After receiving an endorsement several months ago from 50th District Rep. Robert Bezotte (R-Howell), candidate Jason Woolford said he was shocked and dismayed when the third-term House member called him only days ago and announced his last-minute run for re-election.
Woolford is not being deterred, however – quite the opposite. He told MIRS the decision by Bezotte has “propelled people in our community” who aren’t impressed, resulting in hundreds of phone calls to his campaign and 10 new volunteers.
“They are angry. They are disappointed and disgusted. Those are their words,” Woolford said. “And so this has literally added, in two days, 10 volunteers to our team and hundreds of calls and Facebook posts from people that I don’t even know, saying they cannot believe that somebody would do this.”
In response, Bezotte said he’s also had a great deal of positive feedback towards his decision to get back into the race.
“I’ve had so many people call me and tell me they’re glad I’m in the race,” he said. “We’ll just let the voters decide.”
Woolford told MIRS this story first started almost a year ago, when Bezotte reached out to Woolford and his family and requested he run for the seat in 2024.
Woolford is a U.S. Marine who was honorably discharged. He went on to become vice president of sales and marketing for two different southern California marble and granite distribution companies.
After returning to Michigan and receiving his master’s degree in divinity, he was appointed president of Mission Cry / Christian Resources International, a non-profit foundation that has sent over $400 million in bibles and Christian teaching tools to over 178 nations globally.
Woolford recalled that when Bezotte approached him, he said, “Jason, I’m too old. My health is too bad, and the stress of this job is too much for me at this point in my life. If you would consider running for the seat, I will give you my full endorsement.”
Bezotte announced he would not be running for re-election back in January, citing a wish to concentrate on his family and personal life after his wife of 51 years filed for divorce in 2023.
The way Bezotte recalls it, he said Woolford was initially planning to run in the 48th House District, but during conversations between the two, “I told him that I was thinking seriously about not running. I was going to just concentrate on my family life.”
“When I got served on Dec. 1, I was totally devastated, and Jason was going to run through the 48th,” he said. “During our conversations, I told him that I was thinking seriously about not running. I was going to just concentrate on my family life.”
Bezotte said Woolford then made the decision to move from his home outside of the 50th district. He sold the home and leased a condo in the 50th District, Bezotte said.
Bezotte added that he believes Woolford’s son lives at the condo.
“His son lives there. He does not,” Bezotte said.
“I told him he was going to have problems with that. He was going to have trouble explaining that, and that’s why Kristina Lyke got in the race, because she knows that he’s being untruthful about where he lives,” Bezotte said.
Bezotte previously endorsed Lyke, as well.
Woolford responded that Bezotte’s comments were not correct. He sold his home, located in the 48th District in Howell, and rented an apartment — still in Howell, but located in the 50th District.
He said most of his time is spent at that apartment, and he has been following all the legal channels to run in the district.
The comments from Bezotte now are ironic, Woolford said, considering the House member advised Woolford on the process of selling his home and getting the apartment, and that Bezotte is not currently living in his own home because of his pending divorce.
Woolford said he’s known Bezotte for years, and while he said he got to know Bezotte better when he was running in the 48th, Woolford said that was in a previous cycle.
Of the decision to get out of the race, Bezotte said, “I made a bad decision. I agree with that,” but he said Woolford decided on his own to move and run for the 50th District seat.
Woolford ultimately said his decision to run in the 50th District was prompted by Bezotte, and after thinking and praying on the decision, he said he and his family committed to running, and made “heavy” financial and time contributions into the campaign.
Woolford said over the course of his campaign, he received calls, letters and even video endorsements from Bezotte, which he said have been running up until a few days ago.
In one video (below), which Woolford shared with MIRS, Bezotte described him as a “man of character and integrity, who cares deeply about his community and is a strong family man.”
“My personal relationship with Jason has shown me he will serve our community well, with honor and distinction,” Bezotte said in the video. “As a fellow veteran, I urge your support for my good friend Jason Woolford to be our next state representative for the 50th District.
Woolford also said Bezotte referred to him as being “like a son, like a brother” to him.
But several days ago, Woolford said he received a call from Bezotte which he opened by saying, “Jason, I have bad news for you.”
During the back and forth between the two men, Woolford said he was shocked.
“I said, ‘So you don’t care about your word, integrity, class, couth, the people of our district, the other candidates who’ve also invested into this race? You don’t care about them?’”
Woolford said Bezotte responded, “That’s politics, Bubba.”
When asked if Bezotte gave any reason for making the decision, Woolford said “just that he had a change of heart.”
“Five days before that, he was telling me to make sure and send out my endorsement video . . . because he wanted to make sure that I won over the other candidates,” Woolford said.
Bezotte told MIRS he feels bad about how the whole situation played out, “but I was going through a devastating time in my life, and now, I’m somewhat back to normal.
“I realized that my wife and I are going to get divorced,” he said. “So I decided I just didn’t want to lose my career in the process, and I did change my mind, and I feel bad about that, because Jason and Kristina (Lyke) are good people.
“They’re really great friends, and I hate to do this to them, but I also have to look out for my mental stability, as well,” he said.
Bezotte added that, “I was walking around as a zombie for the last five months and, you know, it’s bothered me a lot, but this is the only thing I have left.”
A former Livingston County sheriff and county commissioner, Bezotte said he has a lot to offer based on his career in public service.
He said he’s had caucus members and leadership urging him to get back into the race for the last month, and has received support from his family and a green light from his attorney.
Woolford said that he plans to continue to be the front-runner, and “I’m going to win the seat.”
“I don’t understand how we can let somebody back who’s lacking integrity and honesty,” he said.
Bezotte said: “I did apologize to Jason. I do owe him an apology, but that was not my idea to have him move into my district and run.
“He knew because he was my minister. He knew I was devastated and he knew my most inner thoughts. He knew that I probably wasn’t going to run, so he made that decision to move into my district.”
Woolford responded that he oversees a global non-profit, not a church.
While he said he did pray with Bezotte, “I’m not his minister. I’m a friend he threw under the bus.”
