Who’s running against Jack Bergman in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District?

• U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman faces two Republican primary challengers in Michigan’s 1st Congressional District
• Two Democratic candidates also competing in the conservative district
• District includes all or part of 36 counties in Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula

In Michigan’s northernmost congressional district, U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman aims to fend off two primary challengers and Democratic hopefuls for a fifth term in Congress. 

Bergman, a Republican whose home address is near the Upper Peninsula’s Wisconsin border, has handily won re-election in recent contests, defeating Democratic challenger Bob Lorinser with 60% of the vote in 2022. 

Bergman’s incumbency aside, a Republican has represented the region since former U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak left office in 2010, and GOP candidates have continued to hold an edge there in recent presidential elections. In both 2016 and 2020 contests, former President Donald Trump won roughly 60% of the district’s total vote share.

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The sprawling 1st Congressional District covers all or part of 36 counties, including the entire Upper Peninsula and much of the northern Lower Peninsula. The district makes up 44% of Michigan’s land mass but only 7% of the state’s total population. Notable cities include Marquette, Traverse City, Sault Ste. Marie and Alpena.  

Five major-party candidates — two Democrats and three Republicans — submitted required petition signatures by the April 23 deadline. Winners of the Aug. 6 primary will square off in the Nov. 5 general election. Third party candidates can be nominated at conventions later in the year.

Democrats

Callie Barr: Barr is a Traverse City attorney who worked as a high school English teacher before becoming an advocate for military families through Blue Star Families and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. Barr graduated from Central Michigan University and University of Michigan Law School and began advocating for veterans and their families after her husband sustained significant injuries while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, according to her campaign. In a video announcing her campaign, Barr said northern Michigan residents deserve a representative “who’s from here, and can actually fix people’s problems because they’ve actually lived them.” 

Bob Lorinser: Lorinser is a Marquette physician who worked as a family doctor and a regional medical officer for the Department of State before returning to serve as medical director for the Marquette County Health Department in 2020., Lorinser, who unsuccessfully challenged Bergman in 2022, said his priorities include universal health care, Medicare and Medicaid expansion, public education and training, better living wages and stronger social safety nets. 

Republicans 

Jack Bergman: Bergman of Watersmeet is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and business owner who has also worked as a commercial airline pilot. Since taking office in 2017, Bergman has supported additional funding for upgrading the Soo Locks, beefing up broadband infrastructure in rural areas and veterans’ issues. In late 2020, he was one of four Michigan congressional Republicans who joined a court brief proposing to overturn President Joe Biden’s popular-vote win in Michigan. He also objected to Pennsylvania’s Electoral College results following the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. 

Josh Saul: Saul is a U.S. Army veteran and an accountant for Munson Healthcare in Roscommon. After he was wounded in Afghanistan, Saul returned to Michigan, graduating from Ferris State University. According to his campaign website, Saul said he believes “we have lost our way as a country.” He said he would work to secure the U.S. border, government accountability, improve veteran care and fight the “woke” agenda. 

JD Wilson: A political newcomer, Wilson is a businessman from the Houghton Lake area in Roscommon County who describes himself as a "constitutional conservative." He initially explored a run for the open U.S. Senate seat, but on Tuesday opted to file instead for the 1st Congressional District. His priorities include lowering inflation, strengthening national defense and reducing crime and illegal immigration.