With Attorney General Mike Cox running for governor in 2010, several candidates are looking to replace him in this year’s election on November 3.

Bishop

Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, former State Appeals Judge Bill Schuette and Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton are all in the running for the attorney general’s office, with Schuette and Bishop fighting it out for the Republican nod and Leyton having already locked up the Democratic nomination. The Michigan Republican State Convention is expected to take place on August 28, 2010, when the party will select its nominee for Attorney General. Bishop’s campaign site refers to him as  “supporting a conservative agenda” while adding that he stands “for conservative values and supports a Republican platform.” An alumnus of the University of Michigan and Detroit College of Law, Bishop has been the Representative of the 12th Senate District since 1996 and Senate Majority Leader since 2006. As head of the Republican Caucus, he is the spokesman for the GOP policies in Michigan.“I am proud to bring a unique perspective to this campaign…My top priority continues to be the protection of the people and the pursuit of justice,” said Bishop on his campaign site.

Schuette

The second Republican candidate is Bill Schuette, a former congressman and Michigan Court of Appeals judge. Schuette has been in public office since 1984, and served on the State Court of Appeals for six years.“The last thing Michigan needs is a wave of violent crime triggered by Lansing putting special interest politics ahead of public safety,” Schuette said in reference to the increased parole rate and cutting of funding of state police forces. He said his experience as a congressman, as Director of the Executive Branch Department (in agriculture),  and as a judge on the State Court of Appeals makes him a worthy candidate. He is a alumnus of Georgetown University and the University of San Francisco. The final candidate for Attorney General is Genesee County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Leyton, the Democratic representative for 2010. Leyton has served as county prosecutor since 2004 and prior to that served on the Flint Township Board of Trustees.

Leyton

According to his campaign site, Leyton “deeply values the opportunity to serve as a ‘minister of justice.’” He has worked along with Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell to form the Elder Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Team. His site focuses on his experience with protecting the environment, public safety, protecting the elderly and fighting for children. To learn more about each canidate before the Michigan primary election on Tuesday, 3 August 2010 visit their websites: www.mikebishop.com, www.davidleyton.com, www.billschuette.com.