Matthew DenOtter pitches healthcare background, business mindset in MI-01 Republican primary bid
Matthew DenOtter, one of three Republicans vying for Michigan's 1st Congressional District seat, says his 25 years in the healthcare industry sets him apart from the field — and that fixing rural healthcare access in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula would be among his top priorities if elected to Congress.
DenOtter, who is self-funding his campaign and signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge, sat down with the Leelanau Enterprise for a video interview in mid-June ahead of the August 4 primary. He is challenging incumbent Jack Bergman and fellow Republican Justin Michal for the GOP nomination in the nation's largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River.
A Grand Rapids native and Calvin College graduate, DenOtter said AstraZeneca relocated him to the Marquette area early in his career, where he developed deep ties to the UP. He now owns a home in Boyne City, a connection he said gives him roots on both ends of the sprawling 36-county district.
A bottom-up approach
DenOtter said he views leadership differently than his opponents, describing his philosophy as bottom-up rather than top-down. He said he evaluates policy by working backwards from outcomes, weighing potential consequences before committing to a position — an approach he said comes directly from his healthcare background.
He said he has identified five bipartisan issues he believes the district can unite around in his first two years, arguing that divisive social issues should be set aside initially in favor of shared priorities like jobs, healthcare, tourism, broadband, and environmental protection.
"We're all up here because we don't want to be downstate," DenOtter said. "We can feel the difference. That's what we want to unite around, because we all care about this place the same."
He also signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge, which he said goes hand-in-hand with his self-funded campaign. He argued term limits reduce the influence of PAC money on elected officials and ensure members of Congress remain focused on outcomes rather than political survival.
Healthcare
Rural healthcare access was the centerpiece of DenOtter's platform. He said the UP has declined from a regional gold standard in healthcare to what he described as a desert, with patients now driving an hour and a half each way to see providers.
He said Congress has existing tools — specifically critical need designations — that can quickly increase reimbursement rates for rural providers, making northern Michigan a competitive market for doctors and specialists without requiring sweeping legislation.
"That's something I can do in Congress," DenOtter said. "It wouldn't take that long to actuate it."
He also took aim at Medicare Advantage plans, arguing that insurers like Humana and Priority Health are paid upfront to manage Medicare plans and as a result delay or deny care through prior authorization — a dynamic he said he witnessed firsthand in wound care, where delays can turn serious.
"If somebody had a wound leaking, they could get septic and die," DenOtter said. "You're on a clock. You're battling the insurance company at the same time."
He said he wants to redirect reform dollars toward patients and providers and use the power of the purse to incentivize competitive healthcare markets in rural areas, drawing on his experience sending providers directly to patients' homes — a model he said is now threatened by changing reimbursement structures that he argued will take an act of Congress to fix.
The UP's economy and tourism
Beyond healthcare, DenOtter said the UP is sitting on untapped economic potential that better federal policy could unlock. He pointed to the Porcupine Mountains as one example, suggesting an expansion of camping stay limits from two and a half days to 14 could generate significant local revenue while supporting the businesses and tax base needed to reopen hospitals like the one Ontonagon County lost.
He said snowmobile trail connectivity is another underutilized asset, noting that he traversed the entire UP as a sales territory and sees destination-to-destination trail development as a driver of year-round tourism. He argued that neighboring Wisconsin is pulling Upper Peninsula tourism dollars because of better trail and amenity infrastructure on its side of the border.
DenOtter also called for recruiting major acts and events to northern Michigan to provide the influx of tourism revenue he said the region "desperately needs."
Data centers and the environment
On data centers, DenOtter said he is not currently supportive, citing the unknown environmental risks to the Great Lakes and groundwater. He said he approaches the issue the way a healthcare provider would approach an unproven treatment — letting others take on the risk first and waiting for real-world outcome data before applying it to a region with irreplaceable natural resources.
"Whenever I'm functioning in the unknown, I use caution," DenOtter said. "Because I'm conservative."
He said he would prefer to see nuclear energy expansion in the UP as a cleaner and better-understood alternative to meet the region's power needs. He cited advances in nuclear technology and said it would provide high-paying jobs without putting the Great Lakes at risk.
DenOtter also said he would oppose the proposed solar farm in the Leelanau area, citing the same precautionary principle around soil leaching and environmental impact on glacial groundwater.
War powers and FISA
On constitutional issues, DenOtter said he believes Congress must be formally involved whenever American troops are deployed on the ground, arguing that voters deserve a voice in decisions that put lives at risk and carry significant economic consequences — pointing to fuel prices during previous conflicts as an example of unintended downstream effects.
When asked about Bergman's vote to renew warrantless surveillance powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, DenOtter said he had not yet had time to review the measure and declined to take a position, but said he would follow up. He acknowledged it was an important question given the level of concern he has heard from constituents.
On the campaign trail
DenOtter said his campaign started later than he would have liked but has gained momentum quickly. He said the campaign has logged more than 60,000 unique website visits, averaging more than 850 new unique visitors per day, and has produced 12 video commercials.
He pointed to a recent parade appearance at the Bridge Fest in Houghton-Hancock — drawing roughly 10,000 people — as a turning point, saying he was surprised by the enthusiasm from young voters in particular.
"Kids were asking to take my picture with them," DenOtter said. "These are college kids. If my message resonates with them, they see hope that they can stay there, that there's gonna be jobs, there's gonna be progress."
He said that response confirmed for him that his pitch on rural healthcare, jobs, and protecting northern Michigan's quality of life is breaking through — and that it distinguishes him from Michal, whom he said lacks the funds to run a competitive race, and Bergman, whom he said has left too many areas of the district behind during his time in office.
His story
DenOtter said he did not originally move north to run for office. He said he and his wife fell in love with the area, bought a home, and relocated to address a gap in wound care services — building a team of 30 providers making in-home visits across the UP. When reimbursement changes made that model unsustainable, he said, he viewed it as an opportunity rather than a setback.
He described his decision to run as a matter of faith, saying he prayed for direction and within 30 days found himself in a congressional race he hadn't planned for. He said he and his wife chose to self-fund rather than retire on their savings, and that being financially stable enough to bring his family to Washington — including his 10-year-old daughter — was part of what made the decision feel right.
"I could either retire, or I could do this," DenOtter said. "And we decided to self-fund the race."
More information on DenOtter's campaign is available at DenOtterForMichigan.com. The Leelanau Enterprise will publish interviews with all candidates in the MI-01 race ahead of the August 4 primary.
