State Rep. Bob Bezotte, R-Marion Township, who announced in January that he was retiring from politics and would not seek re-election to his state House seat, has changed his mind, filing paperwork today, the day before the filing deadline for the Aug. 4 primary.
Bezotte’s filing could make for some awkward Republican conversations and political head-scratching as he had first endorsed Jason Woolford for the primary; see the video below.
And then, he apparently also endorsed Kristina Lyke, according to this posting on her Facebook page:
In addition to Woolford, Lyke and Bezotte, Domenic Restuccia has also filed for the Republican primary.
Bezotte, 73, is currently involved in divorce proceedings with his wife of 51 years, who claimed in her Nov. 30 divorce filing that she has suffered “mental, emotional and physical abuse throughout the marriage,” but did not elaborate further. Bezotte denied her claims in his response. A status conference on the divorce is set for Aug. 2, 2024, four days before the primary.
Bezotte was first elected to the state House in 2020. Under new term limits approved by voters in 2022, legislators can serve a total of 12 combined years in the Michigan House and Senate, making Bezotte eligible to serve for eight more years.
Bezotte previously served on the Livingston County Board of Commissioners for four years, and as Livingston County’s sheriff for nearly 12 years.
The 50th House District includes the city of Howell and the village of Fowlerville, plus the townships of Cohoctah, Conway, Deerfield, Handy, Hartland, Howell, Iosco, Marion, Oceola, Unadilla, southern Tyrone Township, and the north and west parts of Putnam Township.
