LANSING – Tea party candidates enjoyed their best performance in Michigan Republican primary elections since the movement launched in 2010 but fell short of a major breakthrough as establishment candidates beat them in most of the head-to-head races.

The muddled verdict on the showdown between the tea party and establishment wings of the Republican Party was fitting for a night that featured some close races and uncertainty about who actually won some of the key contests. Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence declared victory in the 14th U.S. House District Democratic primary after a see-saw battle, and Sen. Virgil Smith repelled a challenge from Rep. Rashida Tlaib in the 4th Senate District.

Among the night’s decisive big winners were U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Cascade Township) in the 3rd U.S. House District, Sen. John Moolenaar (R-Midland) in the 4th U.S. House District, Republican former Sen. Mike Bishop of Rochester Hills in the 8th U.S. House District and Republican financier David Trott of Birmingham.

But the main focus was on whether tea party candidates could achieve a breakthrough for legislative seats.

Newcomer Lee Chatfield of Levering led the way as he ousted Rep. Frank Foster of Petoskey in the 107th House District. Joining him in victory were Republicans Todd Courser of Burlington Township in the 82nd House District, Cindy Gamrat of Plainwell in the 80th District and Gary Glenn of Midland in the 98th District.

Republican Lana Theis, the Brighton Township treasurer, objected to the tea party label and had establishment support too, but philosophically is similar to the tea party. Jim Tedder of Clarkston in the 43rd House District rejected the tea party label, but he had tea party backing and defeated Independence Township Trustee Andrea Schroeder. Jim Runestad of White Lake Township and Triston Cole of Mancelona in the 105th House District were other candidates who had establishment and tea party support who won.

Still, Tedder (if he beats a solid Democratic candidate in November), Runestad and Cole would not represent the same sharp difference with other House Republican caucus members as Chatfield, Courser, Gamrat and Glenn, and to a lesser extent, Theis.

Amash’s defeat of establishment-backed Brian Ellis in the 3rd U.S. House District was a major triumph for the liberty/tea party movements.

But the establishment candidates cleaned up in most of the pure head-to-head battles.

Rep. Wayne Schmidt of Traverse City bested Rep. Greg MacMaster of Kewadin in their bitterly fought Republican battle in the 37th Senate District. And besides Foster, the other Republican incumbents – Sen. Mike Kowall of White Lake Township, Sen. Goeff Hansen of Hart, Rep. Klint Kesto of Commerce Township, Rep. Bradford Jacobsen of Oxford, Rep. Dave Pagel of Berrien Springs and Rep. Al Pscholka of Stevensville – beat back tea party challengers.

Kathy Crawford of Novi in the 38th House District, Michael Webber of Rochester Hills in the 45th House District, Hank Vaupel of Handy Township in the 47th House District, Eric Leutheuser of Hillsdale in the 58th House District, Brandt Iden of Oshtemo in the 61st House District, Chris Afendoulis of Grand Rapids Township in the 73rd House District, Donijo DeJonge of Grand Rapids in the 76th House District, Daniela Garcia of Holland in the 90th House District and Larry Inman of Williamsburg in the 104th House District all prevailed in races where there were notable tea party candidates.

Now the question heading toward 2016 is whether the Chatfield-Courser-Gamrat-Glenn beachhead represents a blip or the beginning of something bigger.

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