ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Wednesday, the Delta County League of Women Voters held a candidate forum for three major races ahead of the November election. The final round featured the three candidates vying to become Michigan’s next senator in the 38th District—Independent Sara Cambensy, Republican Dave Prestin, and Democrat Kelli van Ginhoven.
Cambensy has spent 10 years in government positions, including as a member of the Marquette City Commission and Planning Commission. In 2017, she was elected to her first of three terms as a State representative.
“I’m running for office because America and Michigan are at a crossroads, a political gridlock where nothing is getting done for the people,” Cambensy said. “We have a serious problem with the affordability crisis. Groceries, rent, housing, healthcare, insurance, electric bills—no one can afford to live right now… We need common sense and stability, and I’m looking forward to continuing my track record of working with anyone to get stuff done.”
Prestin currently serves as Michigan’s 108th House District Representative. He is a licensed paramedic, and he serves as a volunteer firefighter.
“I’ve served for over 15 years as a first responder, and I’ve invested in our communities as an employer and a small business owner,” said Prestin. “That experience has given me a unique perspective, as I’ve watched our region confront the same chronic barriers, high energy prices, healthcare shortages, and an economy that just keeps losing opportunity… I’m the only candidate with the experience and record to confront these issues head-on.”
As a Delta County commissioner, van Ginhoven serves on the UPCAP Board, Personnel Committee, and the Delta County Airport Advisory Board. She formerly served on Escanaba’s DDA Board and Planning Commission.
“Our rural communities are being left behind, and I’m not going to let it happen any longer,” van Ginhoven said. “We need solid, smart leadership… We want to be able to work for our U.P., not special interests or corporations. I am running a people over profits policy-centered campaign which focuses on access to rural healthcare, a mental healthcare overhaul, investing in clean energy and our public schools, and protecting the sovereignty and treaties of our Indigenous Tribes and protecting our Great Lakes.”
One hot-button issue each candidate addressed was the Line 5 tunnel project.
“You’ve got multiple refineries that rely on it, and you have an Upper Peninsula that relies on the propane that it delivers,” Prestin said. “The fact that the tunnel through the Straits has not been constructed is an absolute travesty. Interstitial containment, which is what the tunnel represents, is the gold standard when it comes to petroleum containment. I’m looking forward to the fact that it’s on its last hurdle… and that the boring machine is procured, then that operation starts as soon as possible.”
“In 2018, I was one of ten Democrats that voted ‘yes’ for the tunnel project, and this came after carefully considering a lot of information over many months,” said Cambensy. “… What we came up with was—though not perfect—if we don’t act to get the current pipeline out of the water, we very well could have a catastrophe on our hands. Since that vote, it’s been nine years, and that tunnel could’ve been completed by now. When we talk about rail or trucking, the more humans touch and move that oil, the more chance for spills and devastation there is.”
“No to Line 5,” van Ginhoven said. “How much more damage do they need to do before we realize that we need to look elsewhere for energy?… Line 5, as it lays in the Straits, is a disaster waiting to happen. It needs to be shut down. We’ve seen the largest on-land oil spill and the largest natural gas rupture in our state. Studies show that decommissioning Line 5 will create more union jobs than the tunnel project. Shutting down Line 5 will lead to a short-term spike in price per gallon… We have to remember, Enbridge is a foreign company. Here we go again, giving foreign companies our tax dollars, giving them our land
Other questions for the candidates covered topics like data centers, housing, and logging. The forum also included candidates running for Michigan’s 108th House District and the position of 94th District Court judge in Delta County. To watch the Delta County League of Women Voters candidate forum in full, click here.
