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Ron Paul Ally Kerry Bentivolio Gets Super-PAC Aid in Congressional Bid
The New American ^ | 8/2/2012 | Thomas R. Eddlem

Posted on 08/04/2012 2:06:02 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat

Michigan congressional candidate Kerry Bentivolio (pictured) will get a leg up in his battle against the GOP establishment in next week's Republican primary election, courtesy of the Ron Paul movement-aligned Liberty For All Super-PAC. The SuperPAC — headed by 21-year-old Texas financial heir John Ramsey — has committed an estimated $300,000 (already spending some $130,000, according to OpenSecrets.org) to support Bentivolio in his primary race over establishment write-in candidate Nancy Cassis.

Bentivolio — a teacher and part-time reindeer farmer — committed to the race earlier in the year when victory seemed all but impossible. The Tea Party-aligned Bentivolio faced a quixotic but daunting primary against five-term incumbent Thaddeus McCotter in this district in the northwest suburbs of Detroit, but the eccentric McCotter surprisingly failed to gain enough signatures to make the ballot for reelection. The result was that Bentivolio, a Tea Party candidate with similar positions to Ron Paul, emerged as the only Republican on the August 7 primary ballot in this heavily Republican district and the favorite to succeed McCotter.

That was when establishment GOP leaders began scrambling to put together a write-in campaign to select someone other than Bentivolio, settling on former state senator Nancy Cassis, who has put up $200,000 of her own money for the write-in primary effort. Cassis told the Oakland Press August 1 that she has the funding, network, and name recognition to pull off a victory: "We've devised a very strategic plan and we're following that plan. Educating people first and foremost to educate the public to write in my name. I've represented one-third of it in the state senate so the name identification is there and that's helpful.” But the Detroit Free Press concluded August 1 that “the infusion of cash is bad news for Cassis.”

Ramsey's Liberty for All Super-PAC — which bills itself as the super-PAC that wins elections — rallied to erase the monetary and name recognition advantage of Cassis, declaring that “members of the state party establishment met behind closed doors to pick a candidate they could count on to toe the moderate line: Nancy Cassis. That’s when Liberty For All stepped in to support the real conservative, and the grassroots choice.”

If Bentivolio is victorious, it'll be the second primary win by the Texas-based Liberty For All Super-Pac. In May, the super-PAC plunked $585,420 into a Kentucky GOP primary where a friend of Ron and Rand Paul, Thomas Massie, emerged victorious in a four-way race against establishment candidates.

Bentivolio could actually start serving in Congress before January, as the eccentric McCotter resigned from Congress July 6 complaining about “this past nightmarish month and a half.” Bentivolio will be alone on the August 7 primary ballot (for the full two-year term beginning in January), but will appear on a crowded primary ballot that will include Cassis for the September 5 special election (to finish out McCotter's term from November 6 through the next Congress in January). What that means is that voters in Michigan's 11th District will actually vote twice for their congressman November 6 — once to finish up McCotter's term (which won't end until January) and once for the full two-year term beginning in January.

The estimated cost of the special primary to finish McCotter's term will be $650,000 to state taxpayers, according to Mlive.com, a company that publishes half a dozen newspapers in Michigan.

Bentivolio has been a Ron Paul fan and has received the endorsement of the retiring Texas congressman as well as key Paul allies, including Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and Michigan Representative Justin Amash. Cassis has the endorsement of the two metropolitan daily newspapers, the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, as well as two Republican congressmen (Mike Rogers and Tim Wahlberg, both of Michigan), as well as many of her former colleagues in the state legislature. Full Original Article


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: 911truth; apaulling; apaulogists; bentivolio; cassis; johnramsey; kerrybentivolio; michigan; ronpaul
Cassis Ad:Kerry Bentivolio stars in bizzarre and disgraceful movie that accuses George W. Bush & Dick Cheney of ordering 9-11 attacks;.

Ad: Bentivilio proposes eliminating border patrols and giving amnesty to illegal aliens.

I just saw a notice come across of Santorum endorsing Cassis and then looked up the race and didn't find much posted on it here. Is this guy really considered the "tea party" candidate? What about this so-called "establishment" candidate? Some folks in the area - can you weigh in? This is for the McCotter seat - that House member resigned suddenly earlier this year so the seat is currently vacant.

1 posted on 08/04/2012 2:06:10 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: Springman; cyclotic; netmilsmom; RatsDawg; PGalt; FreedomHammer; queenkathy; madison10; ...
Moderate heavy area and most would vote for a democrat before voting for a solid conservative. I'm just glad I'm not in the district.

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2 posted on 08/04/2012 2:14:40 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: Republican Wildcat

If Kerry Bentivoilo is a tea party member, then it is LONG ISLAND ICE TEA. If Ron Paul backs him, he must be a kook.


3 posted on 08/04/2012 3:14:59 PM PDT by ExCTCitizen (Yes, Obama, I had help with my business. MY CUSTOMERS!!)
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To: Republican Wildcat
First of all, it's Tim Walberg, not Wahlberg. He spells his name differently than Mark Wahlberg the actor.

Bentivolio is backed by a lot of the tea partiers. He's not as libertarian as Amash, but more-so than most. Cassis is establishment to the core and was part of a coronation attempt by Brooks Patterson, Oakland county exec.

FWIW, I'm in the district next door, the 7th.

4 posted on 08/04/2012 3:41:25 PM PDT by Darren McCarty (Holding my nose one more time to get rid of Eric Holder)
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To: Darren McCarty

Brooks Patterson is the clown who wanted to prevent open carry at that Beats and Eats street fair a couple of years ago. Claimed it was a private event despite blocking public streets and using taxpayer funded cops.


5 posted on 08/04/2012 4:31:51 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: Republican Wildcat

A member of my firm is Bentivolio’s next door neighbor, so I have sat down and talked to him. He is a neophyte, but sincere candidate. Would I want him in a leadership position? No. But, I think he would be a good voice for smaller government.


6 posted on 08/04/2012 5:18:22 PM PDT by MacombBob
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To: Darren McCarty

Okay, but is he in fact a 9/11 truther and help make a movie depicting Bush as having ordered the attacks? Does he in fact support eliminating the border patrol and granting amnesty to illegals?


7 posted on 08/04/2012 9:14:00 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: Republican Wildcat
Truther - No
Helped make a movie depicting Bush ordering attacks - He took a bit part in a movie to get comfortable in front of a camera.
Amnesty - No.

You can legitimately criticize him for taking the part in the movie (judgment), but he's never made any truther statement or amnesty statement. He's also pro-life, unlike what the establishment is trying to portray him.

8 posted on 08/05/2012 8:44:07 AM PDT by Darren McCarty (Holding my nose one more time to get rid of Eric Holder)
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To: Darren McCarty

Looks like he’s beating Cassis handily.

Walberg is looking like a sure win as well.

We aren’t moving the ball as far as I’d like but we are making progress.


9 posted on 08/07/2012 7:08:53 PM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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