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2 US House Races Highlight Michigan Primary Elections

LANSING (WWJ/AP) — Two open U.S. House races top Tuesday's primary election in Michigan. Voters in the northern-most congressional district will set the stage for a competitive general election race and those in the Republican-leaning Thumb region will essentially choose their next congressman.

Statewide voter turnout for the primary is likely to be low. There are no gubernatorial or U.S. Senate candidates on the ballot for the first time in a dozen years.

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A look at the election:

Thumb Seat

Rep. Candice Miller's decision to step aside after seven terms representing the Thumb and northern Macomb County prompted a five-way Republican primary in the 10th Congressional District. The winner will be favored in the November general election.

Paul Mitchell, the former CEO of a vocational school company who spent millions of his fortune in an unsuccessful bid for the 4th Congressional District seat in 2014, is casting himself as the outsider candidate. The Dryden resident loaned or gave his campaign $2.9 million through July 13.

Mitchell's opponents say he moved back into the district last year solely to "buy" the congressional seat. Mitchell, who led the successful campaign against a 2015 state ballot proposal to raise taxes for road repairs, says he lived and worked in St. Clair County a number of years and is no veteran politician like many of the other candidates.

State Sen. Phil Pavlov of St. Clair Township, whose Senate district comprises three entire counties of the congressional district and portions of Macomb County, has raised at least $362,000.

The other candidates are state Rep. Tony Forlini of Harrison Township, former state Sen. Alan Sanborn of Shelby Township and David VanAssche, a military veteran from Shelby Township who was chief mission director of Air Force One and who has loaned his campaign $142,000.

[Primary Election Day Guide: What Detroit-Area Voters Need To Know Before Hitting The Polls]

Northern Michigan

Many of the candidates vying to succeed third-term Rep. Dan Benishek are familiar to voters in the toss-up 1st Congressional District that includes the entire Upper Peninsula and the northern section of the Lower Peninsula.

On the GOP side, former state Sen. Jason Allen of Traverse City and current Sen. Tom Casperson of Escanaba are running aggressively. Allen came excruciatingly close to becoming a congressman in 2010 — when the seat also opened due to a retirement — losing the primary to Benishek by just 15 votes out of nearly 71,000 cast. Allen and Casperson are sparring over their legislative records, including tax hike votes and Casperson's support for Medicaid expansion under the federal health care law.

Also in the mix is Republican Jack Bergman of Watersmeet, a retired lieutenant general in the Marines who says he is no "career politician" like the other GOP candidates. Bergman came under attack in the last week from both Casperson and Allen — a sign that his campaign may be surging.

Another military man, Democrat and former Kalkaska County Sheriff Jerry Cannon, is taking a second crack after losing in 2014 to Benishek. Cannon faces ex-Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Lon Johnson, who has raised much more money and is favored to win.

The 1st District is seen as the best chance for Democrats to dent the GOP's 9-5 edge in the House in the fall.

Gilbert Out

Former "Little House on the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert, the lone Democrat to challenge freshman Republican Rep. Mike Bishop in the GOP-leaning 8th Congressional District, left the race while citing health reasons. Her name remains on the ballot, though.

After the primary, state election officials will weigh Democrats' plan to replace Gilbert with Macomb County assistant prosecuting attorney Suzanna Shkreli. Michigan law allows for such withdrawals only when a candidate moves out of the state or "has become physically unfit." The district stretches from Lansing to Oakland County in Detroit's northern suburbs.

Michigan House

Forty-two of the 110 seats in the Michigan House are opening because of term limits, a departure and the recent death of a lawmaker. Because of gerrymandered districts, some primary voters will essentially elect their next representative on Aug. 2. Results in swing districts will be closely monitored, because some winners will be seen as bettering or worsening the parties' chances in November. House Republicans, who took control in 2011, currently have a 63-45 edge.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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