1st District Congress Primary Candidates
Dana Ferguson |
Linda O'Dell |
A third generation Yooper, Dana has spent his life surrounded by the values and culture of the 1st District. He grew up in Negaunee, a small mining town outside of Marquette, the only son with four sisters. Following high school, Dana became a father to his oldest son, he enrolled at Northern Michigan University and started work as a union laborer at his dad's construction company in Marquette. After receiving his bachelor's in Economics there was a long search for work related to his field, but couldn't find a good-paying job in the are and
continued working in the construction field. In 2009, his dad's construction company closed its doors due to the recession and he was once again in search of work. Over the next few years Dana began working as a carpenter and decided to continue his studies, going back to NMU where he received his Master's in Public Administration. The real education, though, was living through the struggles of being a working-class father doing his best to help raise his family in the place he calls home. After receiving his MPA, he continued work as a carpenter, eventually joining the Carpenters Union Local 1510 before deciding to help out his family's small business in Ishpeming. "Being a Representative is about knowing your constituents. It’s about understanding what they go through on a daily basis. It’s about knowing their struggles, knowing what’s important to them and knowing the challenges they face. If you don’t know who you represent, how can you represent them? I know the people of the 1st District. I am one of them, and have been my whole life." "Marquette County has been my home most of my life. My parents grew up here as did my grandparents, and it is where my wife, Kristi, and I raise our kids right now. Having grown up in Negaunee to a working-class family, I am versed in the life and values of the people of Northern Michigan and the U.P. This is where I learned what is important to me. It’s where I learned my work ethic, my love of nature, and my respect and appreciation for a simple life." "Life in a small mining town in the UP can be tough, but this has always been and always will be my home.Having a family to take care of and bills to pay, faced with a poor job market and not wanting to move, I ended up staying in the construction field after my education. It was a tough decision, but one I'm glad I made. Without the work I had as a union laborer and carpenter I would have struggled far worse than I already did. Realistically, I would have had to move my family from the place I love, my home. My struggles have made me who I am today. They have made me stronger, smarter, and more in tune with those I seek to represent. I know all about the struggles of being a young parent trying to work your way through school. I am all too familiar with struggling to make ends meet while trying desperately to get ahead. I have held tight on the bumpy road of life through the highs and lows. My story is the story of so many living in the 1st District. It is time we have a representative who understands the average person here in the district." |
Linda worked her way through college and graduated with a degree in finance. She took her first job out of college on Wall Street. For nearly a decade, Linda worked as a research analyst and trader on Wall Street. When she caught wind of the unfair, corrupt insider trading that was happening, Linda left her career in finance. She couldn’t support or be a part of a world that took advantage of hard-working American families in order to make a profit.
After leaving the finance world, Linda began leading a life of service, volunteering and working with nonprofits. Today, she uses her background working with budgets, market analysis, and strategic planning to help organizations that support individuals who are often forgotten and left behind. Linda and her husband Tom have called Petoskey, Michigan home for years. Tom is an Episcopal priest in Charlevoix. In the winter, they enjoy snowshoeing and kayaking the Great Lakes in the summer. Linda is a mother to three children and grandmother to two. Linda and Tom also enjoy spending time with their dogs Joey and Kimma. Linda is a Democrat running to represent Michigan’s 1st District in Congress because we need honesty and integrity in Washington D.C. She will fight tirelessly for a strong and fair economy, accessible and affordable healthcare, robust infrastructure improvements, and to protect our Great Lakes. Michigan’s 1st District is one of the largest districts in the country by land area, covering the entire Upper Peninsula and much of the northern Lower Peninsula. MI-01 also has a long history of Democratic representation. Once held by Democrat Bart Stupak for 18 years, it wasn't until his retirement that coincided with the Tea Party wave in 2010 that the Republicans won this seat. Since 2010, MI-01 has changed significantly. Grand Traverse County — the population center of the district, and a longtime Republican stronghold — has moved 20 points more Democratic in the past 10 years and is poised to flip to favor the Democrats for the first time in the 2020 election cycle. In 2018, women candidates won up and down the ballot in Michigan. Both of the House seats flipped by the Democrats were won by women, and the Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State's offices were all taken back from Republican control by Democratic women. With your support, Democrats will take back the First, and Linda O’Dell will become the first Congresswoman ever to represent this district. |
