So the Free Press' Kathleen Gray relied on court records and interviews with old military and business associates to help describe just who Bentivolio is.

One highlight of the report comes from a lawsuit that involved a cancelled trip to the White House for his Old Fashion Santa business. The lawsuit included the Free Press as a defendant.

"I have a problem figuring out which one I really am, Santa Claus or Kerry Bentivolio," Bentivolio said in a deposition, according to the report. "All my life I have been told I'm Kerry Bentivolio, and now, I am a Santa Claus, so now I prefer to be Santa Claus."

Bentivolio will face Democrat Syed Taj, a physician, for the seat in the Nov. 6 election.

Taj has been more open to interviews, but is also seen as, an unlikely candidate, a relative newcomer and an underdog in the conservative district that covers parts of Oakland and western Wayne County.

original article on MLive.com