Kerry Bentivolio (born October 6, 1951) was the 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. He 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.
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.
Bentivolio was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1951. Bentivolio was raised in the Detroit area with four brothers. His father, a factory worker, served in World War II, while his grandfather served in World War I. He attended Oakland Community College from 1971 to 1983 where he earned an associate degree in Liberal Arts. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Saint Mary's College in Michigan in 1999. He transferred to Michigan State University in East Lansing to attend further courses in 1989 and met his future wife, Karen. Later, he earned a master's degree in Education from Marygrove College in 2001.