Bill Schuette (D)
LANSING, Mich. (Legal Newsline)-Bill Schuette, a former Court of Appeals judge in Michigan, has announced that he will run for attorney general in 2010.
"Our state needs an attorney general who will put safety first and do what it takes to protect Michigan families," Schuette, a Republican, said in a statement. "I will and that's why I'm running."
In 1990, Schuette, a former congressman, ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate, challenging incumbent Carl Levin, a Democrat. He lost by a 58 percent to 42 percent margin.
In order for Schuette to run for attorney general, he must leave the Court of Appeals because state constitution prohibits judges from running for non-judicial elected posts.
The publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, Bill Ballenger, said Schuette could have run for the Supreme Court as a natural progression but instead chose to run for AG.
"He has a strong law-and-order demeanor, and he is just a likable guy," Ballenger said.
The state's current attorney general, Mike Cox, is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Cox is barred by term limits from seeking another term as the state's chief legal officer.
Democrats expected to seek their party's nomination for AG include state Sen. Gretchen Whitmer of East Lansing and Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton.