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The head of the Michigan Democrat Party is in the running for the state’s 1st Congressional District.
Democrat Lon Johnson announced his candidacy to represent Northern Michigan and the U.P. yesterday.
He will be running against the incumbent, Republican Dan Benishek.
Johnson blames the problems of the Upper Peninsula on Benishek.
“It’s time that we started to work to create a U.P. and Northern Michigan where our families can stay and succeed. We’re losing too many of our children and our grandchildren to downstate or, frankly, out of the state and it’s because our congressman, Congressman Dan Benishek, has not worked to invest in our greatest assets, our people, our land and our Great Lakes,” said Johnson,
Johnson then went on to chide Benishek for getting caught up in politics-as-usual.
“What we’ve seen just out of Congressman Dan Benishek is, time and again, he’s gone to Washington and become part of the problem. He’s become part of the partisan bickering that’s got nothing done for the people of the U.P or Northern Michigan.”
Johnson discussed several issues with his potential constituents, including veteran benefits and Medicare threats during his campaign announcement event.
Johnson lives in Kalkaska County and comes from a family with five generations of Northern Michigan history.
