Kerry Bentivolio (born October 6, 1951) is an American politician and teacher of 15 years, who is the former United States Representative for Michigan's 11th congressional district, in office from 2013 to 2015. Bentivolio, a Republican, defeated Democratic nominee Syed Taj, a physician, in the November 6, 2012 election. The seat was vacated by Representative Thaddeus McCotter, who resigned from Congress on July 6, 2012, and was briefly held by Democrat David Curson of Belleville, Michigan. Bentivolio was defeated for the Republican nomination in his bid for a second term by attorney David Trott. He launched a write-in campaign for the November 2014 general election but lost again to Trott. After Trott announced he was not seeking reelection in 2018, Bentivolio again sought election in the eleventh district, but finished last in the primary. In October 2019, Bentivolio announced that he would again run for his former congressional seat against Democrat Haley Stevens. Bentivolio worked as a designer in the automotive industry for twenty years, followed by teaching for fifteen years in schools and institutions. He is an Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War.
