08/10/2006 -- Primary Round Up

Kotos gains with voters.  Hoekstra slips.  Is War to blame? 

 Muskegon – Shifting tides of American politics lapped the shores of the Michigan Second Congressional District with the results of the August 8 primary. 

 For Kimon Kotos, the Democratic candidate, Tuesday’s results demonstrated solid gains and name recognition. County-by-county results show more than a doubling of voter support for Kotos in Benzie, Mason, and Oceana counties.  In Allegan County the vote return for Kotos jumped 91 percent, while in Hoekstra-stronghold Ottawa County Kotos grew his return 78 percent.  (see Vote Differential table)

 “Results like these show that our message is getting through.  With our Democratic base getting energized we will be well-prepared for a vigorous November election,” said Kotos. 

 Kotos went on to note that the returns in the Second District and elsewhere in the State suggest rough water ahead for the GOP and current incumbent, Rep. Peter Hoekstra. 

 Where Kotos grew his primary totals, Hoekstra’s fell 17 percent from 2004 – roughly 10,000 voters.  Kotos lays it squarely on the war.

  “The hold-the-course, more of the same attitude to the war has frankly wearied the voters. The recent grandstanding on 20-year old chemical munitions is only the latest in a weary hyping of the war for political gain.  And this hype has cost this region jobs.  That’s why I’m running.”

 In contrast to the congressional neglect, the Kotos campaign is advancing practical solutions to move the region forward: support for advanced education, support for advanced manufacturing, safeguarding the promise we made to our seniors, and a return to fiscal common sense.

“These are not Republican or Democratic ideas, they simply are the kind of common sense measures that can help our region prosper – a common sense approach that sadly has been left out in Washington,” concludes Kotos.