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Dr. Robert Lorinser will make a second run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat in Michigan’s First District in 2024.
The 67-year-old Marquette Democrat made the announcement this morning in an email release.
Lorinser lost to Republican incumbent Jack Bergman by a 62 to 39 percent margin in the 2022 election.
In his release, Lorinser said the 2022 election loss laid the groundwork for a second effort, and promised a better-organized, more grass roots campaign.
He prioritized affordable healthcare, housing, education, and childcare, along with infrastructure investment and job opportunities.
Bergman, the 75-year-old Republican from Watersmeet, is beginning his fourth term in office. He has not revealed his plans for 2024. In an appearance in Houghton in 2020, he said his goal was to become chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, following the retirement of then-chair Phil Roe. Roe has since retired, but Illinois Representative Mike Bost was chosen for the position, instead of Bergman.
Here is Lorinser’s full statement:
Dr. Bob Lorinser, 67, of Marquette, announced the kickoff of his campaign for US Congress on Monday. Lorinser vies for the 2024 Democratic nomination to represent Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula in the US House of Representatives.
“Congress needs reasonable voices, advocates, and people you can trust,” said Lorinser. “To make Democracy successful, we need our leaders to be truth-tellers. They need to be kind, fair, and serve with dignity and integrity. My campaign commits to those values.
“I will not rest in my resolve to show Yoopers and Northern Michiganders a better path forward. In the last cycle, our campaign established the groundwork.. We have unfinished business to accomplish.”
Lorinser says Representatives take a solemn oath to promote the general well-being of the people they represent. He believes elected officials should promote liberty, equality, and justice for all while facilitating citizens’ pursuit of happiness.
“I will champion rural America and its needs,” said Lorinser. “My campaign plans to develop a strong field-team throughout the 1st District to get all qualified candidates, at all levels of government, elected after the results of the primaries are determined.”
The UP family physician and Marquette County Health Department medical director said his team is eager to mobilize a more-active grassroots movement for 2024. He said that his campaign will again focus on issues, not personal attacks or dishonest political mudslinging.
“Democrats have a lot of work to do to show fiercely independent rural voters how our policies benefit hardworking families,” said Lorinser. “I want this campaign to be an example of how to ‘run rural’ in a divided Nation. My party must pay attention to districts like ours for long-term success, and our work begins now.
“For the benefit of everyone in Northern Michigan and the UP, we must put the needs of our country before party. To help lower costs and reduce economic burdens for all Americans, we must be the change.
“All residents in Michigan’s First — Democrats, Independents, Republicans — need affordable healthcare, housing, education, and childcare,” said Lorinser. “We also need infrastructure investment, job opportunities, and economic prosperity. The challenges our rural communities face are some of the most distinct in the Nation, and we need a Congressman eager to listen to constituents and solve real problems.”
