Now Who Runs?

 

       Marietta Robinson will not be a candidate for the State Supreme Court.

       "I'm not running," she confirms.

       Her decision came after an 11^th hour effort by some democrats to convince her otherwise.

       At one point Robinson concedes she was "very strongly leaning toward running," but then events changed.

       A key in her decision was that the race was not going to be "mano-a-man" against incumbent Chief Justice Cliff Taylor who defeated Robinson last time out.

       Last time she ran, Robinson believes a chunk of her would-be support went to a minority party candidate.  Therefore she concluded if the Libertarians put up a candidate, and in fact earlier this month they did,  Robinson felt that would hurt her chances again.  In fact she  concluded she would have lost.

      According to one source, overtures were made to the Libertarian party to stay out of the contest so Robinson could have a clean shot at the incumbent. Obviously that was rebuffed.

      And another factor was the Reform Michigan Government Now petition drive, which Robinson opposed once she discovered the issue was out there.

      On one front it put democrat Robinson at odds with her own party chair and segments of organized labor that backed the RMGN effort, and at the same time it put her on the same side as the GOP chair Saul Anuzis and other republicans.  Can yo u say awkward?

      She also concluded the debate over the ballot plan would be "a distraction and that's putting it mildly" that would have taken the focus off the "outrageous decisions" Taylor has made during his tenure on the high court.

      Robinson felt the legal wrangling over the issue would continue into September thus denying her media attention on why Taylor should be defeated.

      "It would suck all the oxygen out of the room," she suggested and rather than battle that, she decided to stay out of the contest.

      Applying the old adage, you can't beat someone without somebody, democrats are hunting for that somebody now that Robinson has bid a fond farewell to the supreme court contest.