On a warm fall day, nestled in the thick of a quaint, Rochester town, a cinnamon donut-filled breeze hung in the crisp air at the old Goodison Cider Mill in Rochester.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters’ old stomping grounds as a child and adult came alive today with media on-site and campaign staff cheering him on as he rode on his motorcycle through the sleepy town on windy Orion Road –arriving at the mill’s front porch, framed by corn stalks, pumpkins, and bales of hay.
Peters was in a celebratory mood for his close-margin win in Michigan. Statewide poll results show that Peters won over 2.7 million votes or 49.8%; his opponent, Republican challenger John James captured nearly 2.64 million votes or 48.3%.
With his wife, Colleen, by his side, Peters talked about the victory.
“That’s why we’re here having our staff celebration at the Cider Mill,” Peters said in front of two huge blue campaign signs held by campaign staff. “There are so many people who were involved in making this a reality.”
Peters went on to thank his supporters, voters, family, and even became choked up at the mention of his parents, including his 94-year-old mother, and father whom he described as a “special inspiration.”
“[I] thank the voters of the state of Michigan for having confidence in me and the work I have done in the past and what I continue to do in the years ahead,” Peters said. “People resonated to the message that we had, which is about bringing people together and getting things done.”
Peters, who described himself as a “proud Democrat” listed some of his goals when he goes back to Washington to reclaim his seat for the next six years, which includes developing a national strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic with presidential nominee Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
“When those two come into the White House [we will] have a comprehensive strategy that we should have had in the beginning,” Peters said, adding that the country is “still paying the price” on the economic and healthcare end of not having one. “I am going to continue to push aggressively to get the Senate Republicans [to] put [a] COVID relief package on The floor of the Senate. … There is still more help needed.”
Peters’ priority is also building on healthcare with the Affordable Care Act; improving the Great Lakes for Michiganders, and future generations, with clean water and additional funding to protect the natural resource against oil spills, PFAS, and more.
He also wants to continue to “stand up for veterans.”
“As a former U.S. Navy reserve officer I had the privilege of serving with some of the most patriotic men and women I will ever know,” Peters said, adding that he wants the GI Bill to be used more broadly for skilled training programs and help veterans get into jobs critically needed in this country. He also wants veterans to receive appropriate medical care to treat “invisible wounds” that come with PTSD or traumatic brain injury.
“These are just some of the many issues I look forward to continuing to work on,” Peters said. “I am humbled and I am blessed by the people of the state of Michigan who have supported me in this race. When I go to work every day I always think about Michigan first.”
Peters was voted into office with major support of Black voters in Detroit and around the state against James, whose campaign – like Trump’s – is mostly focused on diminishing the legacy of America’s first Black President, Barack Obama while believing voters would be enamored by his business background.
Peters’ years of experience as an elected official includes a track record of fighting and delivering for Michigan’s citizens was a deciding factor for many voters who trusted him in comparison to James, who has never held elective office. He did, however, unsuccessfully challenge Michigan’s senior Sen. Stabenow for her seat in 2018.
Peters is white and from Pontiac, and James is Black from Detroit. The Michigan Republican Party believed that James’ ethnicity might have made him a more attractive candidate for some Black Michigan voters. But that wasn’t enough to vote in James, who checks off all the boxes: He comes from a notable family, is a veteran, and a sharp businessman.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, James is refusing to accept losing to Peters.
James issued a statement Thursday afternoon, nearly 24 hours after the race for Senate was declared by the Associated Press, saying that he has concerns about cheating.
“While Senator Peters is currently ahead, I have deep concerns that millions of Michiganders may have been disenfranchised by a dishonest few who cheat,” James said in a statement.
Peters’ win was called Wednesday evening.
An advisor to James, Stu Sandler, said the campaign is “keeping their options open” regarding possible litigation, according to the media outlet.
“When we heard that there were 5.2 million votes and John James won, we accepted the victory. At that point, additional votes got added, there was a lack of integrity and that’s when we started to realize there was a lack of a challenge to the process. Then we heard about 35,000 votes that came in through a pallet. These all are the irregularities that added up through the day,” Sandler said in the media report.
James said on Thursday that when the process is complete and the votes are verified he would accept the results.
“When this process is complete, I will of course accept the results and the will of the people, but at this time there is enough credible evidence to warrant an investigation to ensure that elections were conducted in a transparent, legal, and fair manner,” he said.
He ended his statement that says if anyone is objecting to his statement they “likely have something to hide.”
During Peters’ media event he described the lawsuit as “frivolous” and hopefully people will accept the votes and have a “peaceful transfer of power.”
“When you lose, do it gracefully,” he said.
The Rev. Steve Bland, senior pastor of Liberty Temple Baptist Church of Detroit, said that he has supported Peters since he first ran for the U.S. Senate seat.
“He came to me and during his first run. … I held him accountable for some of the things he said he would do and he came through; [I] made him an honorary church member,” Bland said.
Bland added that Peters knew he was going to have a “bigger challenge” with James running and when Peters asked Bland if he was going to still have his support, Bland responded with the truth.
“I told him my values [are] not based on color but consciousness; I’m looking for people who are able to deal with the issues for my people,” Bland said.
Bland added that when he went to Peters because his church needed PPE, ballot boxes [when mailboxes were removed as a voter suppression tact], among other needs, they were met.
“I said [to Peters] you needed to go to bat for them [the Black community and small, non-profit businesses in greater Detroit] and he did. Gary was willing and went to bat. … I knew I could support him.”
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