Is it Christmas already? Michigan Santa wins GOP primary
Capitalizing on a rare organizational stumble by an incumbent Republican congressman, a reindeer farmer and Santa Claus impersonator won the GOP nomination for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District.
Kerry Bentivolio, a libertarian-leaning political novice, will face Democrat Syed Taj, an Indian-born doctor, in the race to replace Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, who abruptly resigned when he failed to gather enough signatures to make the ballot.
McCotter’s collapse was Bentivolio’s gain. The Santa impersonator who had been a long shot became the only name on the Republican ballot.
In winning the nomination, Bentivolio thwarted GOP efforts to circumvent his candidacy. Party leaders had recruited former state Sen. Nancy Cassis to launch a last-minute write-in campaign.
Her effort failed Tuesday night. With three-quarters of precincts reporting, 34% had voted for a write-in candidate; Bentivolio had 66% of the vote.
The district leans Republican and would have been an easy seat for the GOP to hold with McCotter on ballot. But now Democrats have a chance to take the seat in a race featuring two political novices.
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