where several members have been Supreme Court justices, judges and state or local officials albeit with slightly different spellings.

And this year, as Mr. Trump works to get U.S. Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Megan Cavanagh has been endorsed by Democrats to be one of the party’s two nominees for Michigan Supreme Court.

While the names are spelled differently, they are pronounced the same. Ms. Cavanagh is using the name similarity as a fundraising pitch to supporters titled: “Cavanagh with a C.”

She is a different kind of Cavanagh, she wrote to supporters.

“With President Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the undeniable reality that his confirmation would shift that court to the right, it is more important than ever that Michigan citizens exercise their rights and raise their voices to say that Michigan's judicial system will not be taken over by partisan politics and special interests advocating for ideologues,” the email said.

The name game has long been en vogue when it comes to the candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court. The name Cavanagh has long been a staple on the ballot for Democrats in Michigan. Mr. Trump’s nomination of Mr. Kavanaugh has made that a bit more complex.