UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. (WLUC) – On Tuesday, voters across the U.P. will decide nominees to represent each party in the race for Michigan’s 1st Congressional District.
Jack Bergman has represented that district in the U.S. House of Representatives for the last 10 years. A retired Marine, Bergman says his priorities would stay the same if re-elected.
“Chairing the readiness subcommittee on armed services, and readiness touches everything- personnel readiness, equipment readiness, all things readiness for us as United States Military to keep our citizens safe and secure whether it’s at home or abroad,” Bergman said.
He’s hoping voters will decide in November to give him the chance to serve a sixth term. But before then, he needs to beat out two challengers in a Republican primary that includes another veteran in Justin Michal.
“I’ve spent my entire life serving others, and especially people who don’t have a voice,” Michal said. “In my PhD in conflict analysis and resolution, I’ve worked a lot with research on human rights both in Gaza and Ukraine.”
Businessman and healthcare executive Matthew DenOtter is also running. DenOtter says he brings with him a viewpoint of someone who is not a politician.
“I can go achieve things because I’m approaching them from a business perspective instead of maybe a VA or Military background which is good, but their leadership style’s different, so you want to ingrate different kind of styles together,” DenOtter said.
Bergman enters Tuesday’s primary with the support of President Donald Trump.
“The setup of the White House today is really spectacular for both Democrats and Republicans who want to get a good message of ‘here’s what we can do’ to the President,” Bergman said. “We’ve got a strong Congress right now because of his leadership.”
Michal says what sets him apart from others in the race is a willingness to engage.
“That’s something that’s not present and hasn’t been present for a long time.” Michal said. “I don’t talk about what’s happened in the past, I like to focus on what I can do today to make tomorrow a better future for people”
That’s a sentiment DenOtter shares regarding his own experiences.
“I want to make this about a team, it’s not about a ‘me,’” DenOtter said. “It’s really about us, and that’s why I’m going to use you as like stakeholders, my board, when I go and form groups of the community and I’ll actually get feedback from the locals on what those issues are and be able to drive those, and that’s why I feel I’m different.
This is the second consecutive election cycle in which Bergman has faced a challenge at the primary stage. In 2024, he secured just over 79 percent of the vote within his party.
Watch Beyond the Ballot live at 8:00 ET on the TV6 Livestream or on demand for full-length interviews, including with every candidate running the 1st Congressional District.
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