The two incumbent members of the University Board of Regents now know who their competition will be in November's election.

Nine candidates - including relative unknowns running on third-party tickets - will compete for two seats on the eight-person University Board of Regents.

At their convention in late August, Republicans nominated incumbent David Brandon, the CEO of Domino's Pizza, as well as newcomer Susan Brown, a University alum and long-time volunteer. Democrats nominated incumbent Kathy White, a law professor at Wayne State University, along with newcomer Julia Darlow, a corporate lawyer who has moved on to nonprofit work.

White and Brandon have served as regents since 1998.

Until the convention at Cobo Center in Detroit, four Democratic candidates jockeyed for the nod.

Darlow won the support of sitting Regents Larry Deitch (D-Bingham Farms), Olivia Maynard (D-Goodrich), Rebecca McGowan (D-Ann Arbor) and S. Martin Taylor (D-Grosse Pointe Farms) while campaigning for the nomination.

The other two Democratic candidates - Denise Ilitch, a government-relations attorney, and Casandra Ulbrich, director of development and alumni affairs at Wayne State University - dropped out of the race just before the nominations were confirmed, Michigan Democratic Party spokesman Jason Moon said.

Ulbrich withdrew her bid when the party offered her a nomination for a seat on the State Board of Education. Ilitch, a member of the family that owns the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings and Little Caesars Pizza, dropped out for reasons Moon declined to discuss. Ilitch could not be reached for comment.

The Republicans' picks came as no surprise - only Brandon and Brown sought the nomination.

More than two years ago, Michigan Republican leaders encouraged Brown to run for regent. The idea came from Betsy DeVos, the wife of Michigan gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos and a friend of Brown's.

"She said 'You have longstanding ties to Michigan, you're a devoted Republican and you ought to think about it,' " Brown said.

Brown wanted to run in 2004, but could not gear up her campaign in time. Instead, she spent the next two years preparing for the 2006 election.

Five candidates will appear on the ballot as third-party options. James Hudler of Chelsea and Eric Larson of Grand Rapids are running as Libertarians; Edward Morin of Ann Arbor is running for the Green Party; Karen Adams of Lake Odessa is running for the U.S. Taxpayers Party; and Valerie Hilden of Holly is running as a member of the Natural Law Party.

Although six parties have named candidates, the Board of Regents is not about partisan politics, Brown said.

"I think it's too bad that a regent has to be either a Democrat or a Republican, because being a regent is really all about being an advocate for the University of Michigan," she said.

Brown said she is a fiscal conservative who aims to cut spending and lower tuition.

Brandon and White's platforms revolve around their eight years each of experience on the board.

Darlow's priorities include preserving affirmative action, keeping cost of attendance affordable and using the University as an economic engine for the state.

The board currently consists of five Democrats and three Republicans, but the balance of power could become equal if Brown and Brandon win.