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Paul Mitchell III (November 14, 1956 – August 15, 2021) was an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 10th congressional district from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party for most of his Congressional tenure, he left the party in December 2020, three weeks prior to his departure from Congress, and became an independent.[1] In July 2019, Mitchell announced that he would not run for re-election in 2020 to spend more time with his family.
Paul Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 10th district | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Candice Miller |
| Succeeded by | Lisa McClain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 14, 1956 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 2021 (aged 64) |
| Political party | Republican (until 2020) Independent (2020–2021) |
| Spouse |
Sherry Mitchell (m. 2008) |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | Michigan State University (BA) |
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Mitchell was born in Boston, Massachusetts. The oldest of six children, he was raised in Waterford Township, Michigan.
Mitchell graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in 1978.[2]
Paul Mitchell previously owned and operated Ross Medical Education Center.[3] He ran for the 32nd district seat in the Michigan State Senate in 2013 to succeed Roger Kahn,[4] but withdrew from the race.[5] He became the chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition of Michigan, a conservative nonprofit foundation.[6] Mitchell led a campaign opposed to Proposal 1, a ballot proposition proposing a tax plan for roads, on the May 2015 ballot.[7][8]
Mitchell ran for the United States House of Representatives in Michigan's 4th congressional district in 2014, losing the Republican Party primary election to John Moolenaar.[9] He moved to Michigan's 10th congressional district in 2015 to run for the House of Representatives in that district, following Candice Miller's decision not to run for reelection.[3][10][11] He won the primary, defeating Phil Pavlov and Alan Sanborn.[12] Mitchell won the general election, defeating Frank Accavitti.[13]
Mitchell assumed office on January 3, 2017. He was a member of the Republican Study Committee.[14] He voted in favor of the unsuccessful American Health Care Act of 2017, which would have repealed the Affordable Care Act and replaced it with another program.[15]
In July 2019, Mitchell announced he would not seek a third term in Congress, citing the "rhetoric and vitriol" of the federal government, a desire to spend more time with his family, and health issues.[16]
Shortly after a post on Twitter was sent by President Donald Trump on July 14, telling four female, minority, first-term congressional representatives to "go back" to their countries of origin, Mitchell called a fellow House GOP leader and asked him to persuade Trump to cease his rhetoric.[17] Mitchell said, "It's the wrong thing for a leader to say", and he told the leader, "It's politically damaging to the party, to the country."[18] A few days later, while Mitchell waited to go on to a prime-time television network appearance, he saw a clip of Trump rally attendees chanting, "send her back," aimed at one of the congresswomen, Ilhan Omar.[18] Mitchell asked an aide, "How do I even respond to this on TV?" For Mitchell, the final straw was the refusal of Trump staffers to listen.[18] Mitchell begged Vice President Mike Pence, and the Vice President's Chief of Staff Marc Short to arrange a one-on-one conversation between Mitchell and Trump to address his misgivings.[17]
On November 29, 2020, Mitchell tweeted a response to a tweet by Trump claiming rigged elections: "Oh my God. . @realDonaldTrump Please for the sake of our Nation please drop these arguments without evidence or factual basis. #stopthestupid".[19] The hashtag is a reference to "stop the steal", a slogan used by Trump supporters who claimed that the election had been stolen from Trump.[20]
On December 14, 2020, during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Mitchell announced he would no longer continue as a member of the Republican Party and would serve out the rest of his term in Congress as an independent.[21]
Committee assignments
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Mitchell moved to Saginaw County, Michigan, when he married his wife, Sherry Mitchell, in 2008. A longtime resident of Thomas Township, near Saginaw,[25] he purchased a home in Dryden Township to run for the 10th district seat in Congress.
In June 2021, Mitchell announced he had been diagnosed with stage 4 renal cancer and underwent surgery to remove a mass and blood clot near his heart.[26] He died on August 15, 2021, aged 64.[27][28]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Moolenaar | 34,399 | 52.4 | |
| Republican | Paul Mitchell | 23,844 | 36.3 | |
| Republican | Peter Konetchy | 7,408 | 11.3 | |
| Majority | 10,555 | 16.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Mitchell | 30,114 | 38.0 | |
| Republican | Phillip Pavlov | 22,018 | 27.8 | |
| Republican | Alan Sanborn | 12,640 | 15.9 | |
| Republican | Tony Forlini | 7,888 | 9.9 | |
| Republican | David VanAssche | 6,690 | 8.4 | |
| Majority | 8,096 | 10.2 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Mitchell | 215,132 | 63.1 | −5.6 | |
| Democratic | Frank Accavitti Jr. | 110,112 | 32.3 | +2.9 | |
| Libertarian | Lisa Lane Gioia | 10,612 | 3.1 | +3.1 | |
| Green | Benjamin Nofs | 5,127 | 1.5 | −0.5 | |
| Majority | 105,120 | 30.8 | −8.5 | ||
| Turnout | 340,983 | +49.1 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Mitchell (incumbent) | 182,808 | 60.3 | −2.8 | |
| Democratic | Kimberly Bizon | 106,061 | 35.0 | +2.7 | |
| Independent | Jeremy Peruski | 11,344 | 3.7 | ||
| Green | Harley Mikkelson | 2,851 | 0.9 | −0.6 | |
| Majority | 76,747 | 25.3 | −5.5 | ||
| Turnout | 303,064 | −11.1 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
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