Mike Bouchard


Michael J. "Mike" Bouchard is the sheriff of Oakland County and a former Republican candidate for the United States Senate. Before becoming sheriff, he served in the Michigan State Senate and worked as a police officer and small business owner. Bouchard is of French and Syrian Lebanese descent. Michael J. Bouchard was awarded the Ferris E. Lucas Award for Sheriff of the Year 2016 by the National Sheriff's Association.

Career

Bouchard was born in Flint, Michigan. After graduating from Brother Rice High School in 1974, Bouchard attended Michigan State University majoring in criminal justice and police administration. Upon graduation Bouchard entered local law enforcement where he remained for thirteen years. Bouchard was elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1991. He resigned as senator and majority floor leader in the Michigan State Senate when he was appointed Oakland County Sheriff in January 1999 following the untimely death of long time Sheriff John F. Nichols in December 1998. With over 30 years of experience in both law enforcement and as an elected official, Bouchard currently manages one of the largest sheriff's offices in the United States with over 1,300 employees and an annual budget of over $138 million. In November 2012 Michael Bouchard was elected to his fourth consecutive term as Oakland County Sheriff by an overwhelming majority, the largest number of votes cast for any candidate in Oakland County.
Since 1999, Sheriff Bouchard has been elected President of the Major County Sheriffs' Association on two separate occasions. The association is composed of sheriffs who serve in counties or parishes with a population of 500,000 or more. Bouchard is currently its Vice President of Government Affairs.
Bouchard is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. Most recently, he was inducted into the Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice Wall of Fame and also, he received the Michigan Earth Day Fest Earth Day Hero Award for his implementation of the Operation Medicine Cabinet program at the sheriff's office. He also received the National Association of Counties Award for Innovative Programs for the Operation Medicine Cabinet.
In 2007, Bouchard endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. Romney went on to win the primary vote in Oakland County.
Bouchard ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006. He won the Republican nomination with 60 percent of the vote, but then lost to Debbie Stabenow, the incumbent Democratic senator.
In 2019 he was named a Michigan Master Sheriff, in recognition of his 33 years of service.

2010 gubernatorial race

Bouchard joined business person Rick Snyder, state Senator Tom George, Congressman Peter Hoekstra and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox as Republican candidates.
In September 2009, Bouchard announced the selection of his lieutenant governor running mate, Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.
Bouchard finished fourth out of five candidates in the primary, receiving 127,350 votes of the 1,044,925 votes cast.

Electoral history

2006 United States Senate election in Michigan
2006 election for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary
Oakland County Sheriff's Office
Michigan State Senate
Michigan House of Representatives
City Council