State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith confirmed Friday that, as expected, she is joining the crowded 2010 race for governor of Michigan. She previously staged a short-lived bid for the same office in 2002.
Smith, whose state House district includes the eastern Michigan city of Ypsilanti, is the third Democrat to enter the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm. She joins Lt. Gov. John Cherry and George Perles, a former head football coach at Michigan State University and now an elected trustee of that school who has publicly stated he plans to run.
Cherry is considered the early favorite for the Democratic nomination, having served alongside Granholm for both her two terms.
Smith initially sought the Democratic for governor in the 2002 election. She bowed out, though, and endorsed David Bonior, then a longtime House member from suburban Detroit who had held the position of Democratic whip.
Bonior then named Smith as his prospective choice for lieutenant governor prior to the Democratic primary, and they campaigned together as a team. But Bonior lost the primary to Granholm, who then picked Cherry to join her general election ticket.
If elected in 2010, Smith would become the first African-American governor in Michigan history.
Other Democrats reportedly considering the 2010 contest include Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, state House Speaker Andy Dillon and former state Rep. John Freeman.
On the Republican side, Rep. Peter Hoekstra and state Attorney General Mike Cox are considered the front-runners in what could be a large primary field. But Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard -- who was the unsuccessful Republican challenger to Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2006 -- got a big boost Thursday when Terri Lynn Land, Michigan's popular secretary of state, opted out of her own expected bid for governor and endorsed Bouchard instead.
Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder, state Sen. Tom George and Dominos Pizza CEO David Brandon are among those also said to be interested in running.
CQ Politics rates the 2010 general election contest as Tossup.
To follow the 2009 and 2010 governors' races, check out CQ Politics' election map.
-- Derek Wallbank
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