Indian River resident Larry Hull in the running for 106th House seat

Indian River resident Larry Hull is running this August in the primary election for the 106th Michigan House of Representatives District. 

In the upcoming Aug. 2 election, Hull will face off against two other Republicans for the House seat, which will be vacated by Sue Allor.

The Michigan House of Representative's 106th District encompasses Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Presque Isle counties, and a portion of Oscoda County. It also covers almost all of Cheboygan County, except for Mackinaw City and Mackinaw Township. The area that is covered by the Mackinaw City Public Schools district is in the 107th district.

"I have been retired for nine years," said Hull. "The reason I'm doing this is not so much for me, but it is for my granddaughters, my grandkids, and the country, because we are on the wrong trajectory."

More:Fielder announces candidacy for 106th House District

Hull said he "woke up" after the election in November 2020 and felt someone needed to do something to help change things for the state and country. He said he isn't running because he needs another career, but he wants to break the power structure he sees in the house of representatives and to make the lawmakers more responsive to their constituents. He is also the only United States veteran currently running for the seat.

"I have a purpose in mind to break the power structure in Lansing, so that the representatives and the senators can actually represent the people that put them there, not the power structure," he said.

Hull was born in Detroit and grew up in St. Clair Shores. He graduated from high school and then attended the University of Michigan, where he earned a bachelor's degree in natural resource planning and conservation.

More:Cavitt announces candidacy for 106th State House district

After graduating from college, he went to Rhode Island where he completed his Naval Officer Candidate School training and was commissioned in the United States Navy. He was then deployed to Vietnam, serving active duty in the military until 1975. He moved to Indian River in 1977, met his wife Patty, they were married, and they have been living there ever since.

He has served on a public body before, having served four years on the Tuscarora Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

Hull said there are so many issues he feels are not being adequately addressed, including the issues surrounding the 2020 election. This is what made him want to run for state representative. He has also been concerned with the lack of transparency and communication between current legislators and their constituents, which is something he wants to change.

More:Balog running for state representative of 106th district

Hull has several issues he wants to start addressing if elected to office. First, he said he wants to take a look at the state's budget, which he said has increased considerably, while the state's population has remained fairly level. He said he plans on going through budgets from several years ago and matching them up to current budgets and see where changes can be made, including cutting taxes.

"School shootings is another one. They are not addressing the right issues when it comes to school shootings," said Hull.

Hull said he is disappointed in the way the state has been handling the school shooting problem. He said he believes there are other steps that need to be made and other preparations that should be happening to help prevent shootings.

He also said he wants to see more financial disclosure, finding out who is running for office and if they have any ties financially to other people or countries, so constituents know who they are putting in office.

Hull said he feels he is the best candidate to fill the house representative seat because of the oath he swore when he joined the United States military, to support and defend the constitution from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

"And we have a bunch of them right now," he said.

Subscribe:Get unlimited access to all our local coverage

Hull is pro-life and said he encourages people to do their research on the candidates so they can make an informed decision on who they are choosing to represent them.

When he is not on the campaign trail, Hull said he loves to spend time with his grandchildren. He is also an avid fly fisherman and enjoys both bow and rifle hunting.

More information can be found on Hull's campaign and his platform at larryhull106.com, or on Facebook by searching LarryHullOneZeroSix.

There will be a meet and greet for the three Republican candidates —  Hull, Geyer Balog and Cam Cavitt — running for the 106th House District from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on July 16 at Up North 23 Restaurant and Lounge on N. Third St. in Rogers City. This event is sponsored by the Presque Isle GOP and is open to the public, free of charge, for those who want to learn more about the candidates.

One Democratic candidate, Marie Fielder, is also running for the seat and will compete against the Republican candidate who wins the August primary in the general election in November. 

Contact Reporter Kortny Hahn at khahn1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @khahnCDT.