Derek Bailey takes on Ray Franz instead
From staff reports
Democrat Derek Bailey, the popular chair of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, who launched a run last year for U.S. Congress, has switched gears and will now go after State Rep. Ray Franz, a self-identified “conservative Republican” who won a seat in Lansing in 2010. The Traverse-City Record Eagle reported the news today. Follow GlenArbor.com for more news in the coming days.
“After a six-month campaign where we were successful in reaching out to many voters in the District, we are withdrawing from the congressional race,” Bailey said in a statement. “There are several factors that went into my decision. The biggest one is that my campaign got into the process late in the game, resulting in not having enough time to effectively raise dollars in a campaign that is going to require a million-plus dollars to be competitive.”
If successful, Bailey would have been only the ninth Native American in Congress in U.S. history. The former high school basketball star wears his hair in a ponytail, rides a motorcycle, and sought to connect with both Native and Caucasian voters on environmental and economic issues. Read our feature from last November on Derek Bailey.
The 39-year-old charismatic leader faced an uphill climb, though, in his effort to unseat Democratic party insider Gary McDowell in the race to beat Tea Party-backed Congressman Dan Benishek. McDowell will now have a rematch against Benishek, who bested him as part of the Republican party’s 2010 landslide election. The 1st Congressional District was previously held by longtime Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak.
Bailey will now take on Franz, a polarizing arch-conservative from Onekama, who also won his state seat in 2010 — knocking out incumbent and Northport resident Dan Scripps. Franz has drawn negative attention to himself in the past for employing anti-gay tactics on the campaign trail, voting in favor of cutting “Pure Michigan” funding that boosts tourism to northern Michigan, opposing wind energy, his opposition to the popular Farm to School lunch program, his support for slant drilling in Michigan, and his opposition to teacher’s unions.
This GlenArbor.com story was sponsored by Sugar Loaf the Old Course.
