Candidates election filings; petitions challenged

Candidates hoping to compete in the 2026 election for a number of local, state and congressional offices filed the necessary paperwork by the 4 p.m. deadline yesterday (Tuesday, April 21) and await final word that their nominating petitions and other documents have been cleared so that they can appear on the ballot starting with the August 4 primary election,

Already there has been one unofficial challenge to petition signatures submitted by one of the candidates in the race for the district 11 congressional seat now being held by Democrat Haley Stevens who is seeking the U.S. Senate seat held by Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield) who is not running for reelection.

In the Birmingham-Bloomfield area, there are no local level offices on the ballot but here’s who has filed for state and congressional offices. There are only two incumbents appearing on the ballot in this area and those are indicated with an asterisk in the following list.

U.S. Senate

Democrat: Abdul El-Sayed, Ann Arbor; Mallory McMorrow, Royal Oak; and Haley Stevens, Birmingham. Republican: Mike Rogers, White Lake; and Bernadette Smith, Byron Center.

U.S. House of Representatives – District 11

The district includes Birmingham, Bloomfield Township and Bloomfield Hills.

Democrat: Stu Baker, Pontiac; Alsha Farooqi, Troy; Jeremy Moss, Bloomfield Township; Michelle Mary Murphy, Keego Harbor; John Paul Torres, Waterford; and Don Ufford, Birmingham. Republican: Ethan Baker, Troy; and Tony Prieto, Farmington.

Michigan Senate – District 7

The district includes Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, and Birmingham.

Democrat: Jason Hoskins, Southfield; Shadia Martini, Bloomfield Township; and Rakesh Ramakrishnan, Birmingham. Republican: Anthony Paesano, Bloomfield Hills.

Michigan House—District 6

The district includes most of Birmingham and part of Bloomfield Township.

Democrat: Charlie Gandy-Thompson, Royal Oak; David Lauer, Beverly Hills; and Melanie Macey, Royal Oak. Republican: Mike Steger, Berkley.

Michigan House – District 19

District includes part of Bloomfield Township and part of Birmingham.

Democrat: Samantha Steckloff**, Farmington; and Brandon Young, Southfield. Republican: Kevin Hammer, Farmington Hills; and Mitch Swoboda, Farmington Hills.

Michigan House – District 20

The district includes a small portion of Bloomfield Towmship.

Democrat: Noah Arbit **, West Bloomfield. Republican: Hermon Barbe, West Bloomfield; and S. David Sullivan, Orchard Lake.

Michigan House – District 54

The district includes Bloomfield Hills and part of Bloomfield Township.

Democrat: Sarah Pounds, Lake Orion. Republican: Roman Gaskey, Lake Orion; and Jeffrey Omtvedt, Bloomfield Hills.

In the primary contest for the U.S. House, Democrat Don Ufford is already questioning whether Republican Tony Prieto of Farmington has turned in a sufficient number of signatures on nominating petitions. In a letter to Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown, Ufford said his campaign had reviewed the petitions submitted by Prieto and had determined that the Republican had failed to turn in the required 1,000 signatures on petitions.

Ufford campaign manger Mark Goldenberg told Downtown that the campaign felt the most important thing was for “voters to feel there is a fair process” and that all candidates were “playing by the same set of rules.”

The letter to the county clerk asked that Brown pay particular attention in reviewing the petitions submitted by Ufford.