VULCAN – Ed McBroom of Vulcan wasn’t sure at first if he should continue his run for the State Senate after his brother Carl died earlier this month in a car accident. But now he says he has the drive to continue.

The concern was that he owed his brother’s family his time as his brother did for his family when he served in the State House.

“He was the father when I was gone and it just felt like I owed it to him to stay with them. But, my wife, Carl’s wife, my dad and a lot of other friends were very insistent that I stay in. The kids are older now than when I ran in 2010 and that they could handle it and that I should do this and that Carl would want me to do it because he believed in it,” McBroom said.

McBroom and his brother ran a farm together in Dickinson County. McBroom is now making campaign appearances again and says he is committed to winning the race.

“As much as I like farming I’m better as a legislator,” he said. “I like doing it. I get to help people, I get to solve problems for folks, I get to fight over policy and fight for the constitution, fight for our rights. I enjoy all that.”

Issues on the campaign trail include auto insurance reform, energy costs, opioid crisis and educational flexibility.

McBroom first faces Mike Carey in the August Republican primary. The winner will go up against State Rep. Scott Dianda of Calumet. The 38th State Senate District covers 12 of the 15 counties in the U.P.

State Senator Tom Casperson is not running for re-election due to term limits. He is endorsing McBroom to replace him.