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2014 congressional candidacy
In August 2013, Cannon announced that he would challenge Republican Congressman Dan Benishek
Daniel Joseph Benishek (April 20, 1952 – October 15, 2021) was an American physician and politician who served three terms as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. He was a member of the Republican Party.
Early life and education
Be ...
in Michigan's 1st congressional district
Michigan's 1st congressional district is a United States congressional district that fully contains the 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and 20 counties of Northern Michigan in the Lower Peninsula. The district is currently represen ...
. Cannon ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 5, 2014. He was defeated by Benishek in the general election.
Cannon was endorsed by the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...
, and the League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "builds political power for people and the planet." Through its affiliated super PAC, it is a major supporter of the Democratic Party. The org ...
. Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...
's campaign committee has donated to Cannon's campaign.
In January 2014, Cannon was interviewed by a reporter from the ''Daily Mining Gazette''. The day after the interview, the reporter called Cannon to ask follow-up questions. The person who answered the phone identified himself as Cannon, and went on to express his dislike of the Affordable Care Act. Cannon's campaign denied that he had made the anti-Affordable Care Act comments, and the newspaper later revealed that the reporter had dialed the wrong number and had spoken with a Cannon impersonator, and not Cannon himself. Cannon's campaign subsequently confirmed his support for the Affordable Care Act. Cannon has noted his belief that the "worst thing that could be done" to the Affordable Care Act is to "throw it all away."
Personal life
Cannon has a wife, Elizabeth. The Cannons live in Fife Lake, Michigan
Fife Lake ( ) is a Village (United States), village in southeastern Grand Traverse County, Michigan, Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 456 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 443 at the 20 ...
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Cannon is a member of the Kalkaska Memorial Health Center Board of Trustees, chairman of the Garfield Township Parks and Recreation Committee, and a board member of the Northern Michigan Law Enforcement Training Group.[
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Controversy
Cannon came under public scrutiny in November 2018 after a widely shared online police body camera video depicted Cannon offering to "take responsibility" for Midland County Sheriff Scott Stephenson - after he had been found drunkenly slumped over in his car on the side of a Kalkaska County
Kalkaska County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,939. The county seat is Kalkaska.
Kalkaska County is part of the Traverse City metropolitan area. Although it is located on Michigan's ...
Road - in an apparent attempt to stop Stephenson from being arrested and jailed for drunk driving.
The body camera footage depicts Stephenson begging the responding Kalkaska officer and Cannon, the Garfield Township Police Chief who was off duty at the time, to not send him to jail. After Stephenson's pleas, Cannon can be seen stepping away from the scene to make a phone call, only to return and explain nothing could be done, saying: "I'm not the sheriff anymore... d the old days and ways are gone."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Jerry
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Northwestern Michigan College
Place of birth missing (living people)
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War
Michigan sheriffs
Michigan Democrats
Central Michigan University alumni
University of Detroit Mercy alumni
People from Grand Traverse County, Michigan
People from Kalkaska County, Michigan
United States Army War College alumni
Michigan National Guard personnel
National Guard (United States) generals
United States Army personnel of the Iraq War
United States Marine Corps non-commissioned officers