1986Final results
1986 election for Michigan's 2nd District
U.S. House · Michigan
Carl Pursell (R) won with 59.0% of the vote, defeating Dean Baker (D) by 18.1 points.
Carl PursellRepublican · winner
59.0%79,567
Dean BakerDemocrat
41.0%55,204
134,778 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1986
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Dean BakerCarl Pursell
$33K
Raised by the campaign
$231.2K
$32.2K
Spent by the campaign
$140.4K
$819
Cash on hand
$155.4K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986