Craig M. DeRoche (born October 4, 1970) is a Republican Party

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as

speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

for the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Before being elected to the House of Representatives, DeRoche was a member of the Novi

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. DeRoche was first elected to the lower house of the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Article IV of the Michigan Con ...

to represent the 38th District in the general election on November 5, 2002. He was a member from January 1, 2003, to January 1, 2009. In 2005, after being elected to a second term in the November 2, 2004, general election, DeRoche was elected speaker of the House. He served as speaker until the Democrats won a political majority in the general election on November 7, 2006. From 2007 until leaving the House of Representatives due to term limitations in 2009, he was the Republican leader. During the 2008 presidential election campaign, DeRoche was co-chairman of former

Massachusetts Governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

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 ...

's campaign in Michigan. In 2010, DeRoche announced that he would not run for the 18th Senate District seat held by

Nancy Cassis Nancy Cunningham Cassis (January 26, 1944 – June 11, 2024) was an American politician and psychologist. Cassis was born in 1944 in New York. As a Michigan Senator who initially ran against Dick DeVos, she dropped out of the contest before Mic ...

, who was prohibited by term limitations from seeking re-election to a third term. After leaving office, he endorsed then-

Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

C. Peter Hoekstra in his 2010 campaign for

governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of government of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She was re-ele ...

. DeRoche was arrested on charges of suspected drunk driving on February 9, 2010, in

Saline, Michigan Saline ( ') is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,948 at the 2020 census. The city borders Saline Township to the southwest, and the two are administered autonomously. History Before the 18th cent ...

.Former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives arrested for drunken driving in Saline
annarbor.com; accessed April 23, 2018. On March 10, 2010, after an investigation by the Saline City Attorney, DeRoche was charged with one count of first-offense operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...

.Former Michigan House Speaker Craig DeRoche charged with drunken driving in Saline
annarbor.com; accessed April 23, 2018. On June 27, 2010, DeRoche was arrested for allegedly being intoxicated and carrying a gun. The charge was dismissed by the

Michigan Court of Appeals The Michigan Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court of the state of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, and commenced operations in 1965. Its opinions are reporter (law), reported both in an officia ...

as DeRoche was not actually carrying a gun at the time in question. The ruling stated DeRoche "was not engaging in an unlawful behavior nor were there any facts to suggest that (DeRoche) possessed the handgun for any unlawful purposes." In 2011, DeRoche was hired as Director of External Affairs for Justice Fellowship. DeRoche became president of Justice Fellowship in 2012. DeRoche is currently Senior Vice President, Advocacy & Public Policy, with Prison Fellowship.

Personal life

DeRoche is a 1993 graduate of the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University. He currently serves on the Board of Advisers for the program.

Electoral history

* 2006 House of Representatives (38th District) General Election ** Craig DeRoche (R), 59% ** Tim Jarrell (D), 40% ** Other, 1% * 2004 House of Representatives (38th District) General Election ** Craig DeRoche (R), 61% ** Joan Morgan (D), 38% * 2002 House of Representatives (38th District) General Election ** Craig DeRoche (R), 68% ** Linda E. Premo (D), 31%

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deroche, Craig 1970 births Living people People from Novi, Michigan Central Michigan University alumni Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan city council members Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature