Dennis G. Lennox II.

May 3, 2008 -- Dennis Lennox is suspending his campaign for the state House and endorsing Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer, who is pursuing re-election after ending a campaign for the Michigan Court of Appeals on Friday.

"Representative Elsenheimer called me earlier … and explained his decision to end his campaign for the Court of Appeals a month after saying he wouldn't seek re-election. I value his friendship and appreciated his phone call,” said Lennox in a press release.

Lennox, a Topinabee Republican, announced his candidacy for the 105th District seat -- representing Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Otsego counties -- in March when Elsenheimer announced his intentions to pursue the judgeship.

"This was a difficult decision, but it's best for the hard-working people of northern Michigan," said Lennox. "Representative Elsenheimer has been a strong conservative voice in Lansing, and I fully support him. Over the past few weeks, I have met many people who were generous in supporting my campaign," he said. "I won't forget about them or their issues. I'm committed to defending our conservative values, cutting taxes and standing up for northern Michigan."

News of Elsenheimer’s decision not to run for the Court of Appeals broke Friday. At the time, he stated that he hadn’t made a decision regarding the 105th State Rep. race, however today Elsenheimer confirmed that he would run for re-election this year.

Elsenheimer dropped out of the judgeship race to clear the field in the hopes that a conservative would win the race.

Another candidate in the 105th State Rep. race, Tony Cutler, was caught by surprise of the news. “You’re getting bad information,” said Cutler when asked by The Tridge about Elsenheimer’s return to the race. “You know, Brian Mills, confirms that Kevin is not running for re-election, he is running for appeals court,” he continued, “Well, I am not sure if you know who Brian Mills is, but he says no, Kevin has no plans to return to the 105th.”

Cutler has been having trouble getting press ever since he announced his decision to run.

Lennox’s campaign, in contrast, was on a role. Lennox will continue serving in his capacity as Young Republicans chairman for Cheboygan County and the 1st Congressional District, which spans 31 counties. He will be representing the GOP abroad in June at an international conference featuring French President Nicholas Sarkozy before attending the Republican National Convention as an alternate delegate. Lennox will also launch a political action committee in the coming days to help northern Michigan conservatives.