Rick Snyder supporters, awaiting results, say Ann Arbor investor has 'the right answers'

Sue Synder greets supporters as she enters the primary results party for her husband Rick at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest on Tuesday night. Snyder is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com

Supporters of Ann Arbor venture capitalist and Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder are flooding the hallways of the Marriott hotel in Ypsilanti, where Snyder’s campaign has gathered to await results of today’s primary election.

Although the winner might not be clear for several hours, the mood at the hotel is buoyant, perhaps reflective of Snyder’s slim lead in the polls last week.

“The polls just closed and I’m freaking out!” Snyder’s 14-year-old daughter, Kelsey, who was featured in one of his advertisements, told her mom and other supporters.

Among the crowd is a group from Ann Arbor’s Daycroft Montessori School, where Sue Snyder, Rick’s wife, has served as board president.

Rick Synder supporters, from left, Bob Little and his wife Karen Walsh-Little, both of Warren, Tim Sullivan of Farmington Hills and Mary Baird of Ann Arbor mingle before the primary results party for Rick Synder at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest on Tuesday night.

Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com

“We really feel like we can trust him,” said Patty Sperendi, a teacher at Daycroft. “He’s not your typical politician.”

A fellow Daycroft teacher, Diane Seeger, said she came out to support Snyder even though she’s typically not political.

“It’s unusual for me,” she said. “I’m doing this for Rick.”

Snyder is competing for the nomination against U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard and State Sen. Tom George. He has focused most of his campaign on the importance of revitalizing Michigan’s economy, branding himself in TV advertisements as “one tough nerd” with the business experience necessary to fix the state.

“I’m a software engineer and I’m a nerd, and I think this guy has the right answers,” said Kevin McGinnis, a software engineer who drove from Grand Rapids to Ypsilanti for the party. “I was the victim of being downsized a year ago, and I think this is the guy to make it possible to get more jobs here.”

Several business executives are at the hotel for the primary result, which the campaign is live streaming online.

Among them are Eastern Michigan University College of Business Dean David Mielke, Ann Arbor SPARK Vice President for Talent Enhancement Amy Cell and GDI Infotech founder Bhushan Kulkarni.

Chicago’s Rich Baird, who gave Snyder his first job as an accountant for Coopers & Lybrand in the 1980s, said Snyder was a “visionary even back then.”

“You’ll never find anybody that’s more values oriented, you’ll never find anybody that’s more driven to absolutely excellence and of course you’ll never find anybody that’s more scary smart,” Baird said.

Contact AnnArbor.com’s Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com’s newsletters.