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Michigan, State Representative, District 81

Michigan House of Representatives District 81
Current incumbentGary Eisen Republican Party
Population95,883
Gender50.0% Female, 50.0% Male
Race96.3% White, 1.4% Two or More Races, 0.8% Black, 0.6% Other, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% Native American
Ethnicity97.7% Non-Hispanic, 2.3% Hispanic

Michigan's eighty-first state house district is held by Republican Representative Gary Eisen.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 95,883 civilians reside within Michigan's eighty-first state house district. Michigan state representatives represent an average of 89,851 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 90,349 residents.

About the office

Members of the Michigan House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits. Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.

Qualifications

Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$71,685/year$10,800/year expense allowance for session and interim. Set by the compensation commission.

Term limits

The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan representatives are subject to term limits of no more than three two-year terms, or a total of six years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.

Vacancies

Whenever a vacancy occurs in the house, it is up to the Governor to call for a special election. A special election must be held during the next scheduled general election. If the vacancy happened after the statewide primary, leaders of the respective party organizations within the Senate district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. A vote must be held no later than 21 days after the vacancy.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is April 21, 2020.

2018

General election
General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 81

Gary Eisen (R) defeated Joshua Rivard (D) in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 81 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Gary Eisen (R)
63.5
22,811

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Joshua Rivard (D)
36.5
13,130

Total votes: 35,941
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 81

Joshua Rivard advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 81 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Joshua Rivard (D)
100
5,991

Total votes: 5,991
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 81

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 81 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Gary Eisen (R)
24.3
2,659

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Kenneth Nicholl (R)
24.1
2,637

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Eric Stocker (R)
22.9
2,499

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Dan Turke (R)
9.1
999

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Michael Pratt (R)
7.8
853

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Joel Williams (R)
6.8
745

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

John Mahaney (R)
3.1
335

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Dan Tollis (R)
1.8
201

Total votes: 10,928

2016

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 19, 2016.

Incumbent Dan Lauwers defeated Stewart Sternberg in the Michigan House of Representatives District 81 general election.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 81 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Dan Lauwers Incumbent 68.96% 28,068
Democratic Stewart Sternberg 31.04% 12,633
Total Votes 40,701
Source: Michigan Secretary of State

Stewart Sternberg ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 81 Democratic primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 81 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Stewart Sternberg (unopposed)

Incumbent Dan Lauwers ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 81 Republican primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 81 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Dan Lauwers Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Bernardo Licata was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Dan Lauwers was unopposed in the Republican primary. Lauwers defeated Licata in the general election.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 81 General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDan Lauwers Incumbent 65.6% 18,714
Democratic Bernardo Licata 34.4% 9,808
Total Votes 28,522

2012

Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 7, 2012 and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 15, 2012. The deadline for independent candidates was July 19, 2012. The deadline for write-in candidates was July 27, 2012. Dan Lauwers (R) defeated Patrick Phelan (D) in the general election. Lauwers defeated four others in the Republican primary. Phelan defeated Stewart Steinberg and Jason Davis in the Democratic primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 81, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDan Lauwers 53.8% 20,929
Democratic Patrick Phelan 46.2% 17,945
Total Votes 38,874

Michigan House of Representatives, District 81 Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngPatrick Phelan 56.3% 1,831
Stewart Sternberg 23.8% 774
Jason Davis 19.9% 648
Total Votes 3,253

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Michigan House of Representatives District 81 raised a total of $822,618. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $32,905 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Michigan House of Representatives District 81

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $97,830 2 $48,915
2014 $71,878 2 $35,939
2012 $150,524 8 $18,816
2010 $75,752 3 $25,251
2008 $47,201 2 $23,601
2006 $62,126 2 $31,063
2004 $159,532 3 $53,177
2002 $46,417 2 $23,209
2000 $111,358 1 $111,358
Total $822,618 25 $32,905