- Dan Benishek
-
Dan Benishek 
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 1st districtIncumbent Assumed office
January 3, 2011Preceded by Bart Stupak Personal details Born April 20, 1952 [1]
Iron River, Michigan[1]Nationality American Political party Republican Spouse(s) Judy Benishek[1] Children 5 children[1] Residence Iron County, Michigan Occupation Surgeon Religion Roman Catholic[1] Website Official website Daniel Joseph Benishek (born April 20, 1952) is an American physician and politician currently serving as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 1st congressional district.[2] He is a member of the Republican Party.
Contents
Early life, education, and medical career
Benishek was born in Iron River, Michigan in 1952, to a daughter of Polish immigrants. His father was killed in local iron mines in 1957, so Dan was raised by his widowed mother and extended family. He worked in the family business, the Iron River Hotel, until he went to college. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1974 with a degree in biology. From there, he graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1978. Prior to his election to Congress, he was a general surgeon in the Dickinson County Healthcare System.[3]
U.S. House of Representatives
Benishek speaks at a reception at the Republican Party headquarters in Bay County.
2010 election
Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2010#District 1Dan Benishek formally announced his candidacy for Congress on March 16, 2010, running against incumbent Democrat Bart Stupak.[3] Stupak's vote in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act fueled an outpouring of support for Benishek, who had no Internet presence aside from a basic website on the day the bill was passed. He received more than $50,000 in unsolicited donations in the first 48 hours after Stupak's vote for the bill on March 21, 2010.[4][5] "It's amazing, I just can't believe it," he said regarding the support he has gotten. "I need to use this momentum to repeal this health care bill and I'm going to do it. We're going to take over, the Republicans are going to regain the House of Representatives and we're going to repeal this health care bill."[6] The American Spectator called him "The Most Popular Republican in America" on March 21, in the wake of Stupak's yea vote.[7] Stupak announced his retirement on April 9, 2010.[8][9] Benishek won the Republican primary against State Senator Jason Allen by 15 votes.[10]
On November 2, 2010, in the general election, Dan Benishek defeated Democratic nominee State Representative Gary McDowell, Independent Glenn Wilson, Libertarian Keith Shelton, Green Ellis Boal, and UST Patrick Lambert. Benishek was inaugurated on January 5, 2011, as a member of the 112th United States Congress; he succeeded Bart Stupak.[11]
Tenure
Benishek considers himself fiscally and socially conservative, pro-life and pro-gun rights.[12] In healthcare reform, he supports the Republican position of tort reform and allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines without federal regulation.[13] He staunchly opposes federal funding for elective abortions. He supports lower taxes and secure borders.[14]
Benishek endorsed Herman Cain in the 2012 Republican presidential primary.[15]
Committee assignments
Personal life
Benishek lives with his wife Judy in Iron County. They have five children. They also have two grandchildren.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d e Reichard, John (November 3, 2010). "112th Congress: Dan Benishek, R-Mich. (1st District)". Congressional Quarterly. http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20101103/pl_cq_politics/politics000003758269. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b Hoffman, Lisa (March 16, 2010). "Benishek runs for Congress". Iron Mountain Daily News. http://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/514588.html. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ Schaper, David (March 28, 2010). "Yoopers Reserved Over Stupak's 'Yes' Vote". National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125259922. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ^ Farnam, T.W. (March 23, 2010). "Stupak Challenger Gains Support". Wall Street Journal. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/03/23/stupak-challenger-gains-support/. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
- ^ A boost for Benishek
- ^ Robert Stacy McCain (March 21, 2010). "Dan Benishek Just Became the Most Popular Republican in America". The American Spectator. http://spectator.org/blog/2010/03/21/dan-benishek-just-became-the-m. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ^ Davey, Monica (2010-04-09). "Under Fire for Abortion Deal, Stupak to Retire". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/us/politics/10stupak.html. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Stupak to announce retirement". CNN. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/09/stupak-to-announce-retirement/?fbid=p-ueJJgDRIL. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ Election results Michigan Government
- ^ "Michigan Election Results". The New York Times. http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/michigan.
- ^ CONTRIBUTIONS NOW POURING IN FOR STUPAK’S OPPONENT
- ^ Official website - Issues
- ^ Solid Principles Podcast Episode 29.
- ^ Tim Mak (5 November 2011). "Herman Cain lies low, snags endorsement". Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67675.html. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- ^ About Dan Benishek
External links
- Congressman Dan Benishek official U.S. House site
- Benishek for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Bart StupakMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 1st congressional district
January 3, 2011 – presentSucceeded by
IncumbentUnited States order of precedence Preceded by
Karen Bass
D-CaliforniaUnited States Representatives by seniority
346thSucceeded by
Rick Berg
R-North DakotaCategories:- 1952 births
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
- American surgeons
- Michigan Republicans
- University of Michigan alumni
- Wayne State University alumni
- American people of Polish descent
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