KALAMAZOO, MI -- Four Democrats are vying for their party's nomination to represent Michigan's 6th Congressional District in the August primary election.

David Benac, Rich Eichholz, George Franklin and Matt Longjohn will appear on the Aug. 7 ballot. The winner will face longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, in November.

This year, MLive Media Group partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information and other voting resources to our readers. Each candidate was asked to answer a series of questions about their policy stances.

Information on all state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races will be available at Vote411.org - the election-information website run by the League of Women Voters.

Benac is a Western Michigan University history professor and representative of the American Association of University Professors. He holds a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University, a master's degree from Indian University-Purdue University Indianapolis and a doctorate from the University of Missouri.

Eichholz is biologist and co-founder of renewable energy company Qmulus LLC. He has a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a doctorate from the University of Illinois.

Franklin is president of Franklin Public Affairs and a former lobbyist for Kellogg. He graduated with a bachelor's degree and law degree from American University.

Longjohn, a former national health officer for the YMCA, gave up his job to run for Congress. He has a bachelor's deree from Kalamazoo College and a medical degree and master's of public health from Tulane University.

Below is how each of the 6th District Democratic candidates answered their questionnaire. Answers have been edited for readability.

What are your top three national legislative priorities and how would you address them?

DAVID BENAC

1. Healthcare -- I support the creation of a single-payer universal system of health care, along the lines of the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, HR 676.

2. Education -- I support tuition-free public education from pre-K through college and the end of for-profit charters. I support teachers' unions, placing licensed social workers in all schools, & ending the school to prison pipeline.

3. Environment -- I support the Off Fossil Fuels For A Better Future Act, a piece of legislation that would achieve a fully renewable energy system by 2030 & provide workers in the fossil fuel industry with new jobs in renewable energy.

RICH EICHHOLZ

1. Create an infrastructure jobs program to train and employ workers to build a 21st Century electric grid and implement the FCC's 2010 National Broadband Plan.

2. Establish universal healthcare by adding a subsidized public option to the Healthcare Exchanges.

3. Help ensure all students get a quality education in part by providing federal matching funds for states expanding pre-K education to all public school students and providing debt relief for graduates and students of 2- and 4-year public colleges.

GEORGE FRANKLIN

Protecting seniors, fighting for universal health care and protecting the environment.

We must protect Social Security and Medicare, these are not an entitlement, they are a contract that must be honored.

I will fight for universal health care ensuring we protect women's access to a doctor. We must fix the ACA and provide a public option. Environmental protection is vital in Michigan.

The EPA must be fully-funded and staffed by people who believe in the mission and do not use it as an instrument to attack the environment like Scott Pruitt. We must protect the Great Lakes and invest in clean alternative energy.

MATT LONGJOHN

1. Improving the health and quality of life for everyone in the country.

As a healthcare innovator, I have created jobs, prevented illness, saved lives and saved money. Our environment, and our education, housing, transportation and food systems must also promote health.

2. Fighting to make our government truly representative.

We must get dark money out of politics and increase the influence of everyday people.

3. Reforming the tax code to help families and small business.

Washington's 'trickle down' policies haven't worked, and too many people are being left behind. Tax policy must prioritize working families and small businesses.

What are your concerns and plans regarding U.S. immigration policy?

DAVID BENAC

I will work to secure a path to citizenship for immigrants, defend diversity visas, and protect the integrity of families who are here and those who would like to immigrate.

I will work to reshape our border policy to expand safe opportunities for legal immigration and focus our enforcement attention on individuals who are proved threats to public safety.

I will protect the DACA program and every immigrant here under its terms. I will work to push the US to remain in the UN Human Rights Council and to hold us to international law regarding asylum and refugee seekers.

RICH EICHHOLZ

While we need to ensure that we have secure borders, we should also recognize that each wave of immigrants has enriched our culture and brought new vitality to our economy.

I will support our traditional welcoming immigration policy that does not discriminate on the basis of race or religion and welcomes families and individuals without bias against less skilled workers.

We also need to end the uncertainty facing undocumented residents who were brought to the U.S. as children, by passing a version of the DREAM Act which would give them a potential pathway to citizenship.

GEORGE FRANKLIN

I support comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship.

We must pass the DREAM Act to protect folks who have only known the United States as home.

We need to protect our boarders, but I will never support any money going to create a wall. We must stop the abhorrent policy and separating parents from their children when they seek asylum and act with some humanity.

I also oppose the Muslim travel ban. There should never be a religious or ethnic test when traveling to the United States.

MATT LONGJOHN

Immigrants have always been an important part of our society.

We continue to need immigrants to help fuel and diversify our economy. We must protect our sovereignty and national security, but building a wall is a waste of money.

No human is merely "an illegal," and the rights of all immigrants need to be respected.

I support DACA and a path to citizenship for Dreamers. I will protect and expand student and agricultural worker visa programs.

Splitting up refugee families by placing adults in military detention while putting their kids in foster care is dangerously close to recreating the internment camps of WWII.

What are your concerns and plans regarding U.S. health care policies and programs, including those affecting maternal and child health?

DAVID BENAC

I protect and expand every health care safety net, especially Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA, and the Veterans Health Administration.

As we secure those programs, we can move to implement a single-payer universal system of healthcare.

I will co-sponsor legislation to provide tuition-free childcare to all Americans. I will co-sponsor legislation to create a single-payer, universal healthcare system that includes reproductive health.

I will protect Planned Parenthood from the partisan attacks that see to undermine it. I will work to ensure this crucial health provider receives the federal funding it needs.

RICH EICHHOLZ

Unlike the U.S. most developed countries have universal healthcare, giving them better health outcomes at half the cost.

Typically, these countries have a combination of commercial and government insurance, although some rely heavily on government insurance. I will be focused on moving the U.S. toward universal healthcare as rapidly as possible.

Putting a public option on the Healthcare Exchanges to compete with commercial insurers should be the first step, but I will work with anyone in Congress to finally achieve true universal healthcare by any practical means - whether by government or commercial insurance.

GEORGE FRANKLIN

We must fully fund Planned Parenthood and fix the Affordable Care Act.

We need to provide a public option in the ACA and expand Medicare and Medicaid until we reach universal coverage.

Healthcare is a fundamental human right just like food, shelter, and clothing. We must protect those with pre-existing conditions from all of the attacks from the Trump administration.

MATT LONGJOHN

I'm running for Congress to improve people's health and quality of life.

Quality of life depends on affordable healthcare, a safe and healthy environment, and educational as well as economic opportunities.

I believe in universal healthcare, keeping mental and reproductive health in all insurance plans, and expanding Medicare by offering it on the insurance exchanges as a public option. Medicare must also be able to negotiate lower drug prices.

I believe it's a women's right to make her own reproductive health care decisions.

I will always protect funding for children's health insurance and community health centers.

What federal policies do you support to help members of all strata of the American public improve their economic positions?

DAVID BENAC

I support:

Equal pay for equal work and I will cosponsor the Equality Act

Paid family leave

Defined benefits pensions and the expansion of social security

Raising the Federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, indexed to inflation

Tuition-free public education, including vocational, apprenticeship and worker retraining programs

A single-payer, universal health care system

A $1 trillion investment in infrastructure to create 11 million jobs

The growth of unions and the ability of workers to organize, elect their own leadership and bargain collectively

Overturning the Taft-Hartley Act

RICH EICHHOLZ

Trickle-down economics does not work: We cannot sustainably grow the economy by simply reducing regulations and cutting taxes on wealthy individuals and major corporations.

We can only sustainably grow our economy when workers have enough money to buy products and services. We need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage and reverse federal laws and policies which have weakened the labor movement.

We also need to restore the previous tax rates for wealthy individuals and close corporate loopholes to ensure that the federal government can provide the infrastructure needed to support economic growth.

GEORGE FRANKLIN

We must invest in local communities to give people a fair shot at economic advancement by ensuring our education system works for everyone no matter their zip code and make sure anyone that wants to, can go to college or pursue vocational training.

I will fight for a fair tax system where the wealthy pay their fair share and increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour for large companies and ratchet it up for small businesses.

No one that works full time should live in poverty.

Folks also must have a right to join a union. When workers can join together they help raise wages and workplace standards for all workers.

MATT LONGJOHN

Too many hard-working families are struggling to make ends meet. Washington's approach to stimulating the economy through "trickle down" tax breaks for corporations and the wealthiest among us has resulted in a larger income gap.

We need more balanced economic policy prioritizing workers and small business.

Liveable wages and well-paying jobs need to be protected -- not just created.

I support "equal pay for equal work" for women and other groups experiencing discrimination, and believe trade agreements must not incentivize employers to leave the country or help them profit by devaluing American labor.

What policies do you support to meet U.S. energy needs while protecting our water, air and land for current and future generations? Explain how those actions or policies would affect the future of the Great Lakes.

DAVID BENAC

I support:

Protecting the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency

Restoration of the Clean Water Rule

A program to test the drinking water in every public school in the US

Elimination of nuclear and all fossil fuel from renewable energy standards

The elimination of every subsidy and permit for offshore drilling, new oil and gas pipelines, and mining and drilling projects on public lands

Major federal investments in renewable energy infrastructure

Allocation of federal agricultural subsidies to support a transition to diverse, sustainable agriculture

RICH EICHHOLZ

There is no conflict between adequate energy resources for a vibrant economy and a sustainable environment.

We can revitalize our economy by creating a national jobs program to train and employ workers for clean energy jobs. We should set industry standards (such as those proposed in the OFF act, HR3671) to drastically reduce our carbon footprint, and create a smart energy grid which incorporates distributed renewable energy sources, allowing for two-way electricity flow.

I will also ensure continued funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and develop initiatives to reduce invasive species in our waterways.

GEORGE FRANKLIN

Climate change is the single biggest threat to our world and it is long past time we work to stop it. We must continue to move toward clean alternative energy to help in this fight.

We also must produce clean energy with greater efficiency. I support rejoining the Paris Climate Accord.

The Great Lakes hold 20 percent of the world's fresh water and they are at risk every single day. From the oil pipeline running through the straights of Mackinaw to the hundreds of gallons of water Nestle is taking every minute, we can never do enough to protect our fresh water.

MATT LONGJOHN

Clean air, water, and land is fundamental to our health and our economy. The Great Lakes and other natural resources in Michigan are treasures, fueling agriculture and tourism.

Protecting them is a fundamental job of public leaders. We need to remove Line 5 responsibly and invest in creating green energy jobs at the same time, so we can ensure the protection of Lake Michigan while helping transition workers to sustainable well-paying jobs.

We must continue to improve air-quality by maintaining emission standards. I also support agricultural innovation to diversify our food system, improve yields, and limit soil loss.

What federal policies do you support regarding campaign funding and voting rights?

DAVID BENAC

I support:

The freedom of the press and a free and open internet

Establishing election day as a holiday, universal, automatic voter registration, and voting by mail in paper ballots

Any legislation to end partisan redistricting

The Democracy for All amendment to correct "Citizens United," "Buckley v. Valeo," & "McCutcheon v. FEC"

The DISCLOSE Act, The Election Protection and Integrity Act and the KOCH Act, all designed to increase transparency

I will oppose any effort to restrict voting rights.

My ultimate goal is the creation of publicly-funded elections.

RICH EICHHOLZ

I believe we need to reverse the impact of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, by constitutional amendment if necessary.

I support local and state efforts to switch funding of elections from individual and corporate donations to public funding.

State and local voter suppression continues to be a threat to our democracy; Congress needs to update the Voting Rights act to nullify the Supreme Court's egregious error in nullifying Section 5 of that act requiring prior authorization of voting laws in jurisdictions with a history of voter suppression, and act to make voting easier - not harder.

GEORGE FRANKLIN

The number one thing we can do to make sure our elections are fair is to eliminate gerrymandering. I support the Voter not Politicians ballot initiative. We must end Citizens United. The addition of unlimited corporate money into our system is devastating. That is why I have pledged not to accept any corporate PAC money. We must do so much more to open up our elections to everyone. We start by re-instituting the Voting Rights Act. We should expand to have same day registration and early voting across the county. We also must eliminate voter ID laws that disproportionately effect people of color and the elderly.

MATT LONGJOHN

We must reform campaign financing and other aspects of our political system to reduce the risk of corruption and protect voters' rights. All political contributions must be transparent so we can hold policy-makers accountable to voters, not just their mysterious corporate donors. We must limit gerrymandering, and have public financing of elections to ensure small-dollar individual contributions aren't overwhelmed by corporate lobbyists and large-dollar contributions. Voter suppression is wrong. We must protect the integrity of our voting system, but never limit anyone's ability to exercise their right to vote.