News In Brief

State senator in Michigan loses seat in recall vote

Michigan voters, in a bitterly contested recall election Wednesday night, ousted a state senator who supported a 38 percent increase in the state income tax.

Democrat David Serotkin, who represented a district in the Detroit suburbs, was the second legislator recalled over the tax issue in the past eight days and only the second in the state's history. The increase was enacted earlier this year.

Michigan Gov. James Blanchard, a first-term Democrat, said he was disappointed by the vote and vowed to support other Democrats threatened by future recalls. Tax opponents have said they hope to force a vote on whether to recall Blanchard.

The governor sponsored the tax increase to make up for a projected budget shortfall of more than $1 billion.