The Bigger They Are...

The House of Representative's senior member may be facing a serious challenge this year. John Dingell, who has represented the Dearborn, Michigan area since 1955, was recently redistricted into a contest with fellow incumbent Lynn Rivers. According to the latest campaign finance reports, Dingell has over twice as much cash on hand ($1,155,862 vs. $459,799 as of 3/31/02) and a long history of bringing home the bacon to his district.

According to the Detroit News, Rep. Rivers' district includes the particularly Liberal areas around the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, while Dingell's historic district was mostly blue collar union workers dependent on the auto industry. It seems unlikely, for example, that environmentalists among the Ann Arbor voters will appreciate the decades Dingell has spent cozying up to the auto industry. If only because Rivers and Dingell exemplify such different ways of doing business, the fight for Michigan's 15th should end up being one of the most entertaining in some time.

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