LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson says he might run for Congress in Northern Michigan.
“A number of people people have asked me to consider running for Congress,” he says. “I am considering it.”
Johnson would like to challenge incumbent Republican Dan Benishek (R-Crystal Falls). Benishek announced recently he’d intends to seek a fourth term, despite a pledge to serve no more than three terms.
Johnson says Democrats see the seat as winnable in a high-turnout presidential election year. But first, there’s the question of whether Benishek will face a GOP primary, or Johnson will have to compete for the Democratic nomination. There’s no word on whether former Kalkaska County Sheriff and retired general Jerry Cannon will seek a re-match after losing to Benishek in 2014.
Johnson says he’ll make a final decision very soon. He would almost certainly have to step down from his state party post, which he’s held for two terms.
It’s unusual, but not unprecedented for a state party chair to become a candidate. In 1966, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Zolton Ferency ran, unsuccessfully, against incumbent Republican Governor George Romney.