| Kerry Bentivolio | |
| |
| 49th Governor of Michigan | |
| In office January 1, 2019 - April 6, 2020 | |
| Lt. Governor | Shri Thanedar |
| Preceded by | Rick Snyder |
| Succeeded by | Shri Thanedar |
| Member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 11th district | |
| In office: January 3, 2013 - January 1, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | David Curson |
| Succeeded by | Michael Malik, Sr. |
| Biography | |
| Born | October 6, 1951 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | April 6, 2020 (aged 68) Lansing, Michigan |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Libertarian Party (2014-2020) |
| Spouse: | Karen Bentivolio |
| Alma mater | Michigan State University St. Mary’s College (BA) Marygrove College (MEd) |
| Occupation | Politician, Soldier, Actor |
Kerry Bentivolio (October 6, 1951 - April 6, 2020) was an American politician and veteran who served the 49th Governor of Michigan. He previously served as United States Representative for Michigan's 11th congressional district. He was first elected to office in 2012; the 11th district seat was vacated by Representative Thaddeus McCotter, who resigned from Congress on July 6th, 2012, and was briefly held by Democrat David Curson of Belleville, Michigan.
Following a loss in the Republican Party primary to Dave Trott in 2014, Bentivolio joined the Libertarian Party and ultimately defeated Trott in the general election. He was the longest-serving member of Congress as a Libertarian. In 2016, he was a candidate for Vice President at the Libertarian National Convention, where he finished in third place and was eliminated after the second ballot.
Bentivolio was elected Governor of Michigan on November 6th, 2018, defeating Democratic nominee Geoffrey Fieger and Republican nominee Patrick Colbeck. He took office on January 1st, 2019, alongside Lieutenant Governor Shri Thanedar.
On March 29th, 2020, Bentvolio was taken to McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital after developing breathing problems from suspected COVID-19 infection. Thanedar assumed duties as Acting Governor the same day. He passed away a week later, on April 6th, 2020.
Military Service[]
Bentivolio enlisted in the United States Army in November 1968 and served in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971 as an infantry rifleman. After a break in service, he later joined the Army National Guard in Michigan as a reservist and served for more than twenty years. Bentivolio was trained as an MLRS/HIMARS crewmember. He served on the home front during Operation Desert Storm and was deployed to Iraq in 2007 with an Artillery unit as a senior human resources sergeant performing combat convoy missions. He retired as a sergeant first class after a neck injury in 2008. Bentivolio's awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Civilian Career[]
Bentiviolio worked as an autoworker, reindeer rancher, automotive designer, teacher, commercial home builder, Santa Claus for hire, and amateur actor before running for political office. He taught in private schools, public schools, and adult education institutions; he stated that he first considered running for public office at the suggestion of his students.
Bentivolio took up acting in movies to get rid of his stage fright in front of cameras. In 2010, he acted in the low budget movie Lucy's Law in the role of a TV News reporter; the following year, he appeared in another low budget political satire, The President Goes to Heaven.
U.S. House of Representatives[]
Elections[]
In 2011, Bentivolio announced his candidacy for Michigan's 11th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and was considered a long-shot to defeat incumbent Thaddeus McCotter for the Republican nomination. However, reports emerged that McCotter failed to qualify for the primary after failing to turn in enough valid petition signatures. McCotter initially announced he would mount a write-in campaign for the seat, but later resigned on July 6th, 2012, causing a scramble for the vacant nomination. Bentivolio faced former state senator Nancy Cassis, a write-in candidate, for the district's Republican primary. Bentivolio defeated Cassis and won the district's Republican nomination, facing Democratic nominee Syed Taj, a physician, in the general election.
On November 6th, 2012, Bentivolio lost the special election for the remaining months of McCotter's term in 112th Congress to David Curson, but won the general election and became representative-elect for the 11th Congressional District.
Bentivolio faced a Republican primary challenge for the Michigan's 11th congressional district seat from lawyer David Trott in 2014. Trott defeated him in the primary, making him the third incumbent defeated in a Republican primary in 2014. Bentivolio switched his party affiliation to the Libertarian Party to mount a third-party campaign to retain his seat, defeating Trott in the general election. He was re-elected in 2016.
Legislation[]
2016 Vice Presidential Campaign[]
See Also: Libertarian Party Presidential Primaries, 2016 (The More Things Changed)
2016 Vice Presidential nominee Bill Weld
Unlike the contemporary conventions of the Democratic or Republican parties - where the nominees' running mates are selected through acclamation - the vice presidential nomination at the Libertarian National Convention was a highly contested affair. Prior to the first round of voting, each of the main presidential candidates had selected their preferred running mate; Bentivolio, however, sought the nomination as a consensus candidate, untied to any particular presidential contender.
Prior to the second ballot, three candidates dropped out and endorsed New York businessman Larry Sharpe, while another dropped out and endorsed Weld. The eventual winner, former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, was selected on the third ballot, following Bentivolio's withdrawal and his endorsement of Weld.
| Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. C. Watts | 83 | Withdrew | |
| Larry Sharpe | 263 | 399 | 410 |
| Bill Weld | 316 | 374 | 441 |
| Will Coley | 83 | Withdrew | |
| Kerry Bentivolio | 38 | 65 | Withdrew |
| Derrick Grayson | 48 | Withdrew | |
| Alicia Dearn | 29 | Withdrew | |
| None of the Above | 6 | 12 | 15 |
| Write-in | 31 | 19 | 6 |
| Abstain | 10 | 3 | 0 |
- Candidate won majority of votes in the round
- Candidate secured a plurality of votes in the round
- Candidate withdrew
2018 Gubernatorial Campaign[]
Main Article: Michigan Gubernatorial Election, 2018 (The More Things Changed)
In 2018, the Libertarian Party qualified for the first time for a statewide primary election to select its nominee, on par with the Republican and Democratic parties. Representative Bentivolio quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the nomination, winning over 68% of the vote against previous gubernatorial nominee Mary Buzuma nominee and Mark McFarlin, the U.S. Taxpayers Party nominee in 2014. Buzima later withdrew to run for a state Senate seat.
The 2018 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 6th, 2018. Bentivolio won the election with 35.7% of the vote, netting 1,379,918 votes.
Governorship[]
Cabinet[]
The 1963 Constitution of Michigan requires that all permanent agencies or commissions, except universities, be assigned to one of a maximum of 20 principal departments. Governor Bentivolio announced the following nominations:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Lt. Governor | Shri Thanedar |
| Director of Agriculture and Rural Development | Wendy Wieland |
| Director of Civil Rights and Liberties | Joe Tuchinsky |
| Director of Corrections | Klint Kesto |
| Director of Education | Dan Quisenberry |
| Director of Health and Human Services | Tina Freese Decker |
| Director of Insurance and Financial Services | Daniel Graf |
| Director of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs | Position Eliminated |
| Director of Military and Veterans' Affairs | Tyrone Chatman |
| Director of Natural Resources | Michelle Sears |
| Director of State Police | Mike Bouchard |
| Director of Talent and Economic Development | Margaret E. Potter |
| Director of Technology, Management, and Budget | Angelique Thomas |
| Director of Transportation | Helen Zeerip |
| Treasurer of Michigan | Mark Spitznagel |
Executive Agency Reform[]
In his second Executive Order, Governor Bentivolio reorganized much of the executive branch, including the elimination of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and placing the Department of Talent and Economic Development and the powerful Department of Technology, Management, and Budget under the Lieutenant Governor's office.
Relationship with the Legislature[]
Bentivolio's Libertarian Party gained a majority in the Michigan Senate with twenty seats, becoming the first, and as of 2019 the only, state legislative chamber to have a Libertarian majority. The party won thirty seats in the 120-member Michigan House, while the Democrats and Republicans each won 40 seats, leaving the chamber without a majority or a single plurality. As had happened twice before in the Michigan House, the parties formed a power-sharing agreement, with Libertarian Co-Speaker Rich Rossway serving from July through September.
Minimum Wage[]
As both a Congressman and as Governor, Bentivolio opposed raising the state's minimum wage, and was a sharp critic of the federal Sustainable Wage Act. Despite his misgivings, Bentivolio permitted Lt. Governor Shri Thanedar to lead an initiative among the legislators to raise the minimum wage. The ultimate plan offered tax credits to businesses that voluntarily raise their minimum wages, with a bonus for companies that pledged to raised their hourly wages to $15 by 2024. The legislation passed with majority support, and was signed into law by the Bentivolio.
COVID-19 Pandemic[]
In January 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Neera Tanden announced a public health emergency declaration, which Bentivolio described as "a power-grab." Nevertheless, Bentivolio directed Health and Human Services Director Tina Freese-Decker, Lt. Governor Thanedar, Attorney General McLellan, Treasurer Mark Spitznagel, and Michigan State Police Director Mike Bouchard to draw up respective plans of action.
In February, Bentivolio presented a list of "Preparedness Goals" to the public and the Legislature; actions that could be taken by executive action or through legislation. Some of the goals - such as repealing the state's “certificate of need” law, authorizing a sales tax holiday, and suspending the state's bottle deposit law - quickly passed the Legislature. Controversially, Bentivolio pushed to repeal the state's price gouging law, arguing that it would only make temporary supply shortages longer and more severe. Bentivolio also rejected calls to close businesses deemed nonessential or issue a stay-at-home order.
Amid growing outcry from the public and press, Bentivolio appointed Lt. Governor Thanedar as Chair of the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force to coordinate the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 29th, 2020, Bentvolio was taken to McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital after developing breathing problems from suspected COVID-19 infection. Thanedar assumed duties as Acting Governor the same day.
Bentivolio passed away from complications caused by COVID-19 on April 6th, 2020.