Alan Bruce Sanborn (born July 21, 1957)[1] is a retired politician from the U.S. state of Michigan, serving parts of three terms in both the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate.

Alan B. Sanborn
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 11th district
In office
January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2010
Preceded byKen DeBeaussaert
Succeeded byJack Brandenburg
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 12th district
In office
November 27, 2001 – December 31, 2002
Preceded byDavid Jaye
Succeeded byMike Bishop
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 32nd district
In office
March 3, 1998 – November 8, 2001
Preceded byDavid Jaye
Succeeded byBrian Palmer
Personal details
Born (1957-07-21) July 21, 1957 (age 66)
Political partyRepublican
RelationsEx-Wife Lori
Parent(s)Lois and Kenneth Sanborn

Biography edit

Sanborn is the son of Lois and Kenneth Sanborn. Kenneth Sanborn is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives, former Circuit Court judge, and one of the attorneys who undertook the successful defense of Milo Radulovich in 1953. The Radulovich case was a major factor in helping to turn public opinion in the United States against McCarthyism.[2][3]

Sanborn was born and raised in Mount Clemens, Michigan.[4] He attended Michigan State University and graduated with a B.S. in social science with a minor in political science.[1] He married Lori McQuiston on August 6, 1982.[1] Sanborn and his ex-wife have three children.

Political career edit

Sanborn worked from 1978 to 1998 as a Macomb County probation officer. In 1996, Sanborn challenged and lost to incumbent David Jaye in the Republican primary for the 32nd District of the Michigan House of Representatives. In a special election in February 1998, Sanborn was elected to the seat after Jaye resigned to run for an open State Senate seat.[5]

In 2001, after Jaye became the first member of the Michigan Legislature to be expelled from office, [6] Sanborn came out on top of a field of thirteen Republican candidates, including Jaye, in a primary special election held September 11, 2001. In the heavily Republican district, Sanborn easily won the general special election on November 6, 2001.

Sanborn was re-elected in 2002, 2004 and 2006, and was named by Lansing-based political newsletter Inside Michigan Politics as "Michigan's Most Conservative Legislator" in 2003, 2004, and 2005. On January 1, 2011, Sanborn's term in the Senate officially came to an end, though his political aspirations did not. After returning to work as a juvenile probation officer for Macomb County, he put his hat in the ring for former Rep. Candice Miller's seat in Congress. After an unsuccessful run, he retired from his position with the county in 2018 to establish a property rental business in Lexington, Michigan. [7] His more notable legislative achievements include "Lisa's Law" (which protects probation officers) and a bill allowing visitation rights to grandparents.

Congressional Campaign edit

In March 2015, 7-term incumbent U.S. Representative Candice Miller shocked political pundits by announcing her intentions to retire at the end of her current term and not seek an 8th term in 2016 in Michigan's 10th congressional district.[8] Sanborn was amongst the first candidates to be mentioned as a possible successor to Miller.[9] He formed an exploratory committee on March 30, 2015, which gave him the ability to raise and spend money for a possible Congressional campaign[10] and formally announced his candidacy on April 21, 2015.[11]

Sanborn finished third in a five-person field, taking 16 percent of the vote, finishing behind winner Paul Mitchell, who took 37 percent of the vote, and state Sen. Phil Pavlov, who took 28 percent.[12]

Electoral history edit

Michigan House of Representatives 32nd District 1996 Republican Primary[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican David Jaye (I) 6,628 54.8 N/A
Republican Alan Sanborn 3,543 29.3 N/A
Republican Sherri Sassin 654 5.4 N/A
Republican A. Davis 441 3.6 N/A
Republican Paul Paraventi 432 3.6 N/A
Republican Morton Kripke 402 3.3 N/A
Michigan House of Representatives 32nd Special Election Republican Primary[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn 2,204 31.7 N/A
Republican Kirby Holmes Jr. 2,087 30.0 N/A
Republican Reinhold K. Retzler 1,081 15.5 N/A
Republican Gail P. Hicks 833 11.9 N/A
Republican Marianne K. Weiss 290 4.2 N/A
Republican Paul G. Paraventi 156 2.2 N/A
Republican Maria Stella Castronova 150 2.2 N/A
Republican Mary Ann Piacenza 90 1.3 N/A
Republican Pamela Skerkowski-Planitz 61 0.9 N/A
Michigan House of Representatives 32nd District Special General Election; February 24, 1998[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn 4,811 71.3 +13.0
Democratic Jim Kramer 1,940 28.7 -9.2
Michigan House of Representatives 32nd District 1998 Republican Primary[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn (I) 5,127 51.6 N/A
Republican Kirby Holmes Jr. 2,913 29.3 N/A
Republican Gail P. Hicks 1,892 19.0 N/A
Michigan Senate Michigan House of Representatives 32nd District 1998 General Election[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn (I) 24,700 73.8 +2.5
Democratic Aristidis Andreopoulos 7,593 22.7 -6.0
Libertarian Bob Van Oast 1,169 3.5 +3.5
Michigan Senate Michigan House of Representatives 32nd District 2000 General Election[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn (I) 32,162 66.6 -7.2
Democratic Greg Moore 14,852 30.7 +8.0
Libertarian Bob Van Oast 1,286 2.7 -0.8
Michigan Senate 12th District Special Election Republican Primary: September 11, 2001[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn 14,369 46.4 N/A
Republican Sue Rocca 8,054 26.0 N/A
Republican David Jaye 5,716 18.5 N/A
Republican Steve Thomas 1,472 4.8 N/A
Republican Alvin H. Kukuk 505 1.6 N/A
Republican Michael Dorman 191 0.6 N/A
Republican John Bryan 152 0.5 N/A
Republican Robert P. Murphy 119 0.4 N/A
Republican Joseph P. Chirco 94 0.3 N/A
Republican John M. Peterson 86 0.3 N/A
Republican Tracy Denise 74 0.2 N/A
Republican Judy Landino 69 0.2 N/A
Republican Ahmad Sam Esman 45 0.1 N/A
Michigan Senate 12th District Special General Election: November 7, 2001[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn 22,202 69.1 +7.2
Democratic Carl Territo 9,927 30.9 -4.9
Michigan Senate 11th District 2002 Republican Primary[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn 14,926 96.0 N/A
Republican Ahmad Sam Esman 614 4.0 -N/A
Michigan Senate 11th District 2002 General Election[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn 55,589 67.9 +21.2
Democratic Jim Ayres 26,365 32.1 -18.6
Michigan Senate 11th District 2006 General Election[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Alan Sanborn (i) 55,589 59.2 -8.2
Democratic Kenneth Jenkins 26,365 38.2 +6.1
Libertarian Lauren Zemens 2,903 2.6 +2.6
Republican Primary Results[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Paul Mitchell 30,114 38.0 N/A
Republican Phil Pavlov 22,019 27.8 N/A
Republican Alan Sanborn 12,639 15.9 N/A
Republican Tony Forlini 7,885 9.9 N/A
Republican David VanAssche 6,689 8.4 N/A
Majority 8,095 10.2 -89.8
Turnout 79,346 +43.6

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "State Senator Alan Sanborn R–11th Senate District" (PDF). Michigan Manual 2003-2004. Legislative Service Bureau. p. 148. Retrieved 2006-06-05.
  2. ^ "DCL/MSU, State Bar of Michigan to Celebrate Legal Milestone". Archived from the original on 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2006-06-05.
  3. ^ "Michigan's Legal Milestones". Archived from the original on 5 May 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-05.
  4. ^ "Senator Alan Sanborn". Michigan Senate Republicans. Archived from the original on 2004-09-19. Retrieved 2006-06-05.
  5. ^ "State Representatives, 1993-2002" (PDF). Michigan Manual 2003-2004. Legislative Service Bureau. pp. 297–301. Retrieved 2006-06-05.
  6. ^ "Ousted State Senator on Comeback Trail". Retrieved 2006-09-14.
  7. ^ "Sen. Sanborn still Michigan Senate's most conservative". Michigan Republican Party. 2005-12-08. Archived from the original on 2006-06-02. Retrieved 2006-06-05.
  8. ^ Steven Shephard (March 6, 2015). "GOP House member Candice Miller to retire". Politico. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  9. ^ Melissa Nann Burke (March 10, 2015). "Brandenburg, Sanborn exploring runs for Miller's seat". The Detroit News. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  10. ^ Melissa Nann Burke (March 30, 2015). "Former state Sen. Sanborn forms exploratory panel". The Detroit News. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  11. ^ "Alan Sanborn throws his hat into Congressional ring". The Macomb Daily. April 21, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  12. ^ Todd Spangler (August 3, 2016). "Conyers, Mitchell, Bergman win congressional primaries". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  13. ^ "PRIMARY STATE OF MICHIGAN August 6, 1996" (PDF). MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau Of Elections. August 25, 1996. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  14. ^ "Special Elections 1997-1999" (PDF). Michigan House of Representatives. February 3, 1998. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Election Results Primary Election August 4, 1998". Michigan Department of Elections Bureau of Elections. December 7, 1998. Archived from the original on January 14, 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  16. ^ "Election Results GENERAL ELECTION November 3, 1998". MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau Of Elections. December 7, 1998. Archived from the original on January 11, 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  17. ^ "Election Results GENERAL ELECTION November 7, 2000". MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau Of Elections. January 9, 2001. Archived from the original on December 28, 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  18. ^ "Statement of Voters September 11, 2001" (PDF). Macomb County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  19. ^ "Kilpatrick appears to have won Detroit mayors race". Michigan Daily. November 7, 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  20. ^ "Election Results PRIMARY ELECTION August 06, 2002". MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau Of Elections. August 6, 2002. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  21. ^ "Election Results GENERAL ELECTION November 5, 2002". MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau Of Elections. November 11, 2002. Archived from the original on December 14, 2002. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  22. ^ "Election Results GENERAL ELECTION November 7, 2006". MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau Of Elections. May 10, 2007. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  23. ^ "Election Results - Primary Election - August 2, 2016". Michigan Department of State. August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.