Congressman-elect Kerry Bentivolio (R-Milford) will assume office today, beginning a two-year term representing Michigan's newly realigned 11th Congressional District.
Bentivolio is among 84 freshmen representatives taking part in today's swearing-in ceremonies.
Bentivolio, who defeated Syed Taj (D-Canton) in the Nov. 6 election, will succeed U.S. Rep. David Curson (D-Belleville), who won a special election on Nov. 6 to fill the remaining weeks of former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's (R-Livonia) term.
McCotter resigned his office in July amid a petition-fraud scandal and leak of a television script to Detroit media.
According to C-SPAN, the House of Representatives will open the 113th Congress today with elections for House Speaker, followed by the swearing of members.
The House Speaker will be sworn in by the Dean of the House before administering the oath of office to the House, C-SPAN reported.
The new makeup of House of Representatives includes 234 Republicans and 200 Democrats, Jesse Jackson Jr.'s (D-IL) seat vacant until an April 9 special election, C-SPAN reported.
In the shorter term, we might see today whether Rep. Bentivolio will be an ideologue or a pragmatist -- assuming there's a "revolt" on the Republican side against Speaker John Boehner. Finally, let's give a hearty salute and THANK YOU! to outgoing Rep. David Curson, for providing stability and sanity during his all-too-brief tenure in Congress during the "lame duck" session.
Dave Curson won big in such "old 11th" communities as Dearborn Heights, Westland, Garden City, Inkster, Wayne, Redford and Belleville -- in part because he was running alongside incumbent Reps. John Dingell and John Conyers (in the "new 12th" and "new 13th" Districts). On the other hand, the "new 11th" towns outside the shaded space -- including Troy, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Auburn Hills, Clawson and Farmington City -- had only one Congressional race on the ballot: Bentivolio vs. Taj. There, the inherent Republican lean delivered, and so we wound up with Rep. Bentivolio for the next two years. And if my read of area Republicans is right, the next two years is all they'll tolerate when Kerry proves to be the clown show wingnut he appeared to be during the campaign. He will be primaried in 2014 and probably lose that August, even as Democrats scramble to find someone credible to run that November.