Republicans Win Reelection to the Michigan Board of Education 

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Incumbents Tom McMillin and Nikki Snyder held onto their seats on the Michigan Board of Education in Tuesday’s election. They are the only Republican members of the board.

It was another good down-ballot result for Michigan Republicans, who rode President-elect Donald Trump’s coattails to flip the state House and win almost every seat on the boards of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and the Wayne State University.

McMillin and Snyder defeated Democratic challengers Theodore Jones and former state Rep. Adam Zemke for seats on Michigan’s Board of Education and will serve eight-year terms on the board that is tasked with overseeing the educational system across the state and recommending changes to lawmakers.

Snyder has served a single term on the board. She is a former nurse who has previously had unsuccessful runs for U.S. Senate and Congress. She told the Michigan Advance along the campaign trail that she is focused on school safety, improving literacy in schools and providing eligible students with appropriate special education resources.

Snyder received the most votes of any education board candidate at nearly 2.5 million votes or 24.48% of the vote, according to unofficial election results.

McMillin also has served one term on the Michigan Board of Education, having been elected alongside fellow incumbent Snyder in 2016. Previously, McMillin served as a state legislator representing Oakland County and has served in local government and as an Oakland County Commissioner, among other roles.

McMillin secured about 24% of the vote, beating out Democratic challengers by more than 60,000 votes apiece.

Jones is a former teacher, school social worker and has worked in administration for Detroit public schools. His campaign centered around increasing investments into Michigan schools to help students recover from learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to allocate resources to retain good teachers.

Zemke, was previously a state lawmaker representing Ann Arbor who served on education-related committees. He has been a part of education-focused groups like the MiSTEM Advisory Council and was previously the president of Launch Michigan. He told the Michigan Advance during his campaign that he’d like to better bridge the board with lawmakers and other stakeholders and implement meaningful change while serving on the board.

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