Outsider candidates add complexity to race to replace Stupak

Glenn Wilson (L) challenges from the right; Ellis Boal (R) from the left.

The enormous 1st Congressional District has been represented since 1994 by Bart Stupak, an unusual pro-life, pro-gun Democrat who decided to retire from Congress after being attacked by both Democrats and Republicans for his role in the development of federal health care reform.

Now that Stupak’s seat is open, Republicans are eager to win it back, Democrats are struggling to hang on to it, and candidates from outside these parties are trying to get voters to rethink the fundamentals of how government operates and what principles should guide government actions.

The Republican primary featured one of the closest races in state history. Surgeon Dan Benishek, with some support from Republicans in Washington DC, beat term-limited State Sen. Jason Allen, who was seen as the favorite of the state Republican Party, by just 15 votes. The Democrats settled on Gary McDowell, a term limited State Rep. from the UP town of Rudyard who shares some key positions with Stupak. The other Democratic contenders dropped from the race before the primary.

Glenn Wilson, owner of a telecom business in the small Northeastern Lower Peninsula town of Rose City, is running as an independent with a platform that doesn’t look very different than Benishek’s — top issues for both candidates include job creation, fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, secure borders and opposing recent federal health care reform.

“Dr. Benishek supports the right of all citizens to run for public office,” said Benishek Press Secretary Trent Benishek. “However, he questions the wisdom of splitting the conservative vote, thereby allowing another Lansing liberal to get elected to Congress.”

“In the end, Dr. Benishek is confident that the voters of the 1st District will support his call for less spending, less taxes, and less government regulation by casting their ballots for him on election day.”

Wilson campaign manager Rich Carlson, one of the founders of the Northern Michigan Liberty Alliance, a coalition of Tea Party groups from across Northern Michigan, said that he is not sure that those who favor smaller government will pick Benishek.

Carlson said the vibrant Tea Party organizations located in District 1 are pursuing diverse strategies of engagement in this election and many have become delegates to the Republican Convention, where they hope to steer the party platform toward Tea Party values of smaller government and free enterprise.

To Carlson, however, both parties are so corrupted by money from Political Action Committees, that he thinks it is important to step outside the party system and back someone who is completely independent, and he said that people around Northern Michigan seem receptive to this idea.

“Republicans campaign as Tea Party people and then they govern as Democrat Lite,” he said. “In terms of growth in government if Democrats are driving us into a tree at 80 miles per hour, Republicans are driving us into a tree at 40 miles an hour. Unless the Republicans start losing some elections they are never going to get the message.”

Like Benishek, Wilson has a campaign tour bus which he is using to tour the district and meet with voters.

Though it was reported that he planned to spend up to two million dollars of his own money on this campaign, Wilson told Michigan Messenger that the FEC has disapproved of his plan to use his stock in his company as collateral for a private loan that he would use to fund his campaign. As a result Wilson will now rely on contributions that he collects while campaigning.

The Green Party candidate in Dist. 1, Charlevoix labor attorney Ellis Boal, has some specific pro-environment and anti-war policy ideas that could potentially draw Democratic voters or others that are focused on these issues. Boal is also the only pro-choice candidate in the race and the only to support repeal of the recent federal health care reform in favor of a single payer “Medicare for all” system.

Boal said that he opposes plans by Kennecott Eagle minerals to develop a nickel sulfide mine on public land west of Marquette and near Lake Superior. If elected to Congress, Boal said he would explore legislation that would ban sulfide mining from coastal areas until it can be demonstrated that such mines can operate safely.

Boal says that he stands unequivocally against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and supports an end to US aid to Israel.

Israel receives $2-3 billion a year in direct aid, most of it military, and no accounting is required as to how the funds are used, Boal said.

“Israel is not a part of NATO. I’m not aware of any mutual defense treaty that the U.S. has with Israel. Israel doesn’t have borders, Israel ran the Palestinians out in 1948. Israel is the largest recipient of US aid. A lot of the weapons used by Israel against Palestinians are U.S.-made. The U.S. isn’t getting anything out this. If it wanted to play a neutral role that would be a lot better. In the meantime the U.S. should end support of Israel. Israel can take care of itself.”

Boal said his strategy for communicating with voters involves making himself available for interviews and entering into any debates. He also said he plans to retool his website of the next few weeks to include more information on federal issues.

“I can’t travel all over the state and knock on every door,” he said. “I have other things in my life. Campaigning is not my full time occupation.”

Some analysts say that a Green candidacy in Dist. 1 could help the Republicans if it drew voters away from the Democrat in a close race.

“If that’s what they think,“ said Boal, “it doesn’t interest me.”

“My intention is to put out Green ideas, Green programs and get people thinking about these ideas. That is the most useful thing that I am doing. Trying to raise and implement these long term visions and goals in the minds of the people is more important than what happens in one election in one district.”

Bill Ballenger, former Republican state senator and editor of Inside Michigan Politics said that he doesn’t think Boal will be as big a negative for the Democrats as Wilson may be for the Republicans.

“Obviously candidates from the left tend to hurt Democrats.” said political commentator and journalist Jack Lessenberry. “But in recent years, since Ralph Nader inadvertently caused George W. Bush to win Florida in 2000, support for independent candidates has dwindled considerably.”