CHANNING – A political newcomer, State Senate candidate Mike Carey of Channing said he is running for Senate because he wants to make an impact on the Upper Peninsula, rather than a few counties that are served by a state representative.

“That’s why the senate seat. It’s 12 counties in the Upper Peninsula rather than three and I want to accomplish something for all of us, for the entire Upper Peninsula,” Carey said.

He said, at 60 years old, if he ran for State Representative first he would be in his late 60s or early 70s before he could run for State Senate.

“But between 60 and 70, I’m all in. I’m full of energy, full of ambition. That’s a good time to dedicate to the Upper Peninsula,” he said.
Carey is a candidate in the Republican primary Tuesday. He faces former State Rep. Ed McBroom of Vulcan.

One of the biggest challenges for Carey is name recognition. He owns two businesses in Iron Mountain but is not well-known throughout the vast senate district.

“So that is the toughest part for me, the unknown. I’m the non-politician. I’m the only non-politician running. I’m a 35 year business person. The only way I can do it is get out and pound the pavement to let people know who I am, what I believe in, what my goals are, what we as a people in the Upper Peninsula can accomplish,” said Carey.

Among the issues that he talks about are environmental concerns. He is against Line 5 at the Straits of Mackinac. He supports mining efforts. As a businessman, he said it is possible to balance environmental and economic development concerns.
An example, buying bottled water in a box.

“Buy bottled water and support the petroleum industry and pollute our lakes and streams and oceans or we can move to boxed water. It’s biodegradable, renewal, recyclable and value engineered to help our timber industry instead of our petroleum industry,” Carey said.

The winner of Tuesday’s primary will face State Rep. Scott Dianda of Calumet in November.