Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder endorsed former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., today for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. Hoekstra hopes to unseat Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in the 2012 elections.
Snyder defeated Hoekstra in the gubernatorial primary last year, but the healed-rivalry angle shouldn’t obscure the real election significance of the endorsement: Hoekstra, a West Michigan Republican with a solidly social conservative base, now has increased cachet in the very populous and more socially moderate southeast Michigan, thus resolving the weakness that caused him to lose the statewide campaign for governor.
The Detroit Free Press has the endorsement:
Snyder hails from southeast Michigan, and the regional support for his campaign was a major factor in his victory last year. His decision to endorse Hoekstra damages the candidacy of Clark Durant, a successful charter school executive from the Detroit-area who has received support from Republican leaders such as Betsy Devos and will offer Hoekstra the greatest challenge in the primary.
And, should the Snyder endorsement prove decisive in undercutting Durant’s campaign, Stabenow would lose the advantage of a bruising Republican primary to help her prepare to defend her seat in the general election.
