1980Final results
1980 election for Michigan House District 65
Michigan House of Representatives · Michigan
James E. Defebaugh (R) won with 80.5% of the vote, defeating Paul Calvin Peterson (D) by 61.1 points.
James E. DefebaughRepublican · winner · incumbent
80.5%38,530
Paul Calvin PetersonDemocrat
19.5%9,313
47,844 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET