Six candidates are running for Michigan's First Congressional District seat in the primary election on Aug. 4. The seat is currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, who is running for a fifth term.
WCMU Public Media sent a questionnaire to all six of the candidates in this race on July 9, asking for their views on different issues impacting the region.
Callie Barr is one of three Democratic candidates in the race. Her responses are listed below.
Methodology: The same survey was sent to all six candidates. Each response was thoroughly reviewed for grammar and accuracy. We also included links and/or editor's notes for additional information and clarity as needed.
Residents throughout the district are most concerned about affordability. What legislative ideas do you have to make life more affordable in northern Michigan?
"This campaign is focused on an affordable life. Families across Upper and Northern Michigan are working harder but falling further behind as housing, health care, groceries, child care, and energy costs continue to rise. My priority is lowering costs for working families, not protecting tax breaks for the wealthiest. I'll fight to expand affordable housing, lower prescription drug prices by allowing the government to negotiate all drug prices, protect and strengthen Social Security, and create universal health care with a public health insurance option, like Medicare. I'll support policies that raise wages, strengthen unions, invest in child care, and bring good-paying jobs to our region through infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, and clean energy. We should also stop rewarding corporations that ship jobs overseas and instead invest in businesses that create jobs here. An affordable life starts with an economy that works for the people who do the work."
Many communities have been affected by PFAS contamination, including Oscoda and Grayling. Residents there are upset after the Department of Defense recently announced that clean-up efforts would be delayed for five more years. What actions can be done in Congress to address people's concerns about the clean-up timeline?
"Jack Bergman has failed to use his clout as a military officer and representative of this district to protect our communities. Clean water is not negotiable. Communities like Oscoda and Grayling have waited far too long while PFAS contamination has threatened drinking water, public health, and local economies. Congress must hold the Department of Defense accountable for meeting cleanup deadlines, require regular public reporting on progress, and provide the funding needed to accelerate remediation—not delay it. We also need to strengthen PFAS standards, expand health monitoring for affected residents, and ensure that polluters, including the federal government when responsible, pay for the cleanup. Our families deserve transparency, urgency, and the confidence that their water is safe."
How should the federal government involve communities when making decisions about implementing AI data centers?
"At the federal level, we need to absolutely ensure protection for our water and the Great Lakes. We also need tough requirements on transparency and assurances that energy costs are paid for by companies not constituents. Finally, we need to make sure that local communities are deciders. Communities must have a meaningful seat at the table before decisions are made—not after construction has already begun. The federal government should require transparent public engagement, environmental and water-use reviews, and coordination with local governments, Tribal Nations, and utility providers before supporting or permitting major AI data center projects. We need to protect natural resources, ensure reliable and affordable energy, safeguard residents' privacy, and make sure local communities share in the benefits through good-paying jobs and infrastructure investments. AI should serve people, and that starts with giving communities voice in the decisions that affect them."
After two years of floods and ice storms, what do you think the federal government should do to help prepare northern counties for future disasters?
"Upper and Northern Michigan have seen firsthand that extreme weather can devastate roads, bridges, homes, businesses, and power systems. The federal government should invest in resilience before disaster strikes by strengthening infrastructure, modernizing the electric grid, improving stormwater systems, expanding broadband and emergency communications, and helping communities harden public facilities against flooding and severe storms. We also need to fully fund FEMA disaster relief, support local emergency responders, and give rural communities the technical assistance they need to access federal grants. Preparing now saves lives, reduces long-term costs, and helps communities recover faster when disasters occur."
Several dams across northern Michigan were at risk of failing after historic floods this spring. How should Congress address improving the district's dam infrastructure?
"Safe dam infrastructure is essential to protecting lives, homes, businesses, and our waterways. Congress should invest in repairing and modernizing aging dams, prioritize projects based on public safety risk, and help local communities that lack the resources to fund major upgrades on their own. We also need to improve inspections, support emergency preparedness, and ensure infrastructure is built to withstand more frequent extreme weather. Protecting Upper and Northern Michigan means making smart investments today that prevent costly disasters tomorrow while safeguarding our communities and the Great Lakes."
Last year, President Donald Trump called a national energy emergency which would accelerate the permitting for different projects regarding oil, power and gas. Line 5 was one of the first projects chosen to fast track the decision to reconstruct a tunnel. Do you back the Trump Administration's assessment in declaring this emergency and fast-tracking of the tunnel permitting process?
"I do not support using a national emergency declaration to bypass thorough environmental review or meaningful public input. Decisions about projects as significant as Line 5 should be based on science, safety, and transparency—not politics. Any Line 5 tunnel project must meet the highest engineering and environmental standards, respect tribal treaty rights, and undergo a rigorous, transparent permitting process. We must protect our Great Lakes by making decisions based on facts, not shortcuts. Line 5 deserves a careful, science-based review because the consequences of a spill in the Straits of Mackinac would be devastating for Upper and Northern Michigan's economy, tourism, fishing, and tribal treaty resources. Any permitting decision should be based on rigorous environmental standards, not political deadlines.
Regarding energy policy, I want to make sure that it is our country, not China, that creates good paying jobs in the clean energy sector for our workers here at home. This is good for our economy and for our precious Great Lakes. This is the future, and we should own it. We can strengthen America's energy security without weakening the protections that safeguard our Great Lakes, our drinking water, and the communities that depend on them. We need an all-of-the-above energy strategy that creates good-paying jobs. That means investing in renewable energy, modernizing our electric grid, expanding energy storage, improving energy efficiency, and supporting workers and communities through transition. Michigan has the talent and manufacturing base to lead the clean energy economy, creating jobs that can't be outsourced while lowering energy costs and reducing pollution.
We don't have to choose between protecting our environment and growing our economy. We can do both by making smart investments, respecting science, and ensuring every major energy project meets environmental and safety standards."
Housing costs are another major concern for voters. Experts say one way to help the market is to build more housing units. How can Congress make it easier for contractors to build more homes, or do you believe other solutions are necessary to alleviate the cost of housing?
"We cannot solve the affordability crisis without addressing housing. Upper and Northern Michigan needs more homes that working families, seniors, and young people can actually afford. Congress recently made bipartisan effort to work to address this with the 21st Century Housing Act. We should expand incentives to build workforce and affordable housing, increase financing for rural communities, and invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure that makes new development possible. We also need to grow the skilled construction workforce through apprenticeships and career and technical education, while reducing unnecessary barriers that slow responsible projects. At the same time, we should protect existing affordable housing, support first-time homebuyers, and crack down on corporate investors that drive up prices by buying large numbers of homes. Housing is a local issue, but the federal government can be a strong partner in making sure every family has access to a safe, affordable place to live."
What role should American foreign policy play moving forward in Iran?
"The United States should pursue a foreign policy that protects our national security, prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, supports our allies, and avoids unnecessary, unending and extremely expensive wars that we should never have gotten into to begin with. The best outcome is a durable diplomatic solution backed by strong verification that permanently dismantles Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities. At the same time, we must deter aggression, protect U.S. personnel and partners in the region, and respond decisively to attacks on Americans. Congress must assert and exercise its constitutional role in decisions about the use of military force, not simply hand off this authority to a president. Doing so, would have prevented the current crisis we are in. Any long-term strategy should combine diplomacy, economic pressure, and targeted security cooperation to promote stability while reducing the risk of a broader regional conflict."
