Free Republic

LANSING, MI — Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Lon Johnson is stepping down from his post to run for Congress, setting up a potential showdown with incumbent Republican Rep. Dan Benishek. Johnson, who has submitted a letter of resignation to the MDP effective July 11, is expected to formally announce his candidacy for the 1st Congressional District this evening in the Upper Peninsula. State Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids, is considered a likely candidate to succeed Johnson as party chair when the State Central Committee votes next month. Reports have also placed Oakland County Deputy Clerk Lavora Barnes in the mix....

This is a critical election in our nation's history. It is an election that could re-shuffle the leadership and power in not only Washington, D.C., but also across the entire country, including Michigan. The 1st Congressional District is a true battleground in this power struggle, and how we vote could very well chart the course of the country for the next two years. We believe Benishek best reflects our region's hopes and aspirations, and for that reason we urge readers to remember his name when voting Tuesday.

While Benishek comes to this position with no political experience, we believe that is more a positive than a negative, and reflects the mood of the electorate across the district. What he lacks in political savvy, he seems to have with common sense. We particularly appreciate the conservative fiscal values he has promoted throughout this campaign. Over the past 31 years the 1st Congressional District has had only two congressmen. Republican Bob Davis served the district for 14 years from 1979-1993, and Democrat Bart Stupak has been there ever since. Benishek has promised that if elected, he will not continue...

Michigan's 1st Congressional District - the second largest district in land mass east of the Mississippi River - is unique in its conservative traditions and strong family values. Not surprisingly then, the two main party candidates for this position both display those roots in portions of their platforms. However, when one examines more closely where their history has led them, and where their dreams are pointing them, we believe GOP candidate Dan Benishek is the right man to represent our interests in Congress for the next two years. Our district has suffered dramatically from the effects of the economic recession....

"I want to devote some of my time so my grandchildren will have a decent country to grow up in," he said. Some of the main issues Benishek said he wants to address during his time in office involve the federal and state budgets. "My job when I get to Washington as I see it is to cut government spending, cut taxes and ease regulations so businesses can start getting back into business," Benishek said. Because the government has spent money outside of its means for so long, Benishek said the country's economy is "in the basement." For every dollar...

BREAKING: Michigan Democrat Party and Independent in Michigan's First District collude to damage Benishek. Tea party is asking:Is the “Independent” Glenn Wilson a Man of His Word?

Dr. Dan Benishek, a surgeon from Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula has received the Michigan Farm Bureau AgriPac Endorsement. Republican Benishek won his primary by fifteen votes and now faces Democrat Gary McDowell. “I am honored to receive the support of Michigan’s farmers. Farmers represent a critical part of Michigan’s economy, and I look forward to working with them when I am in Congress,” Dr. Benishek stated. “Supporting family farmers is essential to creating jobs and promoting real economic recovery in Michigan.”

The School Aid Budget of 2009 was decreased the per pupil annual grant to schools as a result of Democrat lawmakers including Gary McDowell. The idea was, to make the State less burdened by school aid, because Federal Stimulus dollars were going to fill the shortfall. McDowell shows us what he does in his free time in Lansing. The consequence of such actions is, as the Citizens Research Council point out in their publication, “The Fiscal Year 2011 School Aid Fund Budget: A Day Late and a Few Million Dollars Short” to burden the State further the following year, this...

Watch the video on PDB Watch's site. Democrat career politician Gary McDowell tries to tell seniors calmly that "we only have so many resources Will Gary McDowell let Grandpa die?Career Politician McDowell faces Career Surgeon Dan Benishek in the race for Michigan's First District. The seat is open in November after douchebag Stupak flipped on the Obamacare vote.

He’s been certified - with a 15 vote margin; votes matter, folks - so (barring a final recount request from the Allen campaign) he’s the nominee. And Dan would like to credit all of you and the rest of the online community for your help with it. The campaign was kind enough to give RedState first look at his video thanks:

Benishek was in the race before Stupak announced his retirement plans, and the establishment-backed Allen jumped in after the seat opened up and became competitive. While the district leans Republican, Stupak has held the seat since 1992 and has won by more than 60 percent in each of his elections since 2002. Allen has until Sunday morning to decide whether to request a recount, a lengthy and expensive proposition that would cut into the eventual winner's time and money to run against McDowell. Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41049.html#comments#ixzz0wXP9V3D6

GOP deadlocked for Stupak seat By: Kasie Hunt August 4, 2010 03:55 PM EDT One vote: That's all that separates the two Republicans vying for the right to seek retiring Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak's House seat. The unofficial vote tally kept by the Michigan secretary of state's office showed physician Dan Benishek with 27,091 votes Wednesday, compared with 27,090 for state Sen. Jason Allen. (The Associated Press gave Benishek a slightly larger, 12-vote lead.) It's a margin so slim that the top two primary finishers could remain in limbo through weeks or even months of ballot-counting and litigation. And...

The race in MI01 has Benishek winning by 102 votes. If Allen wants he can ask for a recount, but they rarely get more than a dozen + or - We will see. Allen got Alcona, Alger, Antrim, Arenac, Bay, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Crawford, Emmet, Gladwin,Mackinaw, Montmorency,Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle. Benishek got Alpena, Baraga, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iosco, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Marquette, Ontonagon, Schoolcraft, and Stupaks home county, Menominee. Map of Michigan CountiesIt's basically the UP and Alpena and Iosco, for Benishek. Allen got the LP and Alger minus a very important Alpena. Let's hope this stands.

One of the ways that lawmakers in Michigan have been making names for themselves is by employing targeted tax incentives. The practice is both criticized and applauded, depending on if the critic or the one who praises benefits in any way. The purpose of easing taxes on business to motivate them or encourage them to do business in Michigan seems like a noble thought, after all, Michigan's unemployment rates are the highest in the country, and have been for 4 years now. But one cannot ignore the absolute fact that the only benefit these schemes have is to vault the...

From a news release May 20th, 2010: BENISHEK PLEDGES TO REPEAL OBAMACARE Iron River, MI – Dr. Benishek pledged this week to sponsor legislation to repeal the Obamacare Bill that was forced through Congress by the Democrats earlier this year, with Bart Stupak delivering the pivotal support necessary for passage. He signed the Club for Growth pledge, aboard a bus while finishing the last stretch of his “Enough if Enough” tour of Michigan’s 1st Congressional District. “The so called “Health Care Reform Bill passed by Congress earlier was not the will of the people and it will not increase the...

I’ve been extremely impressed with how well-informed the people are. The topics we’ve discussed, the questions that have been asked, all show that the citizenry of our 1st District is paying attention, educating themselves and tackling the concerns we have about our country’s direction, head on. This renewed interest by regular Americans has been kindled by the negative impact that the current Democrat administration has had on their lives. They see that they have been caught in the cross-hairs, and they are learning how government is meant to work, not just the politics involved. They’ve asked me about the 1st,...

Dr. Dan Benishek, general surgeon from Crystal Falls, Michigan, embarked on a tour of much of the first district of Michigan, in his run for Congress. Beginning in Iron Mountain, he had stops in Marquette, Escanaba, Munising, Newberry, and Sault Ste. Marie. His first stop of the day was at Great Lakes Radio WKQS 101.9 Marquette with host,Walt Lindala at 7 AM EST. After a breakfast with local contacts, the team made its way to Munising to interview with The Munising News. Continuing along Highway 28, they stopped in Newberry to visit a number of municipal buildings there and around...

At 4:00, on March 21st, 2010, Bart Stupak (D) MI01, informed the nation that he was going to vote yes on Obamacare. Described as a pro-life Democrat, Stupak led the media and the nation on for months and months that he would not allow the bill to pass with federal funding of abortion. He had received a useless executive order from the most pro-abortion President this country has ever seen, and Stupak’s fate was sealed. He lost the endorsement of the Michigan Right to Life, and the Tea Party Express began it’s nationwide bus tour targeting him for removal from...

In 1992, incumbent Republican Congressman Bob Davis chose not to run for re-election in the Michigan 1st District because he was one of the top five politicians implicated in the House “check kiting“ scandal. Davis had represented the district covering the northern Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula since 1978. Poor decisions made then by a state Republican establishment alienated many of the district's grass roots "true believers," opening the door for a former one-term Democrat state Representative, who won and went on to an 18-year Congressional career. Fast forward to 2010: The 1st District seat has once again...

Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, the congressman who led anti-abortion rights Democrats in the House during health care negotiations, will retire this year, CBS News has learned. He is expected to announce his plans later this morning. Had Stupak sought re-election, he would have faced challengers from both the left and the right backed by interest groups angered by Stupak's health care vote. Stupak negotiated with Democratic leaders down to the eleventh hour for stricter abortion language in the health care bill, but he ultimately voted for it after President Obama agreed to sign an executive order assuring the new laws...