GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — A center of everything from agriculture to community, areas of Michigan's 4th Congressional District have been represented by the GOP in Congress for decades.
Next week, voters in this district that encompasses parts of Ottawa, Allegan, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun and Berrien counties are set to decide which Republican they'd like to see make the final pitch in November to potentially continue such a trend.
Whomever clinches the nomination will all but certainly face Democrat Jessica Swartz, who is running unopposed in her party's primary.
THE CANDIDATES
Bill Huizenga
Mr. Huizenga is the incumbent congressman for the 4th District.
Before district lines were redrawn in Michigan for elections in 2022, Huizenga represented a district further to the north.
"Even though the district lines have shifted significantly, there's a lot of the same themes," Huizenga said. "Frankly, people are concerned about the economy. Even though we're bumping along with it, they know that their pocketbook feels lighter because of what they've had to go through at the gas pump and at the grocery store. So, doesn't really matter where geographically you are, that's a significant issue."
Making his pitch to voters this year to ward off a potential success for his primary challenger, Huizenga highlighted to 13 ON YOUR SIDE issues including healthcare, border security and the economy.
"The economy is another one of those, making sure that we are energy independent, have a strong energy system here in the in the United States," Huizenga said. "Because, frankly, it's been parked for the last four years, so trying to revitalize that."
Expanding on his view, Huizenga placed emphasis on the economy's relation to local agriculture and manufacturing.
"A lot of that is going to be tax reform and tax rewrite that we're going to be going through in this coming year," Huizenga said. "We have a lot of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions that are expiring, so we're going to be focusing on that and trying to work with constituents back here to make sure that the tax code works for them, not against them on that."
Facing a primary challenger this time around, Huizenga has sough to lean into his experience both as a private citizen and a Capitol Hill to convince voters of the contrast and prove he has what they need.
"I've got real world experience, both in the private sector and in the public sector," Huizenga said. "You know, having a foot firmly planted in both."
"I understand what's happening in the economy, but I've also been there to be in the middle of those policy debates, and frankly, I worked very closely with President Trump," he said.
He told 13 ON YOUR SIDE he believes his record will carry the day as voters go to the polls.
"I feel very confident in what I've been able to provide for the constituents," Huizenga said. "I'm also a listening ear that is trying to find out what their needs are. And then, we've just been servicing people with good constituent service, making sure that they have- the IRS or the, you know, the various alphabet soup of all the regulators and the people that can do some harm - that [the constituents] are getting treated fairly."
"I've got a track record and a voting record that I think speaks for itself in a very positive way," he said. "And we'll let voters decide that."
Brendan Muir
Mr. Muir is a project management consultant who also serves as the chair of the Ottawa County Republican Party.
Muir told 13 ON YOUR SIDE he became especially involved in politics after studying election law in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
That's why, he says, he's made the topic a priority alongside issues of inflation and illegal immigration.
"That's a lot of where my passion lies is making sure we have secure elections," Muir said. "But what's affecting people every day - the prices at the grocery stores, the prices at restaurants. So, inflation needs to be solved, and our current legislators are doing nothing about it."
"[The border has] been open for the last four years," Muir said. "And, you know, over nine and a half million people, it's estimated, have crossed."
Other points of policy, he said, were constructed based on conversations with voters he hopes to soon call constituents.
"Right now, Michigan's education system is woefully behind the average of America, and we're failing our children compared to the rest of the world," Muir said. "So, the whole campaign was built upon the constituents from the beginning."
Muir also drew on his experience in the arenas of engineering, automation and project management to outline how he has told voters he would handle the job and working alongside those with ideological differences.
"One of the jobs of a project manager is leading task forces to solve complex issues," Muir said. "And at the end of the day, most issues can be broken down to what's called root cause. That is the start of a problem."
"So, I would work with legislators in Congress to identify root cause, to prove root cause, and then come up with solutions for it, based on facts, based on evidence. That's how engineers think. That's how I want to think in Congress. And, I'm willing to work with anyone in Congress who will work to find the root causes, identify solutions and then implement those."
But taking on an incumbent is often no small task. Muir says he did it based on what he believes was the failure from his congressman.
"As Republicans, we need a balanced budget," Muir said. "We need to be able to vote 'no' and challenge the status quo. Bill doesn't want to challenge the status quo, and that's why I'm running, because we need to challenge the people who are in Congress and fight for the American people, instead of just adding debt to all of our lives and our children's lives and the future generations."