Michigan voters re-elected incumbents Andrea Fischer Newman and Andrew Richner, both Republicans, to serve eight-year terms on the Board of Regents.

Out of the 5,691,526 votes cast statewide, Fischer Newman received 25 percent of the vote and Richner had 24 percent. Democratic candidates Paul Brown and Greg Stephens came in third and fourth place, respectively, with 21 and 20 percent of the vote.

Fischer Newman graduated from U-M in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts, with honors. She earned a Juris Doctorate from George Washington University in 1983. She has served as regent since 1995. Fischer Newman is an executive with Delta Air Lines.  

During an Oct. 25 forum, Fischer Newman said new revenue sources must be found to offset lost state aid, but that tuition increases should be a last resort. She said the most pressing problem today is rising costs and affordability of quality higher education, and that the university needs to do more to control costs while maintaining academic excellence and freedom.

Richner was elected to the Board of Regents in 2002 and served this past year as chairman. He attended U-M, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration, with high distinction, and a Juris Doctorate, cum laude (Michigan Law Review). He served three terms in the state House of Representatives and currently is in private law practice at the firm Clark Hill in Detroit.

During the forum, Richner said U-M’s leadership has accomplished much during his time on the board, completing major construction projects, retaining and expanding faculty, and drawing record levels of student applicants. He said this measured how well the university is doing in spite of substantial decline in state support.

The remaining candidates were Diana Demers and Libby Hunter, Green Party; Joe Sanger and Linda Taylor, U.S. Taxpayers; and James Hudler and Leslie Lazzerin, Libertarian.