Sorry day for our kids. He should have gone with Janice Daniels.

Sad that Neanderthal thinking continues to prevail in Rochester.

Sadly, our community chose a person that isn't interested in representing the community in which he lives but an extreme right agenda. As a parent of students in the RCS district he represents I will continue to question his support for the charter and cyber schools. Additionally, if transparency is so important to Rep. McMillin, I challenge him to be transparent with any legislation passed in favor of charter and cyber schools. These options should be held just as accountable as public education.

I hope to see JoAnna VanRaaphorst return when this seat is available again as she is still the right candidate to represent the residents of my community!

So... what are the most appropriate insults to hurl at the 55% of the community that supported Tom?

Are they all bigots? Are they all uninformed?

Or, is there some other excuse that we are going to run with to explain this blowout victory for Tom? Voter fraud? Hanging chads?

I couldn't agree more Rochester Hills Mom.

How about this? How about Rep McMillin starts to consider the views of the other 45%? I don't know that I've ever witnessed a more rigid, inflexible politician. He is supposed to represent ALL of his constituents, not just the ones he lines up with from his own personal ideological standpoint.

Geeze Mike, hyperbole much? I don't see anything like that being said here. I wouldn't call it a blowout victory either, the margin was even closer this time. I doubt Tom will run against Marleau, so I'll just hold my nose again for two more years, then phhht! He'll be in my rearview mirror.

So happy to see Tom win. Also, complete defeat for the ridiculous proposals. No more ads, and the losers who promoted these things got just what they deserved. Also, all you PTA'ers- show your respect for our environment and go retrieve one or more of the hundreds of JVR signs. She is free to leave the MEA's back pocket at this point, as well.

I don't think Tom is capable of flexible thinking, Leigh. He's a dinosaur. They're kind of in style in MI right now, but pretty soon they'll go back into extinction.

Always nice to hear from you, Richard. Have a great day.

Thank-you, in advance, for commenting without personal attacks.

Yes Chris, you're absolutely right. But it's fun to dream sometimes...

I guess I'm naive but I'm still shocked at the absolute contempt Rep. McMillan seems to have for his constituents with differing opinions.

Joanna Van Raaphorst ran a clean, honest and heartfelt campaign. She thought of her constituents with every move she made. She would have been a great representative and hopefully, she will be in the future. She is a remarkable woman and 20,000+ people in our community agree. Thanks Joanna.

This went exactly as I called it. Joanne does seem like a very nice and committed person. She lost because her views and backers (MEA) are not in synch with this district. It is as simple as that.

I congratulate her for making the effort. Not enough people are wiling to put themselves out there and do what it takes to make a difference.

The comments I'm seeing so far are interesting and border on being sore losers and spoiled sports. Apparently I'm an angry, resentful white dinosaur manipulated by the 1 percent.
All of these comments about how Tom McMillin doesn't care about the opinions of the 45% are absolutely ridiculous. It seems to me the only ones not listening are you guys - you scream questions and don't like the answers. The only intolerance I see are when someone says they agree with Tom, and you call them a bigot or a neandrethal. The only ones who are being divisive are you guys. And apparently it all backfired.
So give us all a break on the sore loser rhetoric.

So sorry to see Joanna lose. She worked so hard to talk to each constituent.
Joanna, you ran a clean, honest campaign and deserved to win. Please stay involved. We still need you.

I wish someone could explain to me the mind-boggling mystery of how one person with principle and character who sticks to it is 'bad', and another person with principle and character who sticks to it is 'good'. Or perhaps the mystery of how some people feel the need to be nasty and narrow minded while calling out 'the other guy' for being exactly the same thing. Seriously people... get a clue. This election has proven two things... #1 - our society is FAR from civilized; and #2 - "Every nation gets the government it deserves." - Joseph de Maistre. Until CIVIL discourse returns to our society, nothing of any positive effect will come to this city/county/state/country. Now, stop your hypocritical whining and GO FORWARD AND BE A POSITIVE PART OF MOVING THIS COUNTRY FORWARD.

I would hardly call this a "blowout victory", really quite laughable. If this had not been a presidental election I think things would have turned out differently. Many people in this area voted a straight Republican ticket due to it being a Presidential election. I am a registered Republican who considers myself Independent as of this past election. I have read things on the patch and not commented, but Mike Reno you just are TOO much. You had to chime in about chads and voter fraud which nobody mentioned. You love to stir the pot just as much as the other side. Everytime I seem to get on this site it is full of Mike Reno comments, no wonder som many in this area call it the "Reno Patch". Whe you looked what happend across the Nation it is obvious that the people are sick of the crazies. Mcmillin has two more years where he cannot do too much damage, as nobody seems to back his crazy bills ups. His career in politics will most likely not go any further.

No personal attacks from me, I'll leave that up to Chris. For what it's worth, I considered voting for JV until I actually had a chance to talk to her in person. I wasn't impressed that she had a handle on the issues that were important to me. I got that she ran with the support of the RHS school district and it's employees. As a local small business owner, I support fiscal responsibility especially when it comes to our schools and local budget.
The privatization of the Rochester Schools cafeteria and transportation services seems to be working. This move was vehemently opposed by the MEA and the local PTA, etc.
JV would have railed against such a move I'm almost certain.
So, the 55% have spoken much like the 51 % who re-elected the President.
Like Chris, I guess I'll have to "hold my nose" for the next 4 years (along with the other 49% who voted for Romney) huh ? At least we can be certain that Obama will be in our rear view mirrior...

And thank you Bill Monroe, I couldn't agree more.
Judging from these comments re: the election of a State Rep., we are (Rochester / Roch. Hills Mi.) a microcosm of the political landscape that embodies the rest of the country. There is a great divide among us and I can only hope and pray that some candidate will bring us back to the days of Kennedy or Reagan.
I won't hold my breath.

About the straight tickets: In Rochester and Rochester Hills combined, there were 12,831 Republican straight tickets. There were 8,702 Democratic straight tickets. More local data here: http://patch.com/A-zv27

Was very disappointed to see the results. Joanna ran her campaign with integrity and passion - a passion we need in this community. I know that Joanna will continue to use her passion for her community to support our families, youth and schools - something that McMillin does not do. Joanna - you should be proud!
S. Sweier

So glad that the ads and signs are finally finished. That is a positive we can all agree on, right? Tom is a much nicer person than most of you know. Bubbliness shouldn't be a requirement to hold public office, but it often is. Kids are important, they are our future. My children attend RCS and I appreciate the quality of our schools. Letting teachers get a free-ride on healthcare and other ridiculous benefits doesn't benefit the little ones, it benefits the teachers. They get so militant when even the smallest concession is discussed. They are generally insecure about their benefits, because they know that they are outdated and unrealistic. Forget about testing the students!!! TEST THE TEACHERS. Good and great teachers should be furious that they are not given the chance to shine and be rewarded according to their extraordinary efforts/results. Seniority is not a good way to pay people. It can be a factor, but not the sole determinant. The Univ of Phoenix Master's degree shouldn't be weighted as much as it is, either. Many teachers are just "putting their years in". They know it. The MEA wants us to have no way to weed them out. DOUBLE THE PAY OF GREAT TEACHERS. It is a tough job. Sometimes their days can be as bad as undergoing unnecessary periodontal work!! GOD BLESS GREAT TEACHERS. THERE IS NO FUTURE WITHOUT THEM. WE WILL NOT HAVE GREAT TEACHERS IF WE CANT GET A SYSTEM THAT REWARDS GREAT TEACHERS RELATIVE TO THEIR MEDIOCRE/BAD CO-WORKERS.VIVA TOMMY!!

Thanks, Kristin. I for one thought that it would be hard for JVR to win because of the Presidential race. I figured that the straight ticket vote would come into play and it sure did.

The people have spoken and the bashing continues. We all say we do not like the negative ads and attacks, but do it freely in these posts with hidden names and agendas. In the next political season the negative attacks will be greater because we make it an effective way to choose our candidates by our own actions. The politicians are watching.

Before you complain about the negative ads, robo calls and fighting; look in the mirror and see if your actions are making this the way in politics. We all own it, we all can change it, but we have to be civil with each other first. Then the politicians might see that negatives do not work.

Come out of hiding, give your real name and background and it will force some civility. Let us have an adult conversation. This is America, we have free speech still, and we can do better. Hidden names and bashing is also free speech, but to the intelligent person it is just meaningless noise and adds nothing to the conversation.

The challenge to all is to respect others opinions, it is their American right. Many people died for all of us to have this right.

Just a little name calling:

Straight ticket appears to have been designed for a ZOMBIE (it's still Halloween time, right?), someone who is INCREDIBLY LAZY, or a voter who DOESN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO READ (beyond the R or D word)
Congrats to everyone who voted, for whatever candidate/proposal, etc. who took the time to educate him or herself, and cast a ballot based on thoughtful analysis of the issues.

"America, I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you're willing to work hard, it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you're willing to try.

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We're not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.

And together with your help and God's grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States." -- Barack Obama

It's time to move forward... this is the direction our country will take these next 4 years. If Tom McMillin and the Republican Party choose to endorse these principles then they have a fantastic opportunity for success in America's future.

Well excuse me but I do feel that the Republican attack on women and those that support those attacks are Neanderthal in their thinking or maybe you can explain to me where a phrase such as "legitimate rape" fits into this century or any for that matter?

Here are some of my observations from various posts and comments on this race. It is an interesting analysis; you might not agree with the numbers, if you did the analysis using your filter, you still would see a high percentage of negatives.

Here is some data from the past few postings about this race:

2 Different Approaches: 226 comments with 47% negative
Candidate Questionnaire Form: 46 comments with 37% negative
McMillin Defeats VanRaaphorst: 42 comments with 51% negative

Of course it is my opinion of what I think is negative. Do your own analysis and I expect you will still see a high percentage of negatives.

What does that say about us?

I agree with Anita. Neanderthal man had a larger cranial capacity than modern man and may have been more advanced. Anthropologists say Neanderthals “were highly intelligent, able to adapt to a wide variety of ecologicalzones, and capable of developing highly functional tools to help them do so. They were quite accomplished.”

Anita has unknowingly complimented Republicans. Perhaps next she will call us Nimrods.

This battle has ended but the war still rages. Those of us who would be more comfortable with a little more Democratic representation in our legislature in Lansing will continue to fight. We will watch what you do and make sure everyone knows what you do. We are not going away.

The analysis of the national race is clear: 90+ percent of blacks voted for Obama; 70% of Hispanics voted for Obama; 74% of Asians voted for Obama; and about 60% of women voted for Obama. Who voted for Romney in such numbers: only white men!
Voter suppression attempts in PA energized the black vote in Philadelphia so much that a greater percentage voted than last time; crazy talk on immigration lead Hispanics to flock to Obama (remember George Bush won 40%); crazy talk on rape and abortion and contraception drove women to Obama.
And the demographics show that white men will be a minority by 2020. Unless the Republican party changes, they are in big trouble. (Oh, on Tom McMillan, two states VOTED to legalize same sex marriage....another group Republicans managed to alienate.) These are facts pure and simple and explain how Obama won.

Same old names in this thread...same old BS.

I've only made 3 comments since this site has been up and running, am I guilty ? Please excuse me,OK ?

I voted for JV but hope that Tom uses this opportunity to be a better representative.

It's not you, Steve.

Observation: the women on this thread seem very angry even though their candidates did very well. Before you blame republicans for attacking you, know this: I am a woman and I feel that the democrats are the ones that disrespect women and promote the most insulting and demeaning policies to keep women and minorities from rising beyond sexual slavery and racism. Look at the focus on those things while republicans promote smart, strong women who are then demeaned and demonized by the left. No wonder dem women are angry - but you are pointing your weapons at the wrong targets.

Hush ! Hush! Sweet Charlotte. I am a Dem Woman and I am not angry at all. So, you think Democrats disrespect women and promote demeaning policies? Which policies are those? Be specific. Are you talking about the policy that a woman would get the same pay for doing the same job as a man? Or, maybe you are talking about the proposed idea to close Planned Parenthood where so many women get mammograms and Pap Tests at low or no cost? Maybe you are referring to the legislation that required a woman to have an un needed invasive proceedure that the GOVERNMENT required before she could have a legal abortion? Perhaps you refer to the suggestion that some rapes are not really rapes or that a woman can't get pregnant after being raped? Maybe you find it morally correct that a raped woman would be required by law to carry a fetus to term that resulted from a rape? Or from Incest? Sweet Charlotte, you are confused. All these ideas are REPUBLICAN IDIOCIES not the posoitions of Democrats. No anger here. I just get exasperated at how uninformed some people are.

http://www.lillyledbetter.com/

President Obama nominated two women to the Supreme Court.

“No, you can't deny women their basic rights and pretend it's about your 'religious freedom'. If you don't like birth control, don't use it. Religious freedom doesn't mean you can force others to live by your own beliefs.” -President Obama

Shall I continue?

Well Patricia you have certainly presumed to attach assumptions and answers to a question posed to me. Since you provide your own answers that are designed to slander and belittle any possible reply I could give it is clear that there is no hope for a respectful exchange. I refer to none of the things you list yet you assign the most outrageous labels to me because I dare to assert a counter perspective. The irony of your patronizing "Sweet Charlotte" greeting is the bitter tone you choose. I will move on to discussions with tolerant and open-minded people who are willing to exchange ideas. That is what our community and country need.

I would say that Pat doesn't sound like a lot of fun. She may be, but judging solely from her post, she doesn't seem like somebody with whom I'd like to party.

Charlotte, come on now. First you say women are angry and now I am "bitter. I assure you, I am neither. "Slander" is a tough word. Where is the slander? I simply asked you to be specific when you say that Democrats "disrespect women". How so? Where? When? I specifically pointed out the instances where Republicans try to demean women . I thought perhaps you might have been confused that these policies were suggested by Democrats.When you say "there is no hope of a respectful exchange", I am going to conclude then that you are not able to name any specific ways that Democrats "disrespect" women and thus, I agree. We need to move on. I have proved my point.