The Spinal Column Newsweekly gives endorsements to Dr. Taj and Dave Curson

11th U.S. Congressional District, Two-year term
(Waterford, West Bloomfield, White Lake, Commerce, Wolverine Lake, Walled Lake, Wixom, Milford, White Lake, Highland)

Dr. Syed Taj, a Canton Township Democrat, has inherited a dicey political situation in which his opponent, Milford Republican Kerry Bentivolio, was until May thought to be a dark horse candidate with no real shot at winning against former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter.

Fast-forward to the week before the Nov. 6 general election. McCotter is toast, and voters in the strongly conservative 11th Congressional District are forced to pick between a Democrat who supports universal health care and a Republican whose spotty record, at best, makes us leery. Also couple that with Bentivolio being largely sequestered from the media, virtually unwilling to field reporters’ questions, and you have a recipe that leads us to support Taj.

Taj’s political resume may be thin — he’s a first-term member of the Canton Township Board of Trustees — but Bentivolio’s is much thinner. But Taj, in an interview this summer, brought with him a willingness to work with Republicans and a sense of civic duty we found refreshing.

He’s fluent on the issues and can address them — as a doctor, particularly our flawed health care system — with ease. We’re confident he would be a good advocate for the 11th District in Washington, D.C., which is more than we can say about Bentivolio, who even establishment members of his own party view as too extreme.

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11th U.S. Congressional District, Partial term
(Waterford, White Lake, Highland, Milford, Commerce, Wolverine Lake, Walled, Wixom)