2010 Cattle Call

The Democratic bench in the Eleventh District is actually surprisingly deep.  But who will be the person actually willing to take on Thaddeus McCotter?  Here is the first 2010 Cattle Call, ranking who is most likely to be the Democratic nominee for Congress.

1. Speaker Andy Dillon - Though seen by some as a polarizing figure due to the recall fight that engulfed him this past year, the term-limited Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives will be highly recruited by the Party.  Re-elected to the State House with 66% of the vote last November, Dillon has a strong base of support in Redford.
2. Senator Glenn Anderson - State Senator from Livonia, Anderson would be strong candidate based on geography alone.  He would be able to eat in to McCotter's base in the city, which is certainly a consideration.  He is a strong progressive, but the trick will be getting him to leave the State Senate, where he is not term-limited.
3. State Representative Marc Corriveau - I volunteered for Representative Corriveau in the last campaign, and was very impressed with his candidacy.  As a Democrat who was able to carry Northville in his last election, Corriveau is clearly capable of talking to the white-collar suburban voters that make up a significant portion of this district.  I don't expect Corriveau to run, but if he does, he'll be a force to be reckoned with.
4. Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano - Although an unlikely candidate, Ficano would be a perfect fit for the District.  A Livonia resident, Ficano has been involved in County politics for more than twenty years, and has a reputation as being a strong and fair leader in the community.  If Ficano runs, he would be the heavy favorite for the nomination, and would likely clear the field.  It's improbable, but simply given how strong a candidate he would be, he gets a spot on the list.
5. State Representative Richard LeBlanc - LeBlanc is the Democratic Representative from Westland.  Although enormously popular in that area of the District (he was elected with 88% of the vote), LeBlanc is not established in the rest of the Eleventh, and is an unlikely and not particularly strong candidate in any regard.

That's the way I see it.  Only time will tell who will be the nominee.  Of course, it's more than possible that a dark-horse could take the nomination and the District by storm.  In any event, there's no reason we can't put up a competitive candidate in 2010.