The 2020 Republican primary got a bombshell new race today, as former Livingston County commissioner and Circuit Court judge David Reader filed to run for prosecutor.
If no other candidates file, Reader will square off against Republican incumbent Prosecutor William Valliencourt in the August GOP primary. Ragan Lake has filed on the Democratic side.
Reader’s filing is huge news in Livingston County politics, and sets up a heavyweight showdown in the primary. Reader, a very well-known figure in the county, resigned as 44th Circuit Court Judge last year. He had previously served on the Livingston County Board of Commissioners.
In his announcement today, Reader said, “A year ago, I walked away from what I thought would be the pinnacle of my legal career. Because it was the only way to address a problem I felt duty bound to do something about.”
“From turning a blind eye to the powerful and connected, to continuing senseless prosecutions despite exculpatory evidence because of a win-at-all-costs attitude, justice has become lost to the current Prosecutor.”
