Here is a look at the six candidates from Michigan running for U.S. senator.
Debbie Stabenow:
Debbie Stabenow, 62, was born in Gladwin, Mich. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the United States Senate of Michigan. Stabenow attended high school in Clare, Mich. and earned both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Social Work from Michigan State University in 1972 and 1975, respectively. She has also worked as a social worker.
Stabenow served from 1979-1990 in the Michigan House of Representatives and from 1991-1994 in the State Senate.
She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 and was the first woman from Michigan to be elected as a U.S. Senator in 2000.
Stabenow supported the passing of laws such as a harsher domestic violence law and the banning of drilling in the Great Lakes. She led the passing of one of the first laws in the country stating all children under age 5 must be in car seats.
Recently, Stabenow voted for the Cybersecurity Act of 2012, the Middle Class Tax Cut Act, the Bring Jobs Home Act, the Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act. Stabenow voted against the Tax Hike Prevention Act for 2012.
Stabenow supports abortion as a woman’s right and requiring companies to hire more minorities and women. She also supports same-sex partnership benefits and more federal funding for health coverage.
Peter Hoekstra:
Peter Hoekstra, 58, was born in Groningen, Netherlands. He moved to America with his parents at age 3. Hoekstra represents the Republican party and is the former U.S. Representative for Michigan’s 2nd congressional district.
Hoekstra served in the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011. Previously a candidate for Governor of Michigan in 2010, Hoekstra is running for the U.S. Senate position against Debbie Stabenow this year.
Hoekstra received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Hope College in 1975, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in 1977. After graduation, Hoekstra joined office furniture maker Herman Miller and continued there for 15 years, becoming vice president of marketing. Hoekstra has a wife, Diane and three children: Erin, Allison and Bryan.
Hoekstra has voted against the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act; Aiding Those Facing Foreclosure Act; and the DREAM Act. He favors expanding the armed forces, placing strict limits on campaign funds and opposes the Patriot Act.
Scott Boman:
Scott Avery Boman, 50, was born in Detroit. Boman is one of Michigan’s most notable Libertarian politicians since the late 1990s. He was endorsed by The Detroit News when he competed in the 1997 Detroit City Council general election.
In 2008, Boman became a member of the Republican Party and promoted presidential candidate Ron Paul. He worked as an assistant meet-up organizer, writing opinion columns and participating in interviews with the local media. In 2010, the Michigan general election saw Boman run for secretary of state as a Libertarian.
Boman, son of Democratic politician and zone representative Ray Howard Boman, attended grade school at the Detroit Waldorf School and graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School in 1980. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science in physics and philosophy, and minored in mathematics at Western Michigan University in 1985.
Returning to WMU in 1985, Boman received his Master of Arts in physics. In 1999, he earned a
Master of Arts in teaching in secondary education at Wayne State University.
Boman’s stance on issues involving the economy included cutting welfare and ending the Federal Reserve’s Inflation Tax. He supports gay marriage and sexual orientation protected by civil rights law, and believes companies should not be required to hire more women and minorities.
Boman also opposes the death penalty and mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws. Boman opposes federal authority to regulate drug use and thinks federal authority should not decide voucher-funding schemes. He supports free trade and the right to gun ownership.
Harley Mikkelson:
Harley Mikkelson was born in Minnesota but has lived in Michigan since he was 6. Married with five children, Mikkelson graduated from Michigan State University and served in the U.S. Army.
Mikkelson worked for the departments of community health, education and human services, and was an active American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees and United Auto Workers member. Working for the state of Michigan, he has also worked on farms, in a factory, for
Michigan Bell Telephone and for the U. S. Post Office
Since 2000, Mikkelson has been voting primarily for the Green Party, being an active Green Party member since 2002. He was the Michigan Green Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 and 2004, for the U.S. Senate in 2008 and Governor in 2010. Mikkelson retired after 26 years of service with the State of Michigan.
Mikkelson’s stances on issues include maintaining Social Security benefits, bringing military men and women home from South Korea, Europe and the Middle East, cutting the work week to 35 hours and raising minimum wage to $10 or $20 per hour for those working more than 35 hours.
He supports limiting agricultural subsidies to large producers and feed grain producers. Mikkelson also supports a longer school year with longer school days.
He also supports keeping abortion legal, but doing everything to prevent the need for abortions.
Richard Matkin:
Richard Matkin, U.S. Taxpayers Senatorial, is 52 and lives in Hazel Park, Mich. Matkin has been married for more than 30 years and has one daughter. A retired Army paratrooper, Matkin earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts at the University of Detroit Mercy.
Matkin’s views include avoiding the creation of a deficit by opposing any budget that would increase the overall amount spent. He also supports calling for the retirement of the Federal Reserve System.
Matkin supports the individual deciding his or her healthcare, and believes no one else should be forced to pay for another’s healthcare. He supports transparent pricing, which is the most recent price contract available to any buyer or seller in the market. Matkin also supports letting providers compete for the consumer’s business. He backs immigration on the basis of the immigrant’s capability to be independent of government assistance.
John D. Litle:
John D. Litle of the Natural Law Party is also on the ballot. The Natural Law Party endorses a proactive alternative to the current healthcare system, which would entail promoting health education and stress management, along with transcendental meditation, as ways to avoid disease.
