Congressional candidate Paul Mayhue rallies against greed

Republicans outnumber Democrats 5-2 in this primary election but both parties have a choice to make on August 3. Running against lawyer and civic leader Pat Miles, Jr. is Grand Rapids resident Paul Mayhue. With far fewer resources than Miles, and without endorsements from news outlets or organizations that have typically favored him in previous races, Mayhue continues to present his case against greed in Washington to make the argument that he would be the most ground-breaking of all the candidates running for Vern Ehlers' vacated seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Michigan's 3rd Congressional District.

 

Mayhue has been a stalwart of the local Democratic Party for decades, serving as county commissioner as well as leader of several special advisory boards. Overall, he has been a mainstay of community organizations in his role of civic leader. Mayhue does not think that Grand Rapids and its surrounding areas should be dominated by a republican majority, in terms of the seat that he and Miles are vying for in their Democratic primary. He believes this year is a real chance, for the first time in years, since 1974, for a Democratic candidate to win the general election. He believes this candidate should be himself and that his experience and accomplishments speak volumes about leadership and going against the conventional wisdom.

 

Whether this is a watershed moment in his career or not will be determined on Tuesday but it is clear that he is not going to concede anything right up to the moment that the ultimate winner is announced. His major cause is health care and he said this area and potentially the country needs a "public option" to check the private health industry and provide real competition with a system that has seen costs run wildly upward. This has caused many to lose health care coverage, as has been discussed over the past year, and Mayhue feels that this is unacceptable for the residents of this area. In a tight economic environment, he feels it is especially important to protect those in need, and he basically represents core democratic values.

 

Whatever happens on Tuesday, it is clear that we have not seen the curtain call of Paul Mayhue, he is a leader and well known figure throughout the area, and will continue to fight for the causes that he has championed throughout his career.