State Rep. Neil Friske has lost his seat in the primary.
Party endorsements, big spending and a high-profile arrest all played into 25-year-old Parker Fairbairn’s victory on Tuesday.
The GOP organizer from Emmet County unseated Friske, who was seeking his second term representing the 107th State House District which encompasses the tourism communities of Charlevoix and Emmet Counties and parts of the Eastern Upper Peninsula, including Sault Ste. Marie.
Neither candidate responded to repeated requests for comment on the results in time for publication.
Fairbairn had put Friske’s no-compromise voting record in the spotlight during his campaign. Friske, who previously helped run Friske Orchards, is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a handful of hardline conservatives who tend to vote strictly on party lines.
In a Democratic-led House, Friske rarely votes ‘Yes’ on bills. He currently serves on no legislative committees which brought scorn from his Republican colleagues like U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman and state Sen. John Damoose.
Both Republicans endorsed Fairbairn over Friske in the Aug. 6 primary.
“Friske made it clear over his two years that he was going to do things his way, and that way did not prove very popular with the party or many other elected officials,” said North Central Michigan College Political Science Professor Scott LaDeur. “So when that opportunity arises, some of those sitting lawmakers are sometimes comfortable with throwing their weight behind a challenger.”
Fairbairn also outspent Friske in campaign finances by over $120,000, much of that money came from his own pockets, according to Gongwer News Service. He has spent $123,838 and raised $132,185 according to a pre-primary report.
In a previous interview with Interlochen Public Radio, Fairbairn says voters are "tired of the drama".
Friske was arrested in the early hours of June 20 near a home he owns in Lansing.
Over a month later, no charges have officially been filed against the lawmaker and police are still investigating "for a felon-level offense" after reports of shots fired. Days after Friske was released from police custody, he appeared at a candidate forum in Petoskey. In front of a crowd of voters, he said he was "framed."
"There were a bunch of false allegations that were made," Friske said. "I know that I'm 100% innocent. I did nothing criminally wrong that night."
Fairbairn, a GOP organizer and small business owner, will advance to the November ballot and face Democrat Jodi Decker.
