Local News

Prestin, Johnson, Barr prevail in contested primary races

Republican voters in Michigan's 38th Senate District nominated state Rep. David Prestin, R-Cedar River, as their candidate Tuesday with 53% of the vote to 47% for Beau LaFave.

Prestin's reported margin of victory was less than 2,000 votes and came in a race that had Upper Peninsula lawmakers endorsing Prestin while U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, endorsed LaFave -- a former state representative from Iron Mountain.

Current 38th District state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, who is leaving office due to term limits, was among the lawmakers endorsing Prestin. McBroom had accused Bergman of reneging on a pledge not to endorse, which Bergman's office denied.

"I am deeply humbled and grateful for the trust that U.P. Republican voters have placed in me as their nominee for the state senate," Prestin said Wednesday in a victory statement.

"I want to thank Beau LaFave for his years of service to the Upper Peninsula, both during his previous service as a state representative and for the campaign he ran. Beau is an advocate for our U.P. values, and I respect his commitment to our shared conservative principles," Prestin said.

In November, Prestin is set to face Democratic candidate Kelli Van Ginhoven of Delta County and independent candidate Sara Cambensy of Marquette. Cambensy was 109th state representative from 2017 to 2022 as a Democrat.

In a crowded race to succeed Prestin in the 108th District, Menominee County Board member Larry Johnson of Spalding was the apparent winner in the Republican primary, drawing 33% of the vote. The Democratic candidate is Rachel M. Keys, a U.S. Navy veteran and citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community.

In Michigan's 1st Congressional District, Callie Barr of Traverse City secured the Democratic nomination with 58% of the vote to 36% for Kyle Blomquist of Iron Mountain. Wayne Stiles of Traverse City picked up 6%.

Barr, an attorney, will challenge Bergman in the Nov. 3 general election. Bergman had 74% support Tuesday against two Republican challengers.

Dickinson County voters supported Blomquist -- an Iron Mountain City Council member -- over Barr in the Democratic primary, 1,469 votes to 916. Stiles drew 95 votes.

In the Republican primary, Bergman drew 2,760 votes in Dickinson County to 436 for Matthew DenOtter and 295 for Justin Michal.

In the 38th District Republican primary, LaFave topped Prestin in Dickinson County, 2,014 to 1,528. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, Van Ginhoven drew 2,258 votes.

LaFave was also favored over Prestin in Iron County, 1,056 to 679. Van Ginhoven's total was 1,231.

Barr edged Blomquist in Iron County, 669 to 630, with Stiles collecting 60 votes. Bergman's Iron County total was 1,453, with 167 votes for DenOtter and 123 for Michal.

Blomquist on Wednesday issued this statement:

"Congratulations to Callie Barr, her campaign staff, volunteers, and supporters on their Democratic Primary victory. I wish them all the best in the coming months as we seek to replace the incumbent Rep. Jack Bergman, a man who has betrayed Yoopers and Northern Michiganders to serve powerful corporate interests.

"… From the very start, our campaign has rejected the petty partisanship that the powerful use to divide us. We have instead championed a message of class solidarity, channeling the justified anger of the American working class through organized compassion.

“Our message is simple: your basic needs should be treated as human rights. In the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, every person should be guaranteed healthcare, housing, quality education, living wages, and a dignified retirement. Your government should prioritize the prosperity of its people at home, not brutalizing innocent people abroad. These beliefs are not radical. This is the necessary framework for a just society."