DETROIT – Two well-known Oakland County politicians are preparing for a showdown in the prosecutor's race this fall.
Former Senate Republican leader Mike Bishop filed papers Tuesday to run against incumbent Jessica Cooper.
Meanwhile, both candidates have been on opposite sides of another political fight: A redistricting plan for Oakland County commissioners.
Bishop has led a court challenge against a new map drawn up by a reapportionment commission controlled by Democrats, including Cooper.
But the Supreme Court has rejected his appeal because it was filed a day late on Dec. 28. Cooper is using the missed deadline to question Bishop's legal skills. He concedes the filing was "clumsy."
Still, Bishop says a legal remedy was no longer needed because of a bill passed by the legislature in December. It requires the redistricting process in Oakland County to start from scratch. The plan now will be drawn up by the County Commission, which is controlled by Republicans.
Bishop says Cooper acted in a partisan way by approving the original plan. She says the districts were fairly drawn, and were upheld by the Michigan Court of Appeals.