NATIONAL ELECTION RETURNS : State-by-State Election Reports of Key Races and Issues : Michigan
DETROIT — Michigan, which has voted Republican in the last four presidential elections, made it five in a row by awarding its 20 electoral votes to Vice President George Bush.
Michigan voters also called a halt to state-funding of abortions for poor women by overwhelmingly approving a hotly contested referendum.
With 11% of the state’s 6,887 precincts reporting, unofficial results showed 219,162 voters, or 63%, in favor, and 127,688, or 37%, opposed to the ban.
Passage of the measure ends the state’s expenditure of $5.8 million a year for about 18,600 Medicaid abortions and makes Michigan the 37th state to ban state payments for the procedure.
Anti-abortion and pro-choice forces waged a $3.8 million battle over the abortion measure.
Democratic Sen. Donald Riegle won a third term against former Republican Rep. James W. Dunn Jr. With 21% of the precincts reporting in the Senate race, Riegle had 441,747 votes, or 59%, to 309,051, or 41% for Dunn.
In the U.S. House races, all incumbents--11 Democrats and seven Republicans--sought re-election.
Both presidential nominees visited Michigan in the campaign’s closing days. Massachusetts Gov. Dukakis made 11 trips here between his nomination and Election Day, including a rally at dawn in Detroit on Tuesday before he flew home to Boston. Vice President Bush made eight trips to Michigan.
Riegle raised $4 million for his campaign, while Dunn was forced to spend about $260,000 from his own pocket.
Riegle’s campaign stressed experience. Dunn accused the senator of working in Washington for his own wealth and power at the expense of Michigan interests.
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