Michigan Criminal Lawyers Blog
Oakland County Primary Results
The race for Oakland County Prosecutor has already marked a big change on the horizon. Both the Democratic and Republican primaries in Oakland County have allowed two candidates to emerge to go head to head in the general election in November. The Oakland County Prosecutor race came down to two candidates on the Democrats side, and one candidate running on the Republican side. They are listed below with their respective backgrounds and percentage of the vote they received:
1) Karen McDonald (D), a former Oakland County Circuit Court Judge. She was first elected to the Oakland County Circuit Court in 2012 and served until 2019 when she resigned to seek the position of Oakland County Prosecutor. She received nearly 66% of the vote, soundly defeating current Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper.
2) Jessica Cooper (D), the current and now soon to be former Oakland County Prosecutor was first elected as Oakland County Prosecutor in 2008. Her straight-line “no plea deals” policies were hugely unpopular, leading to a clog of jury trials on the Oakland County docket. She received just over 34% of the vote to lose her post as Prosecutor.
3) Lin Goetz (R), A criminal defense attorney based out of Lake Orion. Goetz is a former Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor. She did not work under current prosecutor Cooper as she left the office four years before Cooper entered. She ran unopposed and collected over 112,000 votes in the Republican Primary.
In soundly defeating Cooper, McDonald received the majority of the vote in 502 of Oakland County’s 506 voting precincts. Almost 200,000 ballots were cast in the race between Cooper and McDonald.
Moving on From Jessica Cooper
Outgoing Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper has held her post for the past 12 years, first being elected in 2008. Her stubborn policies refused to allow certain diversion programs for low-level offenders to operate properly in Oakland County, instead choosing to push everyone to jail. The United States Supreme Court outlawed mandatory life sentences for juveniles back in 2012 and Cooper has still consistently opposed the possibility of parole for nearly 50 juvenile lifers in the state of Michigan. She lost support from who she needed it most, including people such as Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who both backed Cooper’s opponent Karen McDonald in the primary. McDonald viewed the Oakland County Prosecutor’s office to be a “wealth-based” system that discriminates against women, minorities and people who don’t have money. McDonald seeks to implement and champion the various treatment and jail-diversion courts that have done well in other Michigan counties.
What Happens Next?
Democratic nominee Karen McDonald (D) will now face off in the general election with Lin Goetz (R). Oakland county has seen a seismic shift in its political leanings. Once a reliably republican county, the major posts in Oakland County have recently gone to the Democratic party. Democratic nominee Karen McDonald will be the heavy favorite this November as she has major endorsements and strong name recognition from her time as an Oakland County Circuit Court Judge. McDonald’s move in stepping down from the bench to run for prosecutor looks like a good one as it appears that she has made it past her first and biggest hurdle by taking out sitting Prosecutor Jessica Cooper.
Any Further Questions?
If you or a loved one has been charged with a crime or being investigated for one, then it is important to speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney immediately. At Grabel & Associates, our attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience in successfully defending criminal cases all over the state of Michigan. This experience extends not only to adult cases, but also to juvenile charges. We are not a general practice firm. We are a team of criminal defense attorneys; it’s all we do. We offer a FREE consultation to anyone with questions relating to a possible or existing criminal charge against them or a loved one. Feel free to contact us on our 24/7 defense line at 1-800-342-7896. You can also contact us online or come visit us at one of our three statewide locations. We can also come to you.