Snyder declared victory at 11:40 p.m. Tuesday. To a chant of “four more years,” Snyder gave a speech announcing that Schauer had conceded the race. During his speech Snyder also touted Detroit’s path out of bankruptcy and emphasized how everyone in Michigan needs to work together.
Though Snyder won far more counties in Michigan than Schauer, Schauer won a number of very populous counties including the state’s most populous county, Wayne County, as well as Washtenaw and Saginaw counties. Yet, while Schauer won these populous counties, the poor voter turnout within those counties contributed to him losing the election.
In Wayne County, a historically Democratically leaning county which Schauer was counting on for strong support, only 38 percent of voters came out to the polls. In Detroit, the state’s most populous city, that number was lower, with only 31 percent voting.
On the other hand, Snyder benefited by winning Oakland, Macomb, and Kent counties -— the second, third, and fourth most populous counties in the state.
Snyder’s victory has legislative significance as Schauer was running his campaign against a number of Snyder’s legislative accomplishments, including Right to Work and Snyder’s educational reforms.
