A contentious primary among a field of strong candidates race for governor brought forth Jennifer Granholm, who easily won the Democratic nomination on Aug. 6.

Granholm won 48 percent of the vote, easily beating challengers David Bonior and Jim Blanchard. The 43-year-old state attorney general will square off in the Nov. 5 general election against Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus, who beat out challenger Joe Schwartz in the primary.

Granholm pledged to be an agent of change in state government, which has been led by Gov. John Engler for the last 12 years. Engler, who is term-limited, has cemented his reputation as an anti-regulation, anti-tax, anti-union leader who has fought tooth and nail to protect the interests of the business community.

"It's an administration that has represented special interests for the past 12 years, and it's time that people's interests are brought back to the table in Michigan," Granholm said Aug. 8 during a Democratic unity breakfast in Detroit.

Posthumus, 52, a former state senator and who has been lieutenant governor since 1999, is expected to campaign on a long record of public service in the state, as well as on Engler's record of tax cutting. "My pledge is that we won't raise taxes - in fact, we will cut taxes," he said, although Michigan is facing a $500 million budget deficit.

It was a bruising campaign for the Democratic candidates, who took off the gloves with a number of nasty television and radio ads. Labor unions, including many among the building trades, divided their allegiance and monetary support among all three candidates. With such a strong field on candidates, the Detroit and Michigan Building and Construction Trades Councils opted to wait until after the primary election before endorsing a candidate.

Exit polling said union households accounted for 44 percent of the Democratic primary vote. The AFL-CIO and the UAW threw a lot of money and support behind Bonior, but polling revealed that Granholm was favored by union voters 42 percent, compared to 36 percent for Bonior and 22 percent for Blanchard.

Acknowledging the split among supporters and the still-considerable clout of Michigan's unions, Granholm said, "I know I cannot do it without my brothers and sisters in organized labor."

The race for governor was the most significant in the state on the primary ballot - but there were numerous other congressional seats, county positions and local offices up for grabs. One of the biggest was for the 15th District Congressional seat, a tempestuous, nationally watched race which was won by John Dingell over Lynn Rivers. Both were Democratic incumbents who were tossed into the same district (Dearborn-Downriver-Ann Arbor) by the re-districting process. Dingell won by a 64-36 percent margin and will most assuredly win the heavily Democratic seat in the November election.

"We have a lot to do on health care and to keep our environment clean while we ensure prosperity for our working families," Dingell said.

In the race to see who will lead the state's largest county, Sheriff Robert Ficano easily beat his challengers Benny Napolean and Ricardo Solomon.

Across the state, there is much importance attached to the November ballot. Besides the governorship, Granholm's victory opens the door for a new state attorney general. Party caucuses by Democrats and Republicans will each choose a candidate to be placed on the ballot. State Sen. Gary Peters is a frontrunner for the Democrats' attorney general nomination, andWayne County Assistant Prosecutor Mike Cox is considered the lead candidate for the GOP's attorney general nomination.

For the Secretary of State position, attorney Butch Hollowell of Detroit is considered the Dem's leading candidate, while former Kent County Clerk Terri Land is in competition with state Sen. Loren Bennett for the Republican Party's nomination.

The November general election promises to be tremendously important. Not only will a new governor be elected in Michigan, Democrats will attempt to take majority control of either the Michigan House (where Republicans hold a 58-52 advantage) House or Senate (the GOP leads, 22-15) for the first time in several years - and winning either of them is considered a long shot.

County commission races are abundant, as are judicial races around the state. There are also numerous local races whose winners could have a direct affect on our lives.

"The Americans," said founding father John Jay, "are the first people whom heaven has favored with an opportunity of deliberating upon and choosing the forms of government under which they should live."

And the next opportunity to do so will come on Tuesday, Nov. 5.