Democratic candidate for Congress in Michigan’s Sixth District Matt Longjohn has been under fire this week by Republicans. They say he has never been licensed as a doctor in Michigan, although he’s campaigned as a doctor and on healthcare issues as looks to replace Congressman Fred Upton. Longjohn tells WSJM News he graduated with a medical degree and has not been misrepresenting himself.
“I earned my medical doctorate from Tulane University in 1999, graduated from an accredited medical school, and have all the debt to show for earning my medical degree,” Longjohn said.
Longjohn’s campaign logo has a heartbeat monitor, but he says he has never claimed to be a practicing clinical doctor in Michigan.
“There’s never been a misrepresentation of myself in this campaign, wearing a stethoscope or a white coat or misrepresenting myself in any way,” Longjohn said. “I earned that M.D. If Mr. Upton or the Republican party in Michigan wants to take it away from me, I think they should pay my medical school loans.”
Longjohn did a residency at Northwestern, and has focused his career on public health policy. Upton campaign manager Nate Henschel has issued a statement reading, “The law is clear. Now that Longjohn’s been caught using smoke and mirrors to hype his professional background, hopefully he will apologize to the voters and take down his deceptive campaign materials.” Longjohn says this represents Trump-style smear tactics.
Berrien County Democratic Party Chair Eric Lester, a doctor, has issued a statement saying, “Public health doctors do not treat individual patients, they develop programs for improving the health of the general population. They do not need to be licensed by the state.” Lester calls Longjohn “one of our country’s most distinguished public health physicians.”
