Michigan’s First Congressional District is the second-largest House district east of the Mississippi River, covering the northernmost portion of the Lower Peninsula and all of the Upper Peninsula. It is currently served by Republican Rep. Jack Bergman of Watersmeet in the western U.P.
The retired Marine Corps. Lt. General is the highest-ranking combat veteran ever to serve in the House. First elected in 2017, Bergman is seeking a sixth term.
But first, he has to get by a vigorous challenge in the Aug. 4 primary from two members of his own party, Matthew DenOtter and Justin Michal. Both accuse Bergman of spending too much time away from the district and ignoring his constituents.
Michal, who grew up in Grayling, is a veteran and conflict resolution specialist — a skill sorely needed in Congress. The independent contractor has helped mediate disputes worldwide and is completing his Ph.D. in conflict analysis and resolution.
DenOtter owns a health care business, also an expertise that would serve Congress well. He is from Boyne City and describes himself as an “America Firster.” He has been a grassroots activist with the GOP, serving as a precinct delegate and a donor to conservative candidates.
Both challengers are qualified for the office they’re seeking.
But Jack Bergman has served the district well. He has helped deliver big infrastructure projects, including the long-needed expansion of the Soo Locks.
Currently, he is working on meeting the health care needs of a region that is losing hospital beds. His focus is on expanding telehealth and other options.
He describes the 1st District not as rural, but remote. “Getting services to people in such a sparsely populated area is a challenge,” he said.
His priorities are to build out internet access across the U.P., to cut regulations that work against job creation and to help veterans navigate the federal bureaucracy.
He attributes criticism of his presence in the district to the distance he must traverse to get back and forth to Washington D.C. while Congress is in session.
Jack Bergman is an effective congressman and should be renominated in the primary.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Our First Congressional District Republican choice delivers results
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
