Mike Bouchard

Michael J. Bouchard is an American law enforcement officer and politician who has served as the sheriff of Oakland County, Michigan since 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Bouchard previously served in the Michigan State Senate from 1991 to 1999, and as the Senate Majority Leader from 1998 to 1999; he was also the unsuccessful Republican nominee for United States Senate in 2006, losing to incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow. As of 2023, Bouchard is the only Republican countywide elected official in Oakland County.[1]

Mike Bouchard
Sheriff of Oakland County
Assumed office
January 11, 1999
Preceded byJohn Nichols
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 13th district
In office
January 11, 1995 – January 2, 1999
Preceded byJack Welborn
Succeeded byShirley Johnson
Member of the Michigan Senate
from the 16th district
In office
June 27, 1991 – January 11, 1995
Preceded byDoug Cruce
Succeeded byMat Dunaskiss
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 65th district
In office
January 9, 1991 – June 27, 1991
Preceded byJudith Miller
Succeeded byJohn Jamian
Personal details
BornFlint, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpousePamela
Children1 daughter
2 sons
EducationMichigan State University (BA)

Bouchard is of French and Syrian Lebanese descent. In 2016, he was named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriffs' Association.[2]

Career

Bouchard was born in Flint, Michigan.[3] After graduating from Brother Rice High School in 1974, Bouchard attended Michigan State University majoring in criminal justice and police administration. Upon graduation Bouchard entered local law enforcement where he remained for thirteen years.

Bouchard was elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1991. He resigned as senator and majority floor leader in the Michigan State Senate when he was appointed Oakland County Sheriff in January 1999 following the untimely death of long time Sheriff John F. Nichols in December 1998.

Bouchard has served two terms as President of the Major County Sheriffs' Association, which is composed of sheriffs who serve in counties or parishes with a population of 500,000 or more. Bouchard is currently the organization's Vice President of Government Affairs.[4]

In 2007, Bouchard endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. Romney went on to win the primary vote in Oakland County.

Bouchard ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006. He won the Republican nomination with 60 percent of the vote, but then lost to Debbie Stabenow, the incumbent Democratic senator.

In November 2012, Bouchard was elected to his fourth consecutive term as Oakland County Sheriff by an overwhelming majority, the largest number of votes cast for any candidate in Oakland County.[5]

In 2019 he was named a Michigan Master Sheriff, in recognition of his 33 years of service.[6]

2010 gubernatorial race
Main article: 2010 Michigan gubernatorial election

Bouchard joined businessman Rick Snyder, state Senator Tom George, Congressman Peter Hoekstra and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox as Republican candidates. Bouchard finished fourth out of five candidates in the primary, receiving 127,350 votes of the 1,044,925 votes cast.

Electoral history

2006 United States Senate election in Michigan

2006 election for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary

Oakland County Sheriff's Office

  • Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2020
  • Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2016
  • Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2012
  • Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2008
  • Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2004
  • Elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2000
  • Appointed Sheriff of Oakland County, January 11, 1999

Michigan State Senate

  • Elected Majority Floor Leader of the Michigan State Senate, 1998
  • Re-elected to the State Senate, 1998
  • Elected Assistant Majority Leader of the Michigan State Senate, 1995
  • Re-elected to the State Senate, 1994
  • Elected Assistant President Pro-Tempore of the Michigan State Senate, 1994
  • Elected to the State Senate, 1991

Michigan House of Representatives

  • Elected to the State House of Representatives, 1990

City Council

  • Elected President Pro-Tempore of the Beverly Hills Council, 1987
  • Elected to the Beverly Hills Village Council, 1986

References
  1. Laitner, Bill (2020-11-04). "GOP's Sheriff Bouchard wins 6th term as Democrats dominate other Oakland County races". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  2. "Sheriff of the Year | National Sheriffs' Association". www.sheriffs.org. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  3. Longley, Kristin (2014). "Profile: Republican Mike Bouchard is a cop first, but believes politics can fix problems | MLive.com". mlive.com. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  4. Judd, Grady. "Message From The President". www.mcsheriffs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  5. "Patterson Wins another term as Oakland County executive". DetroitNews.com. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  6. "Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard recognized as 'Michigan Master Sheriff'". Tri-County Times. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.