Politics & Government
Birmingham's Wolkinson Touts Bentivolio Re-election on 'Off The Record'
The campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, R-Midland, is the featured guest on this week's edition of the popular show on Michigan politics.
U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio's re-election campaign will not be in debt after the next round of financial disclosures due to a strong few months of fund-raising and improved support, according to its manager.
David Wolkinson, of Birmingham, said fund-raising is improving and the campaign is getting stronger in his first few months at the helm during an appearance on this week's edition of 'Off the Record' on WKAR. The show, which focuses in Michigan politics and is moderated by Capitol Correspondent Tim Skubick, was taped last Friday in East Lansing and aired on television Sunday. It is available on the WKAR website.
Wolkinson joined Bentivolio's campaign in November, shortly after Birmingham's Eve Jung was named chairwoman of Bentivolio's re-election effort. He said that fund-raising is up and that he expects some of the groups that helped support his initial effort to win the 11th District will surface before facing Birmingham attorney David Trott in the Republican Party primary.
"Dave Trott's been working with the bailed out Wall Street banks and they have a major investment in his candidacy, so we expect that he's going to raise a lot of money," Wolkinson said.
The campaign staff's challenge and focus is raising enough campaign cash to get his name and "common-sense conservative" voting record out throughout the large district. Having the support of the current U.S. House leadership should also help, he noted.
Perception or Reality?
Wolkinson also scoffed at the assertion that Bentivolio is a 'Washington Insider,' a claim made by GOP political consultant and Trott advisor Stu Sandler on a previous episode.Sandler argued that voters in the district, which spans from Wayne through Oakland and into Livingston counties, want a choice and want 'reset' the district.
"I've got as good of a chance of becoming the next pope as Kerry Bentivolio has being a Washington insider," quipped Wolkinson, who is Jewish when asked by the panel of journalists about the perception.
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