politics

Choices In The 11th District

Incumbent Republican faces tough primary fight; Democrats await the winner.

Harry Kirsbaum
Contributing Writer

T

he 11th U.S. Congressional
District of Michigan primary
race on Aug. 5 is as wide open
as the district itself, pitting fresh-
man Republican congressman Kerry
Bentivolio against Dave Trott, a well-
funded Republican challenger and attor-
ney. Whoever wins will face Democratic
challenger Anil Kumar, a doctor, or
former U.S. Department of State adviser
Bobby McKenzie.
Nancy Skinner, a syndicated radio
commentator who ran for political
office twice, first for Barack Obama's
open Senate seat in Illinois in 2004,
then against U.S. Congressman Joe
Knollenberg in the 9th District in 2006,
is also running in the Democratic pri-
mary. Skinner, who has little money
in the coffers, is unlikely to come out
ahead in the primary, according to polit-
ical insiders.
They are all vying to represent a
district that includes Auburn Hills,
Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills,
Farmington, Lake Angelus, Northville,
Novi, South Lyon, Troy, Walled Lake,
and Wixom, as well as the townships of
Commerce, Highland, Lyon, Milford,
Novi, Waterford and White Lake. The
district also includes parts of Clawson,
Rochester Hills and West Bloomfield
Township.
Inside Michigan Politics reported in
June that Trott had a 14-point lead over
Tea Party-backed Bentivolio, according
to an internal GOP poll. Bentivolio won
the seat in 2012 after then-congressman
Thad McCotter resigned.
As of July 16, Trott vastly leads the
Republican side in fundraising with
$3.4 million over Bentivolio's $448,000.
Kumar also leads Democrats with
$750,000 raised.

KERRY
BENTIVOLIO
Bentivolio is unfazed
at polling numbers and
Trott's financial sup-
port.
"We have a strong
al
grassroots operation
Kerry
with a lot of intensity.
Bentivolio
Our volunteer base is
motivated and working
hard — putting up signs, going door-
to-door, and contacting voters on the

42 July 31 • 2014

phone and online he said. "One of the
biggest ways I help my district — and
our country — is by being an outspoken
proponent for the ordinary citizen by
reminding my colleagues that we're here
to protect the rights of our constituents,
not take them away. I've spent my entire
time in Washington working for ways
to curb inflation by cutting our deficit
and finding conservative solutions, ones
that empower our fellow citizens, to the
problems we as a nation face."
He said the two biggest issues facing
his district is transparency in govern-
ment and road repair.
"I take deep pride in the fact that
I was rated the most transparent
freshman congressman, according
to GovTrack.us," he said. "To tackle the
problem with road funding, I introduced
the Repairing Our Aging Roads (ROAR)
Act. This bill uses a mechanism similar
to war bonds, which is a proven method
to tackle national problems, to raise
money to fix our infrastructure:'
The bill orders the Treasury to sell
50 versions of federal bonds — one for
each state and capped at an interest rate
.25 percent less than standard bonds
and $2 billion for each state — that go
directly to transportation funding in
each correlating state. The bill requires
automatic across-the-board spend-
ing reductions to federal discretionary
accounts, both defense and non-defense,
in an amount equal to the total amount
of road bonds sold, he said.
As a deficit-neutral bill, the ROAR
Act will not add a single penny to the
deficit and help the people of Michigan
have better roads:'
No date for a vote on the bill has been
scheduled.

DAVE TROTT

Trott believes he is
more qualified to serve
in Washington, D.C.
"Having spent 30
years in business here
in the 11th District, I
pride myself on excel-
lent customer service.
Our current congress-
man doesn't hold town-hall meetings
and is unavailable to his constituents,"
he said. As congressman, I will be
steadfast in my commitment to serving
the people of Southeastern Michigan
and the 400 grassroots leaders, activists
and elected officials who have endorsed

my candidacy:'
The single largest problem facing
Michigan is "the size and scope of the
federal government," he said. "We need
to cut wasteful government spending
and reduce the debt and deficit. We
must also reduce the overzealous regula-
tory and tax burdens that the govern-
ment has placed on both citizens and
job providers. We are stifling economic
growth and prosperity by holding entre-
preneurs and small businesses to unrea-
sonable standards:'
Trott also said he is wiling to "reach
across the aisle" to stop gridlock in
Congress.
"I am a problem solver, and in areas
where compromise can be found, I will
not be afraid to reach across the aisle
and see what common ground can be
agreed upon," he said. "But, I am a
strong believer in conservative prin-
ciples and will rely on these principles to
help solve this nation's problems:'

ANIL KUMAR

As a doctor who knows
firsthand about health-
care, Kumar feels he
can lead.
"I have seen the deg-
radation of healthcare
services, and I feel my
Anil Kumar
patients' pain when
they tell me they can
either have medicine or food;' he said.
"I am also an entrepreneur, an educator,
an innovator and one who believes in
small businesses. Through my repre-
sentation as a board member with the
Oakland County Medical Society, I have
the political experience in formulating
public policy:'
The two most important issues fac-
ing Michigan are jobs and health care,
he said. Bringing back jobs to Michigan
means "forming tax policies that end
loopholes for corporations that took
our jobs overseas and creating trade
policies that support manufacturing in
Michigan:' he said. "We must invest in
skill-oriented job training. Matching our
underutilized workforce to the many job
areas that are struggling to find employ-
ees is a natural and common sense
strategy that must be supported on a
national scale:'
He calls the Affordable Care Act
(ACA) "the best law passed for health-
care, but it's far from perfect:' he said.
"The ACA needs to make changes that

give patients the maximum health care
benefits for their dollar by eliminating
the waste and abuse that account for
billions of dollars lost every year. High
deductibles may in fact make patients
avoid doctors and tests that may be nec-
essary for diagnosis. I will propose cap-
ping deductibles and co-pays," he said.

BOBBY
MCKENZIE
A former analyst at the
CIA and senior adviser
at the U.S. Department
of State, McKenzie says
he's the right choice.
"I have a unique skill
Bobby
set and do not view
McKenzie
problems or solutions
through a partisan lens," he said. "I will
collaborate not only with members of
Congress, but also with leaders in the
private sector, academia and research
institutes, and civil society organiza-
tions, to identify and develop practical,
commonsense initiatives to improve
Michigan and our country:'
Creating and keeping good paying
jobs in Michigan and protecting Social
Security and Medicare are two important
issues facing the 11th District, he said.
"We must invest in public education,
infrastructure, and provide support to
small businesses and the middle class
— the engines of economic growth," he
said. "Education is a key component to
our economic wellbeing, and our youth
need the skills necessary to compete in
a global economy; rebuilding our aging
infrastructure will put people to work;
and small businesses need access to cap-
ital to expand and hire new employees:'
He also said that seniors rely on Social
Security and Medicare.
"Cuts will harm them and, by exten-
sion, our economy:' he said. "I will
oppose any cuts or attempts to privatize
these vital programs that help seniors
retire with dignity:'
Campaign finance reform is the best
way to stop gridlock in Congress, he
said.
Most members of Congress "are dis-
proportionately focused on reelection
from nearly the minute they are first
elected;' he said, "which means rais-
ing money and playing partisan games.
That, coupled with ideological extremes,
makes it hard to address and advance
solutions to complex political and social
problems:'

❑