Michigan House candidate Michael Gilmore is suing Snyder over election

U.S. House of Representatives candidate Michael Gilmore is a candidate for the seat vacated by former U.S. Rep John Conyers, and he has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Rick Snyder demanding that the election be moved up to an earlier date.

Back in December, Snyder announced Conyers' congressional seat would remain empty until the regularly scheduled November election, leaving it vacant for nearly a year. Not only is it very convenient for a GOP governor to leave the opposing party without a national representative in the House for a year, but it’s just another chance to leave black Michiganders without representation. Snyder, who played a fundamental role in “emergency management,” oversaw as more than half of the state's black residents got their representatives overruled by Snyder-appointed viceroys. Snyder has said the decision is more about saving money than it is about deferring democracy.

Then there’s the fact that it’s unusual for a congressional district to stay vacant for so long. The Associated Press noted earlier this month that, judging by a review of roughly 100 vacancies and successors listed on the House website for the last 20 years, 11 months would be the longest time a House seat stayed empty during.

None of this is lost on candidate Michael Gilmore, who has announced his intention to sue the governor over the scheduling of this election.

“Gov. Snyder continues to treat residents of urban areas across the state as second-class citizens," Gilmore says. "By holding this congressional seat vacant for 11 months, he is denying minority residents of the 13th Congressional District the right to vote and the right to be represented in Congress. This is yet another attempt to further silence the voice of minorities in the state and disregard their views. From putting emergency managers only in minority school districts and city halls to signing-off on the Flint water crisis for fiscal benefit, Gov. Synder has historically cited cost-saving measures as his reason for denying civil and human rights to urban areas. Here, he is once again attempting to balance the state's budget on the backs of Black people, in the name of ‘cost savings’.”

Gilmore will hold a town hall and "meet the candidate" event to update residents of the 13th Congressional District of Michigan on the legal action he is pursuing to force Gov. Snyder to move up the special election.

Gilmore’s Town Hall takes place 10-11:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 10, at Eleos Coffee, 12041 Dexter Ave., Detroit. For more information, see michaelgilmore.org.