Zebulon Featherly, an apprentice electrician who grew up near Houghton, is running with no party affiliation for Michigan's 1st Congressional District in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, general election. His campaign, branded “No Party, Just People,” presents him as an independent candidate with a working-class background outside the two major parties.
"I'm running for Congress because I'm tired of watching our government put party politics ahead of the people it's supposed to represent," Featherly wrote in the Surround Sound News candidate questionnaire received Thursday, Sept. 24.
He has no previous elected or appointed office.
Featherly said he wants to listen to residents of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, work across party lines and be honest about his decisions.
Candidate information
- Office sought: U.S. House of Representatives, Michigan 1st Congressional District
- Party: No Party Affiliation
- Residence: Based in Traverse City; grew up near Houghton
- Education: Graduated from Houghton High School. Attended Eastern Michigan University for one year. Completed a six-month wind energy program at the Northwestern Renewable Energy Institute in Vancouver, Washington, graduating as valedictorian. Currently in an electrical apprenticeship.
- Career: Apprentice electrician (on leave to campaign). Previously worked five years as a traveling wind turbine technician, in manufacturing assembling automatic pool covers and as a mountain bike trail builder.
- Website: zebulonforcongress.com
Experience and public service
Featherly said his experience comes from hands-on work in the trades, where he led crews, made safety-critical decisions and learned to communicate under pressure.
His campaign collected more than 3,000 signatures to earn a spot on the ballot as an independent, according to his questionnaire response. He said he holds regular virtual town halls and publishes his campaign finances publicly.
Featherly said he participated in candidate forums early in the race, including events that Rep. Jack Bergman and Callie Barr did not attend. He also said Bergman's last publicly documented in-person town hall was in 2017. Those claims could not be independently verified from available sources.
On the issues
Top priority: campaign finance reform. Featherly said his first priority is removing corporate money from politics. He supports overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision and banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
Cost of living. Featherly said he would support raising the federal minimum wage, investing in more attainable housing, simplifying permitting and limiting large investors from buying homes families could otherwise purchase. He also supports stronger antitrust enforcement in the food supply chain and a wealth tax on net worth above $1 billion.
Health care. Featherly supports universal health care, expanded Medicare prescription drug price negotiations and limits on out-of-pocket costs. He said he would protect rural hospitals, expand mental health services and strengthen the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid.
National security. Featherly said he opposes an open-ended war with Iran and wants Congress to require authorization for continued military operations with defined limits. He said he opposes continued U.S. military funding for Israel's actions in Gaza, which he called "genocide," and favors diplomacy over prolonged conflict.
Energy and environment. Featherly, who worked five years in wind energy, said he supports investing in renewables, battery storage and grid modernization. He backs domestic manufacturing of emerging technologies like sodium-ion batteries.
He supports stronger protections for the Great Lakes, forests and waterways and oversight of mining and industrial projects.
Featherly said the best advice he ever received was to own his mistakes and stay open to learning. "I think it's important to take responsibility when you make a mistake, listen when someone challenges you, and be willing to change your mind when you learn something new," he wrote.
Featherly's full platform is posted at zebulonforcongress.com.
