Former state Senator Tom Casperson has died of lung cancer.
The Escanaba Republican had battled the disease for more than two years. He was 61.
Casperson served in the Michigan Senate from 2011 until 2018, when he was term-limited out. He also served in the state House from 2003 to 2008.
He was known for his conservative stance on taxes and regulation and frequently criticized state agencies for overreach on environmental issues. Casperson was also the deciding “yes” vote when the state expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2013, and he voted against right-to-work legislation in 2012.
The Senate GOP issued a statement Sunday night calling Casperson “a titan of the Upper Peninsula.”
Casperson is survived by his wife and four children.