LANSING – Arguably the most impressively produced and acted candidate commercial in Michigan political history has hit … the Internet: a four-minute film for Supreme Court candidate Bridget Mary McCormack set up as a micro-episode of the classic television series “The West Wing” and featuring the stars of that popular program. One of the stars is McCormack’s sister, Mary.
However, on the same day as the film’s release and with McCormack winning a significant endorsement, the Michigan Republican Party filed an Attorney Grievance Commission complaint against her, charging she was violating judicial canons by being a featured speaker at a partisan event.
Her campaign said she was not speaking at the event, nor had she organized the event or authorized any suggestion that she was a featured speaker.
The film also hit the Internet the same day that the Detroit Regional Chamber announced it was endorsing McCormack and Justice Stephen Markman for the two eight-year seats on the court up for election this November.
The Internet film, called “Walk and Talk,” also succeeded in landing McCormack appearances Thursday evening on “The War Room,” hosted by former Governor Jennifer Granholm on Current TV, and on the MSNBC program “The Last Word.”
Mary McCormack played the role of ” President Josiah Bartlet’s” national security advisor for several seasons on the popular show. Martin Sheen played Bartlet.
The two actors appeared in the film, along with Detroit-native Lily Tomlin, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Janel Moloney and Richard Schiff, all reprising their various roles in the fictitious White House.
The cast actually appears in two related films, both financed by McCormack’s campaign. One promotes voters across the nation making sure they vote in the nonpartisan ballot, used to elect state supreme court justices in a number of states.
The character played by Whitford, “Josh Lyman” a top aide to the president, rails that the number of voters who do not vote in the nonpartisan ballot was a calamity unlike any in history.
In the ad for Bridget McCormack, the scene where the characters played by Whitford, Janney and Schiff then segues into a discussion about the background of the Michigan candidate. Both Whitford’s “Josh” and Schiff’s “Tobey Ziegler” praise Bridget McCormack while Janney’s “C.J. Cregg” reviews a file about the candidate, which includes her photo.
The promotion for the candidate ends with “C.J.” asking, “Who is Mary McCormack?”
Mary McCormack’s “Kate Harper” comes in at that moment and says: “No idea, but I’m sure she’s delightful, smart as a whip and possibly hot.”
While the film drew widespread attention across the state, McCormack’s day was besmirched by the state Republicans filing a complaint against her, charging that her scheduled appearance at Kent County Democratic event violated the state’s judicial canons for candidates appearing at partisan events.
The party claimed that based on the invitations for the event, scheduled for Thursday night, that McCormack was clearly a featured draw.
While the canons permit judicial candidates to appear at partisan events, Republican-nominated candidates for the Supreme Court have in years past been at partisan events, they are barred from being the main speakers or featured draws to the events.
In a statement, Michigan Republican Chair Bobby Schostak said, “Perhaps if McCormack didn’t spend her career defending Guantanamo Bay terrorists and fighting technicalities to free convicted murderers, she would know more about the responsibilities that are required by Michigan Supreme Court Justices.”
Liz Boyd, a spokesperson for McCormack said: “The Kent County Democratic even was not organized by the McCormack for Justice campaign and the invitation from a non-campaign affiliated group listing Bridget Mary McCormack as featured guest was not authorized by the campaign. Bridget Mary McCormack will not be speaking to the group this evening.”
McCormack volunteered to defend one of the suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, but the federal government released the detainee prior to her having to work the case. She has said the Bush administration had requested lawyers volunteer to represent the detainees.
The endorsement by the Detroit Regional Chamber marked the highest-profile endorsement so far for McCormack and one from a group that has tended to endorse Republican candidates although it does endorse several Democrats too.
The chamber, the largest regional chamber in the state, also endorsed Justice Brian Zahra for the two-year term on the ballot.
But the chamber said in endorsing her and the incumbent Markman for the two eight-year seats open (Justice Marilyn Kelly is barred from seeking re-election because of constitutional age restrictions), it was critical to continue the “momentum” of reforms begun by Governor Rick Snyder.
The candidates the chamber was endorsing, which included candidates for the House, “represent a talented and diverse cross section of the state who will assist in continuing Michigan’s reinvention.”
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