Terri Lynn Land
Terri Lynn Land is an American politician who served as Michigan's 41st Secretary of State. In 2012, Land was elected to the Republican National Committee. She was the Republican nominee for the 2014 United States Senate race in Michigan, losing in the general election to Democrat Gary Peters.
Early life and education
Land was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The granddaughter of immigrants from the Netherlands, Land grew up changing sheets and mowing grass for her grandparents' family motel business. Land grew up in Grandville, Michigan, graduating from Grandville High School. In 1976, she attended the Republican National Convention, where she shook Gerald Ford's hand. Land was one of the youngest attendees at the 1978 Republican state convention. She worked her way through college as she attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in political science. In 2009, Land was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Davenport University, "in recognition of her accomplishments and contributions to the community."Early political career
In 1980, at age 22, Land joined the Grandville Planning Commission. At age 23, Land ran for the Michigan House of Representatives, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Democrat Jelt Sietsema.From 1992-2000, she was the elected Clerk of Kent County, the fourth largest county of Michigan.
In 2000, with Gov. John Engler's encouragement, Land ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan State Board of Education.
Michigan Secretary of State
In 2002, Land became Michigan's 41st Secretary of State, defeating Melvin Hollowell, a Detroit-based attorney, 55%-43% and took office on January 1, 2003. Land and her husband contributed more than $1.9 million of their own money in the 2002 and 2006 Secretary of State campaigns.During Land's tenure as Secretary of State, she implemented a plan to expand online service options, improve services at branch offices to create shorter lines for customers, and make use of more reliable election equipment. The Grand Rapids Press editorial board praised Land for her technological transformation of state services. According to the Michigan Legislature, Land implemented "other advancements, include the introduction of Self-Service Stations for easy license plate tab renewals and creation of an online Branch Office Locator that provides customers with office locations, hours, and services simply by entering their zip code, city or county". Land championed the effort to implement more reliable voting machines,while also installing magnetic barcode readers in all branch offices to speed up transactions and ensure accuracy.
Despite a decreased budget to work with, Land was successful in consolidating offices to make them more efficient, yet all through attrition so that no workers were laid off, Land also carried out the successful consolidation of branch offices in a nonpartisan manner. Terri Lynn Land also refused to take advantage of her name being placed on the signs at branch offices, a political advantage used by previous Secretaries of State, to rather have the Secretary of State's website address be advertised as online services increased.
Secretary Land led the charge to consolidate Michigan's elections, which saved money, reduced confusion, and helped eliminate 'stealth elections'. Staying ahead of the work required by the Help America Vote Act, Land also selected a single style voting machine to be implemented statewide with funding from the federal government. In 2005, Land's office announced an effort to use the Help America Vote Act to reduce potential voter fraud by removing names of voters who had died, moved out of Michigan, or changed their names. A New York Times investigation found that 33,000 people were removed from the rolls, while Land's office said 11,000 voters were removed. The American Civil Liberties Union took Michigan to court over the removal of voter names. The New York Times pointed out that "the problems were not unique to Michigan, and that states with Republican and Democratic election officials had struggled to interpret new federal laws, such as the Help America Vote Act." In October 2008, a federal judge ruled that the national Voting Rights Act had been violated and six states, including Michigan, were ordered to stop removing names from voter rolls. A spokesperson for the Secretary of State's office told the Detroit Free Press that, "If you're eligible to vote, you will be able to cast a vote on Election Day". Furthermore, Land spearheaded several outreach initiatives that increased voter participation, including touring all university campuses to offer registration opportunities, which caused unprecedented voter turnout rates in 2004, 2006, and 2008.
In 2006, she was elected to a second term, defeating Macomb County Clerk Carmella Sabaugh 56%-42%. After serving two terms, the maximum allowed in the state, she was succeeded by Republican Ruth Johnson.
2010 gubernatorial race
After exploring a bid for Michigan governor in 2010, Land decided not to run in June 2009, instead endorsing Mike Bouchard. She ran for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Bouchard the following year, but lost in the Republican primary.2014 U.S. Senate election
On June 3, 2013 Land announced her candidacy for the United States Senate in 2014. She ran unopposed in the primary and faced Democratic congressman Gary Peters in the general election.According to an early analysis by the Washington Post, the U.S. Senate election in Michigan was considered one of the top 10 Senate races of 2014. Land outraised Peters throughout the campaign. Her largest independent backer was Americans for Prosperity, which spent $3.6 million in support of her candidacy.
In 2014, Land gave $3 million to her own campaign, saying, "You can't ask other people to invest in you if you don't invest in yourself." In her federal financial disclosure form, she had not listed any bank accounts or other assets in her control worth that much. Her campaign said that it had mistakenly failed to disclose a joint account she had with her husband. A Detroit Free Press review of financial disclosure forms showed Land and her husband had assets worth $35 million in 2014, with $1.5 million belonging to Land, and that "candidates may typically tap liberally into joint accounts with their spouses."
In May 2014, Land gave a speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference, a three-day event that many of the state's top business and civic leaders attend, which she read from notes. Following her speech, Land was swarmed by reporters and, unable to articulate a response to a question, pushed their microphones away, saying, "I can't do this."
Land was endorsed by the entire Michigan Republican delegation, as well as former congressman Pete Hoekstra, the Family Research Council, and National Right to Life.
Her campaign was weighed down by various missteps and her reluctance to make public campaign appearances, particularly after her meltdown in May. Peters opened up a consistent lead in the polls beginning in September. The Republican establishment effectively gave up on Land's campaign the following month. In the November 4 general election, Land received 41.3% of the vote to Peters's 54.6%.