MARQUETTE — The fallout from Congressman Jack Bergman’s endorsement of State Senatorial candidate Beau LaFave is continuing to unravel. State Senatorial candidate and current State Rep. David Prestin has responded to allegations made Tuesday by Bergman and LaFave stating that Prestin committed acts of domestic violence.

The allegations came after State Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Waucedah Township) released a joint statement with state representatives Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock) and Karl Bohnak (R-Deerton) rescinding their support of Bergman over his endorsement of LaFave.

“I’m disappointed – but not surprised – that several Upper Peninsula legislators have withdrawn their endorsement from our Pro-Trump, America First campaign,” said Bergman in a statement released on Tuesday. “Their reason? I refused to support Ed McBroom and Greg Markkanen’s hand-picked Senate candidate, Dave Prestin, who pled guilty to domestic violence.”

“I was fired by Greg Markkanen for not endorsing their favorite candidate: a former Chicago Nightclub owner who pled guilty to domestic battery after beating his wife for years,” LaFave said in a Tuesday statement, referring to Prestin. “Beating women wasn’t exactly the ‘U.P. values’ I had assumed Ed and Greg were talking about.”

In Prestin’s response, he stated that “33 years ago, I pushed my then-fiancee during an argument. I took responsibility, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, and completed counseling with her. We then married but parted ways a year later. I deeply regret this simple incident, but it was a profound learning experience. I’m a different man today, shaped by decades of growth and commitment to family and community — including 25 years of marriage to my beautiful wife, Katie, during which we raised our beloved daughter, Mattie.”

“It’s disappointing that a desperate opponent is dredging up one incident from more than three decades ago-one that’s been raised before, and one that I’ve never run from,” said Prestin. “Rather than dwelling on a distant mistake, we should be focused on our legislative records, service, experience and dedication to the U.P.

“I’m honored to have the support of the entire U.P. legislative team, as well as Diane Casperson, wife of the late Sen. Tom Casperson. These endorsements reflect years of hard work on behalf of our peninsula. I encourage my opponents to join me in focusing on real issues impacting the U.P. rather than one regrettable push that happened when I was a young man 33 years ago.”

NMU professor weighs in

Robert Kulisheck, professor emeritus in political science at Northern Michigan University, said he finds the recent unravelings within the U.P. Republican bloc to be unusual. “I was surprised by the intensity and vehemence of the criticisms exchanged by various representatives in the republican party,” said Kulisheck. “(It was) very uncommon. Listening and reading the things said about Bergman (in McBroom’s statement) almost echoed types of criticisms made by Democrats over years.”

One of the criticisms McBroom made of Bergman in his initial statement was that “for years, Congressman Bergman has been criticized for being absent from the U.P.”

Markkanen made a similar comment, quoted in McBroom’s news release, that “we need a congressman who listens to the people who live here and understands what’s at stake, not someone who drops in for carefully staged public appearances.”

These types of statements, alluding to Bergman’s residence in Louisiana and his lack of town halls or other constituent meetings or forums, are historically ones made by democratic opposition, not by members of Bergman’s own party.

“The criticisms seem to go beyond the specific question of who should be endorsed to replace McBroom in the state senate,” said Kalisheck. “It became very personal and intense, and went beyond that particular issue and questioned the whole way in which congressman Bergman has been representing the district.”

With an election fast approaching, these kinds of statements can have far-reaching implications. McBroom’s state senate seat will be up, and Bergman, Markkanen and Bohnak are all up for reelection.

“This conflict expressed publicly will have an impact on the election for McBroom’s seat, and will have implications on the election for the House of Representatives seat in the fall,” said Kulisheck. “Republicans, to have an effective campaign, will have to find some way to resolve these issues.

“I think (Democrats) will be listening. When your opponent gets into a fight, you don’t get between them. You hold their coats and let them fight.”