Are Dems taking sides in Macomb County primary?

Are the House Democrats taking sides in the 30^th House District race in Sterling Heights?

Though Democrat Nick Najjar, an activist in the Chaldean community, faces competition in the Aug. 7 vote from a candidate named Joseph Bogdan, he is featured prominently in a press release from the House Democratic Caucus calling for election reforms.

According to protocol, the two parties are supposed to remain neutral in the primaries – and they usually follow that rule closely.

The release favors election law changes to prevent manipulation of the candidate filing process such as the scheme pulled off by Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger and Republican State Rep. Roy Schmidt of western Michigan.

 A report issued by Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth last week said that Bolger and Schmidt brashly colluded to rig the election so Schmidt would run unopposed. But Forsyth said the pair couldn’t be prosecuted because there’s nothing in Michigan election law to prohibit what the two did.

A new bill to outlaw the Bolger-Schmidt shenanigans in the future was added to a 16-bill reform package that the House Democrats say Bolger has blocked.

(Nick Najjar)

The Dems’ press release features a quote from Najjar, a Sterling Heights resident:

“The people of Michigan should be as fired up about this. What your leadership in Lansing is doing is fraudulent and they feel like they can sweep it under the rug with a few statements and no reactions from other members of their party. This has extended beyond party lines and become a ‘win at all costs’ form of government.”

Apparently, the Dems have brushed aside Bogdan, a 25-year-old first-time candidate who just moved to Sterling Heights last year.