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Jennifer Suidan (Campaign photo)
"She believed she could so she did." Quote on Jennifer Suidan's Facebook page.
The Democratic Party is losing its candidate in Oakland County's 39th House District, after that candidate, Jennifer Suidan, was accused of embezzling campaign funds from one of Oakland's most high-profile Democrats, county treasurer Andy Meisner.
While employed by Goodman Acker, a Southfield law firm that handles the finances of a number of Democratic office-holders and candidates, Suider allegedly diverted more than $100,000 of Meisner's campaign funds. Suidan has been fired, and was told to resign from her campaign by the state Democratic Party.
The move monkey-wrenches a key race for Democrats hoping to pick up seats in Lansing, the Free Press reports, because the current office-holder, Republican Klint Kesto, is term-limited:
Prior to Kesto, the seat covered a district with somewhat different boundaries and was held by a Democrat — Lisa Brown, who is now Oakland County clerk.
Suidan opposes Republican nominee Ryan Berman of Commerce Township, who now looks to be a shoo-in, whether the discredited Suidan withdraws — leaving only write-in hopes for the Democrats — or whether she refuses to withdraw and is charged with criminal misconduct.
In response to the allegations against Suidan, the leaders of the Democratic Party's statewide campaign to elect House candidates called for Suidan to quit her campaign immediately, possibly leaving time for a write-in candidate to step forward.
Suidan's campaign website was still online as of Tuesday. She was not responding to requests for comment.