Rep. Bezotte bounced from primary ballot amid GOP saga for the Livingston Co. seat

State Rep. Bob Bezotte (R-Howell) attends a right-wing rally at the state Capitol on the 2020 election, Feb. 8, 2022 | Laina G. Stebbins

Updated, 3:08 p.m., 5/6/24

The 50th House District, which had been a four-way contest for the GOP nomination, has one less contender after incumbent state Rep. Bob Bezotte (R-Howell) was dropped from the ballot last week.

Livingston County Clerk Elizabeth Hundley confirmed for the Michigan Advance that Bezotte had been disqualified and provided a copy of a letter dated Friday in which she informed the lawmaker and his attorney of the decision.

“Upon review of your May 1, 2024 letter and the accompanying Affidavit of Robert Bezotte, and based upon all of the evidence provided, the Livingston County Clerk has concluded that Mr. Bezotte’s recitation of his residential address on the Affidavit of Identity (AOI) was false,” wrote Hundley. “He did not provide any evidence that the stated residential address was his actual residential address in light of the challenge, did not state what his actual residential address is, and did not provide any evidence that his actual residential address is within the electoral district. Therefore, the Livingston County Clerk has disqualified Robert J. Bezotte from the ballot as a candidate for State Representative for the 50th District, and will not certify his name to the Livingston County Board of Election Commissioners.”

Bezotte sent the Advance an emailed statement after the story was published in which he indicated he would be challenging his removal in court.

“I have been a Howell resident for close to three decades. My candidate filing followed the law, and my filing to the county clerk in response this week was crystal clear,” Bezotte said. “This decision is an obvious misreading of both the text and the spirit of the law that mistakenly takes away options from the voters I serve. It must be fixed. I am accused of living at an address that I explicitly wrote on my affidavit of identity, that is 3 miles away from the home I own together with my wife, and is within the district. This isn’t how certification is supposed to work at all. I look forward to getting this resolved once and for all in court and moving forward with my campaign to represent this community once again.”

Kristina Lyke | Ballotpedia photo

The race for the GOP nomination is now down to Jason Woolford, Kristina Lyke and Dominic Restuccia. Austin Breuer is the lone Democrat seeking the seat.

The disqualification follows a filing made April 24 by Brighton attorney Dan Wholihan, who also serves as chair of the 7th District GOP, alleging Bezotte did not use the correct address on his affidavit of identity.

“I have reason to believe that Mr. Bezotte falsified his affidavit of identity in terms of his residence,” wrote Wholihan in his complaint. “It is known that Mr. Bezotte has spent much of the past five months in either Arizona or in Illinois, even [though] he currently is a sitting Representative in the State House. In addition, when he is not dwelling in Arizona or Illinois, he is staying at [a] ‘mailing address’ …which is not what he claims as his residential address. The mailing address is believed to be the home of one of Mr. Bezotte’s daughters.”

Bezotte, a one-time county commissioner and former Livingston County sheriff, had originally said he would not seek another term. He ended up endorsing two other Republicans — Woolford and Lyke — but then changed course and filed for reelection on April 22.

Wholihan, who is Lyke’s husband, included an affidavit from Bezotte’s estranged wife, Sheila Bezotte, alleging the lawmaker moved out in December 2023 of their Howell residence, where she still lives. 

“I have personally [sic] knowledge that the mailing address that was used on the affidavit is the address of our daughter Wendy and Bob Bezotte has been residing with Wendy since approximately December 20, 2023,” Sheila Bezotte stated in her affidavit. “I am also aware that Bob Bezotte has not spent any evenings in the bed at the house … because Bob Bezotte and I are going through a divorce. I am writing this affidavit because of my fear of safety concerns. If Bob Bezotte states on his affidavit that he resides at the same house I reside at … he may reenter the marital house.”

Shelia Bezotte filed for divorce Nov. 30 in Livingston County Circuit Court alleging she had been subjected to “mental, emotional and physical abuse throughout the years of marriage.” Rep. Bezotte has denied there was any abuse.

Lyke said she didn’t have a comment when reached by the Advance, while a request for comment sent to Wholihan has yet to be returned.

Bezotte’s attorney, Cole Lussier, disputed that Wholihan’s complaint barred his client from the ballot.

Livingston County Candidate Filings for August 6, 2024 Primary Election

“Rep. Bezotte’s AOI contained all information required by the Michigan Election Law, and Mr. Wholihan’s request to deny Mr. Bezotte access to the ballot is meritless,” wrote Lussier, who unsuccessfully argued that because Bezotte listed the address of his daughter as his mailing address “all of the requested and required identification information and statements,” were provided as required by Michigan law.

“If Rep. Bezotte had hoped to conceal the address where he allegedly lives, listing that address on his public AOI would have been a curious way to do so. It of course was never Rep. Bezotte’s intention to conceal anything,” wrote Lussier.

Bezotte’s daughter, Kelly Sanborn, posted to social media her concerns about the motivations behind her father’s disqualification.

“I think it’s worth noting that the Brighton attorney is the husband of the candidate, Lyke. I think it’s unfortunate that this candidate & her husband are exploiting my mother, a 68 year old woman, during such a difficult time in order to get the incumbent off the ballot and use her to further their political aspirations,” she said.

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