During an interview with MIRS news service yesterday, Kerry Bentivolio said he is “seriously considering” a run as a write-in candidate in the November General Election to be reelected as the Congressman for Michigan’s 11th District:
Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R), one of four sitting members of Congress to lose in a primary this year, says he is “seriously considering” waging a write-in campaign in November.In an interview with the Michigan news outlet MIRS, Bentivolio said he has decided to write his name on the ballot and is weighing whether he will actively encourage others to do the same.
“I know what I’m doing. I’m writing my name in,” said Bentivolio. “My daughter and my son in law and my son and my wife are writing my name in. Whether I’ll officially do that, I’m still undecided. I’m getting a lot of people suggesting I do that and I’m seriously considering it.”
Bentivolio was defeated by a whopping 32 points in the Republican primary by businessman Dave Trott. In the interview, he sounded conflicted between not wanting to spoil Trott’s chances of holding the seat for the GOP and wanting to make his voice heard.
“You hear the other side, the GOP saying, ‘oh we need unity.’ And my question is where was the unity when you ran Nancy Cassis as a write-in against me?” Bentivolio said at one point, referencing his 2012 campaign. Bentivolio was elected to Congress that year after then-Rep. Thad McCotter (R) surprisingly failed to qualify for the ballot at the last minute.
At another point in the interview, Bentivolio, who has clashed with the GOP establishment, said, “I have to weigh really, what am I doing here? If I [run as a] write-in, if it’s successful in any way, meaning we get four or five percent of the vote, then then Democrat wins. And I don’t know if I really want to do that.”
You can listen to the interview here:
Bentivolio says he’s being encouraged to run by “tea party and liberty groups” who see Republican David Trott and Democrat Bobby McKenzie as “different wings of the same bird of prey”.
Godspeed, Mr. Bentivolio. All of us here on the left are cheering for you and your run as a write-in candidate. Please: DO IT!!!
Don’t let those “establishment Republicans” bully you.
