9/1/10: Race finally set in 8th Congressional District

The Argus-Press • September 1, 2010

By GARY RIDLEY, Argus-Press Staff Writer

SHIAWASSEE COUNTY — The wait is over for one man who can now dive in to his campaign for the 8th Congressional District after his candidacy became official.

Lance Enderle, D-East Lansing, is now the official candidate to challenge incumbent Mike Rogers, R-Howell, for the U.S. 8th district representative.

“It feels good to be off the chain,” Enderle said.

Enderle originally campaigned for the nomination as a write-in candidate, but after former candidate Kande Ngalamulume dropped out of the race and was removed from the ballot, Enderle was selected by the Democratic Party to step in and challenge Rogers.

Now that his candidacy is official, Enderle said he will begin his fundraising efforts and step up his campaigning.
Enderle said a majority of his campaigning would be done in person, as he does not feel that he should spend the funds required to air television ads or robo-calls.

“How can I justify spending that kind of money with people out of work?” Enderle said. “We’re working, we’re not going to be lazy.”

Since the primary, Enderle has repeatedly stated that he would not accept money from any political action groups, though he said he would seek out non-monetary endorsements.

However, Enderle has a long road ahead of him to overtake Rogers.

Rogers, a five-term incumbent, has been able to raise more than $1.3 million for his reelection bid according to pre-primary finance fillings, and has been named a favorite in the race by state pundits.

“This is about accountability,” Enderle said.

Rogers could not be reached for comment on his opponent.