Kildee voted consistently pro-life pretty much until Obamacare. But voting pro-life was pretty much Kildee’s only conservative issue position.
In 2002, Kildee was placed in the same district with Democat Congressman Jim Barcia of Bay City, who was far more conservative than Kildee. Barcia ran for the state senate instead, in deference to the much more senior Kildee (who would have been very hard to beat in the primary, and appeared likely to retire within a few years anyhow). Had this story come out 10 years ago (and assuming it’s true) Barcia would still be in Congress, hopefully continuing to vote with the GOP in many key votes. Barcia has expressed interest in running for Congress in 2012 in Kildee’s Dem-leaning MI-05, and if the longshot GOP candidate (a party switcher from Flint) can’t win, I hope that Barcia wins.
Of course, Barcia might move hard-left anyway if he returns to Congress. Potentially reminds me of my current member, Jim Cooper. When he was a Congressman from the rural 4th, he voted semi-sane. 8 years out of Congress and moves to Nashville and he becomes (until the cretin moonbat from Memphis, Steve Cohen, is elected) the most liberal member from TN.
BTW, we have yet to draw the lines, so not even prominent members of the legislature have any idea what’s going to happen next year (that includes the plan to divide Nashville three-ways). The GOP may wait until the last moment to spring the plans to catch the Dems by surprise (whom are in a very weak state right now). Probably have to credit Zero for giving us a two-year head start for a lasting GOP majority in TN.