Brown Beats Bullard for Oakland County Clerk

Updated: 11:34 a.m. Nov. 8, with more accurate information

In one of the more-surprising results from Tuesday's election in Oakland County, Democrat Lisa Brown of West Bloomfield soundly defeated the incumbent, Republican Clerk/Register of Deeds Bill Bullard.

With all 522 precincts reporting, Brown finished with 313,391 total votes, or 53.28 percent of the total. Bullard, a former chairman of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners who was appointed clerk in 2010, accumulated 272,592 total votes, or 46.35.

The mudslinging in the county race started early and continued often after Brown announced her candidacy in April. While running on a platform of changing "the county culture of party politics trumping good government," Brown had accused Bullard of orchestrating controversial redistricting measures by the Republican-led board of commissioners.

Brown appeared to draw from the strength of her hometown roots. West Bloomfield voters amounted to 20,743 total in favor of Brown (60.29 percent) compared with 13,568 for Bullard. Meanwhile, all nine precincts in Bullard's hometown of Highland voted strongly against Brown.

The win Tuesday is another notch on Brown's belt taken this year. The former state representative for the 39th District made international headlines when, during one of her last meetings in office, she was barred from speaking after she claimed House Bill 5711 forces contradictory religious beliefs upon her and others, referencing her own vagina at the end of her speech.

Brown elected not to run in the new 39th District after serving two terms. Republican Klint Kesto defeated Democrat Pam Jackson in that race on Tuesday.

Results are considered unofficial until approved by the county board of canvassers.