The race to become the next state representative for Grand Rapids’ 76th District is getting even weirder. It’s now a four-way race between Democrat-turned-Republican Roy Schmidt, political newcomer Winnie Brinks for the Democrats, independent candidate Keith Allard and now a write-in candidate Bing Goei.
Goei made the announcement today. His write-in campaign to unseat Roy Schmidt in the Republican primary did surprisingly well. But Schmidt managed to hang on to the GOP nomination by a very slim margin.
Now Goei says people are begging him to run in the November election anyway.
“When people call on me I have this crazy thing about responding to them,” Goei said.
He admits his odds are not so good.
“If I understand history correct, that if (insert laughs from Goei and his supporters) well, when I win that it will be the first write-in candidate who has won a state house of representative position,” Goei said.
But pressed on this issue by a reporter Goei insisted his data shows his is a “very winnable campaign”.
Goei says his campaign will focus on issues, not the Schmidt election scandal.
"It is an embarrassment to me and it should be to all of us that 25% of our children live in poverty. That we need to address. That’s the embarrassment that we need to concentrate on. Not on what has happened,” Goei said, refereeing to the scandal. “Let what has happened will be handled by the legal system.”
Schmidt and House Speaker Jase Bolger are the subjects of two separate investigations into the election scandal.
