"Battle For Stupak Country" - frontpage, above the fold, Detroit Free Press

POSTED: OCT. 14, 2010

1st Congressional District is a political battleground
BY TODD SPANGLER
FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF

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PETOSKEY -- Michigan's 1st Congressional District is like a vast Pure Michigan ad: glowing beaches, historic towns, tree-lined thoroughfares weaving through forests. Freighters, longer than the Renaissance Center is high, bob in the Poe Lock at Sault Ste. Marie. The whitefish and lake trout are fresh.

This fall, it's also a battleground for a congressional seat that's seriously up for grabs for the first time in 18 years. It would be a big prize for Republicans as they seek control of Congress, just two years after Barack Obama carried many Democrats as he won the presidency.

Related:
• Photos: 1st Congressional District
• Voters want action -- not bickering
• Candidates split over bringing home the U.S. bacon

Everyone in politics knows Up North is mostly conservative, anti-abortion and pro-gun. But it's been a moderate, anti-abortion Democrat, Bart Stupak, who had held the seat with little threat for nine terms.

With Stupak retiring and high expectations for Republicans, the 1st still is no slam-dunk for the GOP. Dan Benishek, a Crystal Falls surgeon and political newcomer, beat state Sen. Jason Allen by a 15-vote margin in the primary and, polls showed, took a big early lead that's shrinking.

He is against government spending and the Democrats' health care reform, and calls for lower taxes and less regulation. Democrat Gary McDowell, a state representative and hay farmer from Rudyard, has characterized his opponent as out of touch with the district and intent on privatizing Social Security and eliminating rules protecting the Great Lakes.

Meanwhile, Internet entrepreneur and independent candidate Glenn Wilson could be a spoiler.

Meet the candidates
Free Press reporter Todd Spangler talked to the three top candidates in the Michigan 1st, and has been monitoring ads, spending and campaign claims. Here’s what we’ve learned about each candidate:

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