Traverse City Record-Eagle

Op-Ed Columns

January 8, 2012

George Weeks: Benishek challengers line up

By George Weeks, Syndicated columnist ----

Media attention

on Michigan’s

congressional races

has been focused downstate,

where redistricting has pitted

some Democratic incumbents

against each other.

But things are heating up

Up North, where 1st District

freshman Rep. Dan Benishek,

R-Crystal Falls, has three

Democratic challengers and

may this week get a primary

challenge from a well-credentialed,

seasoned Republican

who has ties on both sides of

the bridge.

Larry Inman, chairman of

the Grand Traverse County

Board of Commissioners

where he has spent 19 years,

plans to announce Thursday

whether he will challenge

Benishek in a sprawling

district that this year will be

more Republican than it was

before redistricting, and will

have more territory in the

Grand Traverse region than it

did previously.

Inman, a retired banker,

for six years was a Northern

Michigan University trustee

by gubernatorial appointments

of Republican John

Engler and Democrat Jennifer

Granholm, and was the

university’s 2008 Alumni of

the Year. He also has had

leadership roles in regional

and national county associations.

Benishek has three Democratic

challengers in the

district that was long represented

by nine-term Rep. Bart

Stupak, D-Menominee, and

before that by Republicans

Phil Ruppe, of Houghton, and

Bob Davis, of Gaylord.

This year’s Democratic contenders:

■ Former state Rep. Gary

McDowell, of Rudyard, who

lost to Benishek by a margin

of 52 percent to 41 percent in

2010, seeks a rematch. Seizing

upon a Jan. 2 report in the

Traverse City Record-Eagle

that Inman was considering

running and had support of

some Republicans dissatisfied

with Benishek, McDowell

said:

“No one in Washington

is looking out for northern

Michigan and the U.P. and

Rep. Dan Benishek is part of

the problem. It’s no wonder

that many in his own party

are disappointed with his

first year in Congress and

have had enough — just like

regular Michigan families

and taxpayers.”

■ Chairman Derek Bailey of

the Grand Traverse Band of

Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

has solid relations with local

officials and some business

leaders and is likely to get

substantial financial support

from tribes in Michigan and

beyond.

In a Dec. 28 article in Indian

Country Today, he said

he is “the underdog … but

we can overcome the odds in

place now.”

Bailey is among tribal leaders

who have met with President

Barack Obama and Gov.

Rick Snyder, both of whom

are pictured in his campaign

materials.

■ Bob Carr, a businessman

and historical preservationist

from Traverse City and Mackinac

Island. He was the 1996

Republican nominee against

Stupak, but switched parties

after the GOP “moved to far to

the right.”

While Carr has not formally

announced as a candidate, he

has been traveling the district

and says he is running.

He plans to put agriculture

“front and center” and attend

the World Ag Expo Feb. 12-15 in Tulare, Calif.

As in the past, he is likely to be under funded, but not suffer from lack of energy.

Watch these

Two groups to watch in 1st District maneuvering: Tea parties at local levels and Native American tribes in Michigan and nationally.

Benishek had substantial backing from tea-party types in his 2010 primary 15-vote victory over state Sen. Jason Allen. He’s been a good soldier for them on Capitol Hill and can count on continued support.

Inman said he “hasn’t been engaged” with tea-party groups but has relations with individual members.

In the Democratic primary, a financial factor could be Michigan tribes and national tribal organizations with whom Bailey has met. He recently attended a national meeting in Oregon.

With the 2004 retirement of Sen. Nighthorse Campbell, of Colorado, Republican Rep. Tom Cole, of Oklahoma, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, became the only Native American in Congress. There’s a push to expand that, and Bailey, who is running in a congressional district that includes eight tribes, is seen as a good prospect by national tribal leaders.

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