Mike Bouchard

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Mike Bouchard
Sheriff of Oakland County
Incumbent
Assumed office January 11, 1999
Preceded by	John F. Nichols
Member of the Michigan Senate from the 13th district
In office January 11, 1995 – January 2, 1999
Preceded by	Burton Leland
Succeeded by	Shirley Johnson
Member of the Michigan Senate from the 16th district
In office 1991–1994
Preceded by	Doug Cruce
Succeeded by	Mat J. Dunaskiss
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 65th district
In office January 9, 1991 – June 27, 1991
Preceded by	Judith Miller
Succeeded by	John Jamian
Personal details
Born	Michael J. Bouchard Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Pamela
Children	One daughter, two sons
Residence	Birmingham, MI
Alma mater	Michigan State University
Profession	Law Enforcement, Politician
Website	Oakland County Sheriff's Office

Michael J. Bouchard is an American politician who has served as Sheriff of Oakland County, Michigan since 1999. Bouchard is a member of the Republican Party. From 1991 to 1999, he served in the Michigan State Senate. In 2006, Bouchard unsuccessfully ran for United States Senate, losing to incumbent Debbie Stabenow.

Bouchard is of French and Syrian Lebanese descent. In 2016, he was named Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriffs' Association.^[1]

Career[]

Bouchard was born in Flint, Michigan.^[2] After graduating from Brother Rice High School in 1974, Bouchard attended Michigan State University majoring in criminal justice and police administration. Upon graduation Bouchard entered local law enforcement where he remained for thirteen years. Bouchard was elected to the Michigan State Senate in 1991. He resigned as senator and majority floor leader in the Michigan State Senate when he was appointed Oakland County Sheriff in January 1999 following the untimely death of long time Sheriff John F. Nichols in December 1998. With over 30 years of experience in both law enforcement and as an elected official, Bouchard currently manages one of the largest sheriff's offices in the United States with over 1,300 employees and an annual budget of over $138 million. In November 2012 Michael Bouchard was elected to his fourth consecutive term as Oakland County Sheriff by an overwhelming majority, the largest number of votes cast for any candidate in Oakland County.^[3]

Since 1999, Bouchard has served two terms as President of the Major County Sheriffs' Association, which is composed of sheriffs who serve in counties or parishes with a population of 500,000 or more. Bouchard is currently its Vice President of Government Affairs.^[4]

In 2007, Bouchard endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. Romney went on to win the primary vote in Oakland County.

Bouchard ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006. He won the Republican nomination with 60 percent of the vote, but then lost to Debbie Stabenow, the incumbent Democratic senator.

In 2019 he was named a Michigan Master Sheriff, in recognition of his 33 years of service.^[5]

On November 30, 2021, the Oxford High School shooting took place, in which four students died. The Oakland County Sheriff's Department's deputies were first on the scene, and the department is the lead agency for the investigation. Sheriff Bouchard was the lead presenter at multiple press conferences regarding the crime and the subsequent investigation and was interviewed by local and national news organizations.

2010 gubernatorial race[]

Bouchard joined business person Rick Snyder, state Senator Tom George, Congressman Peter Hoekstra and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox as Republican candidates.

In September 2009, Bouchard announced the selection of his lieutenant governor running mate, Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land.

Bouchard finished fourth out of five candidates in the primary, receiving 127,350 votes of the 1,044,925 votes cast.

Electoral history[]

2006 United States Senate election in Michigan

• Mike Bouchard (R), 41%
• Debbie Stabenow (D) (inc.), 57%

2006 election for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary

• Mike Bouchard (R), 60%
• Keith Butler (R), 40%

Oakland County Sheriff's Office

• Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2016
• Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2012
• Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2008
• Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2004
• Elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2000
• Appointed Sheriff of Oakland County, January 11, 1999

Michigan State Senate

• Elected Majority Floor Leader of the Michigan State Senate, 1998
• Re-elected to the State Senate, 1998
• Elected Assistant Majority Leader of the Michigan State Senate, 1995
• Re-elected to the State Senate, 1994
• Elected Assistant President Pro-Tempore of the Michigan State Senate, 1994
• Elected to the State Senate, 1991

Michigan House of Representatives

• Elected to the State House of Representatives, 1990

City Council

• Elected President Pro-Tempore of the Beverly Hills Council, 1987
• Elected to the Beverly Hills Village Council, 1986

References[]

External links[]

• Sheriff Bouchard's Web site
• Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial Website
• Appearances on C-SPAN