Dan Benishek

Dan Benishek
Dan Benishek
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
Preceded by Bart Stupak
Personal details
Born April 20, 1952 (1952-04-20) (age 59)[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 1

Dan 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

  1. ^ 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. 
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ 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. 
  4. ^ 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. 
  5. ^ 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. 
  6. ^ A boost for Benishek
  7. ^ 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. 
  8. ^ 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. 
  9. ^ "Stupak to announce retirement". CNN. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/09/stupak-to-announce-retirement/?fbid=p-ueJJgDRIL. Retrieved April 26, 2010. 
  10. ^ Election results Michigan Government
  11. ^ "Michigan Election Results". The New York Times. http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/michigan. 
  12. ^ CONTRIBUTIONS NOW POURING IN FOR STUPAK’S OPPONENT
  13. ^ Official website - Issues
  14. ^ Solid Principles Podcast Episode 29.
  15. ^ 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. 
  16. ^ About Dan Benishek

External links

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Bart Stupak		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 1st congressional district
January 3, 2011 – present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
United States order of precedence
Preceded by
Karen Bass
D-California		 United States Representatives by seniority
346th		 Succeeded by
Rick Berg
R-North Dakota
v · d · eMichigan's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Representatives
Dan Benishek (R), Bill Huizenga (R), Justin Amash (R), David Lee Camp (R), Dale Kildee (D), Fred Upton (R), Tim Walberg (R), Mike Rogers (R), Gary Peters (D), Candice Miller (R), Thad McCotter (R), Sander Levin (D), Hansen Clarke (D), John Conyers (D), John Dingell (D)
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