Shelby Township — Mike Bouchard announced his run for Congress Thursday, just weeks after getting back from Iraq and a day before his 32nd birthday.
There’s no need to worry about who can take up the mantle to fight for the people in Michigan’s 10th Congressional District now after Rep. John James has left office to land a spot in the Governor’s Mansion.
The district—which includes Roseville, Sterling Heights, Rochester Hills, Rochester, Utica, and Warren—is also the home of Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which provides thousands of jobs for those in Metro Detroit in uniformed and auxiliary roles.
It also happens to be a critical seat for controlling the House of Representatives next year, which is why some have been clamoring about James leaving the district to run for governor. But they needn’t worry.
In the northern part of the district, voters are familiar with Mike Bouchard, because his father, also Mike Bouchard, is Oakland County’s longtime sheriff. He’s a steady hand at the wheel. And his son seems capable of taking that steadiness to D.C.
The 32-year-old combat veteran talks often about servant leadership, trust, and fighting for those he represents. These words would sound trite and empty coming out of the mouth of a career politician guided by self interest and the promises of every lobbyist in the swamp.
He also has experience calling the shots, with military experience at the southern border and leadership in the Middle East.
He believes in peace through strength, and he wants Michigan’s 10th to be the best at creating technology and equipment to provide a compelling show of force.
“I want to create the best economic environment for this area so we can build the best things,” Bouchard told Michigan Enjoyer.
He hopes to cut red tape to help businesses flourish, like LaFlata Cabinets, where he was Thursday to hear from the workers about the issues they care about: rising grocery prices, the cost to fill up, and how impossible it is to get a bigger house for your family.
Bouchard isn’t the only one running for Michigan’s 10th. There’s also Robert Lulgjuraj, a Macomb County prosecutor who says he’s an America-first candidate that would support President Donald Trump’s agenda in Washington.
The Sterling Heights resident, also 32, has received the endorsement of many local leaders and state representatives. Of Albanian descent, Lulgjuraj says his family’s success is only possible because his grandparents moved to the U.S.
Come the GOP primary, there are strong candidates for Michigan’s 10th Congressional District who promise to champion the people, whether they make cabinets or war machines, or whether they run a business or punch a clock.
America should be a place of opportunity. Bouchard and Lulgjuraj are trying to make this part of the country full of it again.
Brendan Clarey is deputy editor of Michigan Enjoyer.
