Denise Mentzer recall, Michigan House of Representatives (2023)

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Rep. Denise Mentzer recall
Officeholders
Denise Mentzer (D)
Recall status
1 Did not go to a vote
Signature requirement
Signatures equal to 25% of voters in the state House district in the last gubernatorial election
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023 Recalls in Michigan Michigan recall laws State legislative recalls Recall reports

An effort to recall Denise Mentzer, a member of the Democratic Party, from her elected position representing District 61 in the Michigan House of Representatives was launched in August 2023. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers met on August 21, 2023, to hold a clarity and factual hearing on the recall's petition language. The board rejected the recall petition for circulation on a 2-1 vote.

Proponents of the recall effort criticized Mentzer over her vote in favor of House Bill 4474.

Mentzer was elected to the state House in 2022. She defeated Mike Aiello (R) in the general election with 48% of the vote.

Recall supporters

John Zupanc filed the recall petition against Mentzer due to her vote in favor of House Bill 4474. According to Michigan Advance, the legislation would "expand the definition of hate crimes to include violence on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, age and disability." On August 21, 2023, the Board of State Canvassers rejected the recall petition for circulation on a 2-1 vote.

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in Michigan

Election history

2022

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Denise Mentzer defeated Mike Aiello in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Denise Mentzer (D)	52.0	20,126
		Mike Aiello (R)	48.0	18,559

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 38,685
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Denise Mentzer advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Denise Mentzer	100.0	7,828

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,828
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Patrick Maceroni (D)
• Alex Bronson (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Mike Aiello defeated Austin Negipe in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Aiello	84.8	6,864
		Austin Negipe	15.2	1,231

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,095
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Historical state legislative recalls

Ballotpedia tracked 157 recall efforts against 148 state lawmakers from 1913 to 2022. During that time, 39 recalls made the ballot and 22 state legislators were successfully recalled.

Michigan led the way with 37 state legislative recall efforts from 1913 to 2022. Of those 37 recall efforts, three were successful. Wisconsin followed with 30 state legislative recall efforts. Six of those recalls were successful.

See also

• Recall campaigns in Michigan
• Political recall efforts, 2023
• State legislative recalls

External links

• Denise Mentzer's House profile