NRCC Response to Gary McDowell's announcement to Run for MI-01

January 5, 2009

Good Afternoon,

Please consider the following statement and background information from the National Republican Congressional Committee as you cover Gary McDowell’s announcement that he will run for Congress in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District.

“Michigan middle-class families rejected sending politician Gary McDowell to Washington once because of his support for higher taxes on job creators and his radical views on seniors’ medical care, and they will do it again. Gary McDowell will simply be another vote for Obama’s reckless spending and big government agenda in Washington.” – NRCC Spokeswoman Andrea Bozek

BACKGROUND

 State Rep. Gary McDowell argued that end of life care and spending money on “real expensive gadgets” in the last three months of life is too expensive, and that spending on end of life care takes away from other priorities such as education. Click here or here to see the video of McDowell making the statements above.

 McDowell said that he knew that raising the income tax and expanding the sales tax was “the right thing to do.” “‘I’m ready to do whatever’s necessary to keep the state moving forward,’ said Rep. Gary McDowell, a Democrat who represents a Republican-leaning district in the Upper Peninsula. He said he is prepared to vote for increasing the income tax and expanding the sales tax. ‘I anguished over it. Nobody wants to raise taxes, especially me. But I know it’s the right thing to do.’” (Zachary Gorchow and Tina Lam, “Close To A Deal,” Detroit Free Press, Sept. 30, 2007)

 On Feb. 10, 2009, Gary McDowell voted for a resolution to urge members of the Michigan congressional delegation to vote for the stimulus package and to work to maximize job creation for Michigan. (Michigan House Resolution 21, Feb. 10, 2009)

 Dr. Benishek is keeping his promise to seniors in the First District by voting to strengthen and preserve Social Security and Medicare. The Congressman has fought in Congress to preserve these vital programs for existing retirees, those near retirement, and future generations of Americans, while Gary McDowell and his fellow Democrats cut $500 billion from Medicare, a program that many seniors in Northern Michigan depend on.