Kerry Bentivolio has been a flop as a homebuilder, writes Detroit News columnist Laura Berman.
His teaching career ended abruptly last year under pressure. His Santa Claus credentials once were rejected by the White House.
When he popped up on the 11th District ballot, his own party leaders tried to mount a challenge against him in the August primary, dubbing the libertarian Ron Paul acolyte "Krazy Kerry."
Yet Bentivolio, the unlikely Republican candidate for the 11th congressional district, is riding a gerrymandered jet stream toward a $174,000 a year job in the nation's Capitol.
Bentivolio is standing down and out of the way, avoiding direct confrontation or scrutiny. He's dodged most public forums and participated in only one debate.
In a recent Detroit News interview, Bentivolio acknowledged that his handlers wanted him to "stand pat." In recent days, he's shaken hands at cider mills and a mom-to-mom sale at a high school.
