Kerry Lynn Bentivolio[1] (born October 6, 1951) is an American politician and educator who is the former United States Representative for Michigan's 11th congressional district, in office from 2013 to 2015.

After Trott announced he was not seeking reelection in 2018, Bentivolio again sought election in the eleventh district, but finished last in the primary.

He transferred to Michigan State University in East Lansing to attend further courses in 1975 and met his future wife, Karen.

[8][9] Bentivolio enlisted in the United States Army in November 1968 and served in South Vietnam from 1970 to 1971 as an infantry rifleman.

He was deployed to Iraq in 2007 with an Artillery unit as a senior human resources sergeant performing combat convoy missions.

[10] Bentiviolio has worked as an autoworker, reindeer rancher, automotive designer, teacher, commercial home builder, Santa Claus for hire, and amateur actor before running for political office.

Bentivolio called a news conference in Milford, whereupon the creditor complained and newspapers reported on the bankruptcy story.

In 2011, Bentivolio announced his candidacy for Michigan's 11th congressional district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and was considered a long-shot to defeat incumbent Thaddeus McCotter for the Republican nomination.

[16][17][18] Although McCotter initially announced he would mount a write-in campaign for the seat, he opted to retire at the end of his term.

Bentivolio faced former state senator Nancy Cassis, a write-in candidate, for the district's Republican primary.

[19][20] In the movie, a fictional president instigates the September 11, 2001 attacks in a plot to justify the invasion of Iraq, but cannot get to heaven until he converts to Islam.

[20] On August 7, 2012, Bentivolio defeated Cassis and won the district's Republican nomination, pitting him against Democratic nominee Syed Taj, a physician, in the November 6, 2012 election.

Bentivolio faced an August 5, 2014, Republican primary challenge for the Michigan's 11th congressional district seat from lawyer David Trott who announced his bid on September 4, 2013.

[28] However, Bentivolio mounted what The Hill described as a lackluster write-in campaign for the November 2014 election to continue serving in his seat.

[29] Bentivolio finished the general election behind Trott, Democratic challenger, Bobby McKenzie, and Libertarian candidate John Tatar, and relinquished his seat in January.

[30] A May 20–22 poll of likely Republican primary voters run by Target Insyght and commissioned by MIRS (Michigan Information & Research Service, Inc.) showed Rep. Bentivolio leading Trott 33% to 21%.

"[34] Bentivolio originally sought to run for Congress in 2016 as a Republican again,[35] however he abandoned these plans and launched a short lived bid to seek the Libertarian nomination for vice president.

[41] After the seat was flipped into Democratic hands by Haley Stevens, Bentivolio again filed to run in the Republican primary.

[51][52] In a video published[53] on August 23, 2013, from a town hall meeting in his district, Bentivolio said it would be a "dream come true"[54] to submit a bill with articles of impeachment for President Barack Obama.

Bentivolio admitted to not having any outright evidence and instead requesting the advice of "lawyers, [with] PhDs in history" to "Tell me how I can impeach the president of the United States."