ESCANABA — State Rep. Beau LaFave is taking exception to being refered to as a kid by his Democratic opponent.

Although Bob Romps does not directly call LaFave, who is 26, a kid, he often remarks that he is older and said this when they both appeared on the Ryan Report this week on TV6.

“I’ve been around a long time. I’m not a kid. I’ve raised my family. I’ve watched my family move away. I’ve paid taxes. My wife and I own a business. We’ve seen the problems,” Romps said.

LaFave says the state legislature needs a diversity of viewpoints including those of different generations. He says he has made a difference as a younger representative.

“I’m tired of the U.P. losing population. Thank goodness our older folks are living longer. That’s fantastic. We need to work on healthcare and continue that trend. But, when we lose population it’s because people my age leave. So we need someone in Lansing who is going to fight for people who are my age, kids if you want to call us that, can stay here in the U.P. and get a job and that’s what I have been doing for two years,” he said.

LaFave was 24 when he was first elected to the legislature in 2016. He says he has grown in the job and learned to be more moderate on how he handles issues.