2014 United States Senate election in Michigan

The 2014 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Michigan, concurrently with the election of the governor of Michigan, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Carl Levin decided to retire instead of running for re-election to a seventh term. Primary contests took place on August 5, 2014, with U.S. Representative Gary Peters and former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land unopposed on the Democratic and Republican primary ballots, respectively. Peters defeated Land in the general election, becoming the only freshman Democratic senator in the 114th Congress. This was the first open seat election in Michigan since 1994 and the first on this seat since 1918.

Declared

 * Gary Peters, U.S. Representative

Failed to qualify

 * Terry Whitney, technology executive

Declined

 * Shane Battier, National Basketball Association player
 * Jocelyn Benson, Dean of Wayne State University Law School and nominee for Michigan Secretary of State in 2010
 * Virgil Bernero, Mayor of Lansing and nominee for Governor in 2010
 * Mark Bernstein, attorney and Regent of the University of Michigan
 * James Blanchard, former governor of Michigan
 * Debbie Dingell, chairman of the Wayne State University board of governors and wife of U.S. Representative John Dingell (running for MI-12)
 * Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan
 * Dan Kildee, U.S. Representative
 * Carl Levin, incumbent U.S. Senator
 * Sander Levin, U.S. Representative and Carl Levin's brother
 * Gretchen Whitmer, Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate

Republican primary
After Terri Lynn Land declared her candidacy in June 2013, Republicans attempted to recruit U.S. Representative Dave Camp and Oakland County District Court Judge Kimberly Small to run instead. Camp, after earlier having said that he was not interested in running, reconsidered it, and Land indicated that she would consider dropping out if Camp decided to run. Republicans were initially reluctant to rally around Land, but after Camp and Small declined to run, other Republicans like U.S. Representative Justin Amash and Holland Mayor Kurt Dykstra also said no, and a late attempt to convince cardiologist Rob Steele to run failed, Land emerged as the de facto nominee.

Declared

 * Terri Lynn Land, former member of the Republican National Committee and former Michigan Secretary of State

Withdrew

 * Matthew Wiedenhoeft, businessman and former minor league hockey player and coach (running for the state house)

Declined

 * Justin Amash, U.S. Representative
 * Saul Anuzis, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party
 * Dave Brandon, University of Michigan Athletic Director
 * Brian Calley, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
 * Dave Camp, U.S. Representative
 * Mike Cox, former Michigan Attorney General
 * Betsy DeVos, former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party
 * Dick DeVos, businessman and nominee for Governor in 2006
 * Clark Durant, charter school advocate and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1990 and 2012
 * Kurt Dykstra, Mayor of Holland
 * John Engler, former governor of Michigan
 * Pete Hoekstra, former U.S. Representative and 2012 Senate nominee
 * Ruth Johnson, Michigan Secretary of State
 * Roger Kahn, state senator
 * Pete Lund, Majority Whip of the Michigan House of Representatives
 * Ronna McDaniel, Republican National Committeewoman and member of the Romney family
 * Candice Miller, U.S. Representative
 * Jim Murray, president of AT&T Michigan
 * Andrea Fischer Newman, Regent of the University of Michigan
 * John Rakolta, businessman
 * Randy Richardville, Majority Leader of the Michigan Senate
 * Mike Rogers, U.S. Representative
 * Scott Romney, former member of the Michigan State University board of trustees, candidate for Attorney General of Michigan in 1998 and member of the Romney family
 * Bill Schuette, Michigan Attorney General
 * Kimberly Small, judge on Michigan's 48th District Court
 * Rob Steele, cardiologist

Libertarian Party

 * Robert James "Jim" Fulner

U.S. Taxpayers Party

 * Richard A. Matkin

Green Party

 * Chris Wahmhoff

Declared

 * Jeff Jones, retired financial services industry worker and pastor
 * Paul Marineau, attorney and former mayor pro tem of Douglas

Campaign
Early on, the open seat was considered to be competitive. However, various missteps by the Land campaign as well as Land's reluctance to appear in public after suffering a meltdown in front of the media in May, weighed down the Land campaign, allowing Peters to open up a consistent lead in the polls beginning in September. The Republican establishment effectively gave up on Land's campaign the following month.

Debates
Peters agreed to four debates; Land did not respond to invitations. Negotiations between the Land and Peters campaigns broke down over the format of proposed debates between the two candidates.

Polling

 * With Dingell


 * With Granholm


 * With Levin


 * With LOLGOP


 * With Peters

Results
Peters was declared the winner right when the polls closed in Michigan.

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Branch (largest city: Coldwater)
 * Lenawee (largest city: Adrian)
 * Tuscola (largest city: Caro)
 * Montcalm (largest city: Greenville)
 * Wexford (largest city: Cadillac)
 * Cheboygan (largest city: Cheboygan)
 * Schoolcraft (largest city: Manistique)
 * Ontonagon (largest city: Ontonagon)
 * Menominee (largest city: Menominee)
 * Mackinac (largest city: St. Ignace)
 * Keweenaw (largest city: Ahmeek)
 * Houghton (largest city: Houghton)
 * Delta (largest city: Escanaba)
 * Dickinson (largest city: Iron Mountain)
 * Baraga (largest city: Baraga)
 * Charlevoix (largest city: Boyne City)
 * Emmet (largest city: Petosky)
 * Montmorency (largest city: Lewiston)
 * Otsego (largest city: Gaylord)
 * Antrim (largest city: Elk Rapids)
 * Crawford (largest city: Grayling)
 * Kalkaska (largest city: Kalkaska)
 * Grand Traverse (largest city: Traverse City)
 * Oscoda (largest city: Mio)
 * Osceola (largest city: Reed City)
 * Alcona (largest city: Harrisville)
 * Mason (largest city: Ludington)
 * Oceana (largest city: Hart)
 * Mecosta (largest city: Big Rapids)
 * Newaygo (largest city: Fremont)
 * Huron (largest city: Bad Axe)
 * Sanilac (largest city: Sandusky)
 * Midland (largest city: Midland)
 * Lapeer (largest city: Lapeer)
 * Kent (largest city: Grand Rapids)
 * Ionia (largest city: Ionia)
 * Cass (largest city: Dowagiac)
 * Berrien (largest city: Niles)
 * St. Joseph (largest city: Sturgis)

By congressional district
Peters won 9 of 14 congressional districts, including four that elected Republicans.

Post-election
Land ended up paying a fee of $66,000 to the Federal Election Commission for a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act related to the 2014 campaign.

Peters would run again in 2020 to retain the Senate seat he won, while Land would go on to win a seat on the Board of Governors for Wayne State University in the same year.