There's a political battle brewing in Michigan's 11th Congressional District.
Put simply: A Republican Congressman who was thumped in the primary decided to mount a write-in campaign, even though it could drain off enough votes to send the Democratic candidate to Washington.
Republican Kerry Bentivolio, sometimes known as "the accidental congressman," was the only Michigan congressman to lose his primary in August. That means new faces are running for the 11th District seat: Republican Dave Trott, who beat Bentivolio in the primary, and Democrat Bobby McKenzie.
Detroit Free Press Washington reporter Todd Spangler has been following the race. He says while McKenzie is a relative newcomer, Trott has deep ties to local political circles and strong backing by the mainstream Republican party.
But Trott's weak spot may have been the continued attack by both Bentivolio and McKenzie on the real estate law firm he used to run. They campaign ads criticized Trott for making money from foreclosures in Michigan.
However, Spangler says even though Bentivolio and McKenzie have been running aggressive campaigns against Trott, they may have a steep climb to knock Trott off.
* Listen to our conversation with Todd Spangler above.
