Michael J. Bouchard (born April 12, 1956) is an American law enforcement officer and politician who has served as the

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Oakland County, Michigan Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a principal county of the Detroit metropolitan area, containing the bulk of Detroit's northern suburbs. Its county seat, seat of government is Pontiac, Mic ...

since 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Bouchard previously served in the

Michigan State Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Constitution of Michigan, Mi ...

from 1991 to 1999, and as the Senate Majority Leader from 1998 to 1999; he was also the unsuccessful Republican nominee for

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, losing to incumbent Democrat

Debbie Stabenow Deborah Ann Stabenow ( ; née Greer; born April 29, 1950) is an American politician who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States senator from Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, she was Michigan's first female U.S. senator. Before he ...

. In 2010 he was a candidate for Governor in the Republican Primary, losing to Rick Snyder and two other candidates. As of 2024, Bouchard is the only Republican countywide elected official in Oakland County. Bouchard is of French and

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

Lebanese descent. In 2016, he was named Sheriff of the Year by the

National Sheriffs' Association The National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) is a U.S. trade association. Its stated purpose is to raise the level of professionalism among U.S. sheriffs, their deputies and others in the fields of criminal justice and public safety. Since its found ...

Career

Bouchard was born in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

. 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. 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 the organization's Vice President of Government Affairs. In 2007, Bouchard endorsed former

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

Governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. Romney went on to win the primary vote in Oakland County. Bouchard ran for a

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

seat in 2006. He won the Republican nomination with 60 percent of the vote, but then lost to

, the incumbent Democratic senator. In November 2012, 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. In 2019 he was named a Michigan Master Sheriff, in recognition of his 33 years of service.

2010 gubernatorial race

Bouchard joined businessman

Rick Snyder Richard Dale Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, attorney, accountant, and politician who served as the 48th governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. Snyder, who was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, ...

, state Senator Tom George, Congressman

Peter Hoekstra Cornelis Piet Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who is serving as List of ambassadors of the United States to Canada, Ambassador to Canada. Hoekstra had served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands fr ...

and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox as Republican candidates. 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% *

(D) (inc.), 57% 2006 election for U.S. Senate - Republican Primary *Mike Bouchard (R), 60% * Keith Butler (R), 40% 2010 election for Governor - Republican Primary * Rick Snyder, 36.4% * Pete Hoekstra, 26.8% * Mike Cox, 23.0% * Mike Bouchard, 12.2% * Tom George, 1.6% Oakland County Sheriff's Office * Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2024 * Re-elected Oakland County Sheriff, 2020 * 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 siteMichigan Fallen Heroes Memorial Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouchard, Mike 1956 births 20th-century members of the Michigan Legislature American politicians of Lebanese descent Brother Rice High School (Michigan) alumni Candidates in the 2006 United States elections Candidates in the 2010 United States elections Living people Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan sheriffs Republican Party Michigan state senators Michigan State University alumni People from Oakland County, Michigan Politicians from Flint, Michigan