Since getting elected to Congress in 2010, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga has been regarded as a reliably conservative vote, someone who focuses more on issues than the histrionics that Washington can often get swept up in.
It's been a style that's gotten Huizenga, of Holland Township, comfortably reelected every two years. But this November could prove to be his stiffest campaign test yet — he's facing, by far, his most organized Democratic challenger in state Sen. Sean McCann of Kalamazoo.
And Democrats are bullish on their chances to flip Huizenga's southwestern Michigan seat, given political headwinds signal a potentially bruising cycle for Republicans over voter frustration with high gas prices and continued economic inflation.
Huizenga, though,
has long likened reelection campaigns to job interviews with constituents. He acknowledged the added attention on his seat, but said his campaign is putting in the miles across the district to earn another two years in Washington.
"I would argue that this has always been a 'get work done' kind of district, meaning you can't take anyone or anything for granted," Huizenga said in a recent call with the Detroit Free Press. "I never have and never will."
McCann, a two-term state senator who spent time in the state House and on the Kalamazoo City Commission before that, said voters in the district are fatigued by President Donald Trump's policies, saying trade disputes and the U.S. war in Iran have led to cost increases.
"This is a race where you've got an incumbent who has rubber stamped all of the Trump administration's policies and decisions that are making it harder for people to get by these days," McCann told the Free Press.
There's been little independent polling conducted in the district, but nationally political prognosticators have shifted House races for Democratic candidates — and Michigan's 4th Congressional District is among the contests now considered competitive.
Cook Political Report has shifted the race to a toss-up, as has analyst Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball. Inside Elections still rates the race as "tilt Republican," an indicator Huizenga still has the edge, but that's a shift toward Democrats since the start of the year.
"This is definitely the toughest race he's ever going to have in Congress," said Don Zinman, a professor of political science at Grand Valley State University.
It's a reflection of the worsening political landscape for House Republicans nationally, particularly with the ongoing war in Iran leading to higher energy prices and continued economic inflation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that prices have risen 3.7% since the start of the year. Typically, voters take frustration out on the party in power, like they did in 2024 when President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was in office.
But now Democrats are on the front foot, and McCann is happy to tie Huizenga to Trump as the president's approval slides.
"I really think this is a change that's being desired across the country as people wrestle with gas prices and groceries," McCann said.
Huizenga doesn't deny there's work to be done, but said Trump inherited a high-inflation economy from Biden. He also pointed to cutting federal taxes on tips and overtime pay, two provisions in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
"That's not to say that we're where we need to be. We certainly aren't. We have more to go," Huizenga said. "But that's my real focus, making sure we're cutting costs, making sure we're increasing people's take home pay. I get a lot of 'thank yous' for that."
Zinman said it could be difficult for Huizenga to deal with general frustration with Trump, however, particularly because there's not a glaring example of Huizenga staking a lane outside of the president's policies.
Zinman noted U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, can point to examples of voting against Trump's wishes "even if she exaggerates that." And closer to home, U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, is taking a similar approach to find lanes of independence in his reelection bid for Michigan's 7th Congressional District. It's harder for Huizenga to take that approach, Zinman said.
"Huizenga is a is a mild-mannered member of Congress and he doesn't have a really national profile, although he has a decent amount of experience in Congress," Zinman said. "But at this juncture, I don't see him as having the ability to separate himself from the president."
Both McCann and Huizenga are ready to talk about energy
Huizenga has been in Congress since 2011, spending time in the Michigan House before that. During his time in Washington, he's served on the House Financial Services Committee and often talked about reining in the national debt. He's also backed legislation to ease financial regulations for banks, including a 2018 law that rolled back provisions of the Dodd Frank Act passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. At the time, Huizenga said local and community banks were being unfairly held to standards fit for larger institutions.
He weighed a run for the U.S. Senate in Michigan this year but opted not to jump in the race after Trump endorsed former Congressman and 2024 Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers.
McCann, in Lansing, has chaired the Senate Energy and Environment Committee. In recent years, the committee has shaped and advanced notable legislation, including a 2023 package of bills that set clean and renewable energy targets for Michigan, as well as a law that gives state regulators the ability to supersede local zoning control to approve solar energy projects. McCann also touted policy achievements Democrats had in the 2023-24 session, when the party controlled both chambers of the state Legislature, like expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and instituting free meals in K-12 schools.
Energy, in particular, could be a pivotal issue in the race as the U.S. war in Iran has disrupted supply chains globally, and fuel and diesel prices have remained high, particularly in Michigan. Democrats nationally are tying the pain at the pump to Trump, and in turn, Republicans on the ballot this fall.
"That is clearly what's driving up fertilizer costs, diesel costs; and all of those energy costs are baked into everything else that we do in this economy," McCann said, noting Huizenga voted against a September resolution calling on Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from Iran.
Huizenga is willing to go on the offensive when it comes to energy, too. He noted the Michigan Senate didn't take up legislation that would've suspended the state's 52.4 cent per gallon gas tax. Neighboring Indiana and Ohio suspended their state-level fuel taxes, which led to some lower prices on average in those states compared to Michigan.
Huizenga also argued the 2023 law that gives the Michigan Public Service Commission the final zoning authority on clean energy projects strips local control. In the 4th Congressional District, the Zeeland Township board is currently mired in a lawsuit against a developer hoping for approval of a solar project in the community.
"They don't have any choice in this," Huizenga said "And what that has done is it has just jacked electricity costs here in Michigan. We're well above where other states are in this region. And that's because of policies that they (Dems) have put in place."
The 4th Congressional District covers all of Allegan and Van Buren counties, as well as parts of Berrien, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties. Kalamazoo, Holland and Battle Creek all fall in the district, which Huizenga has handily won twice since it was redrawn for the 2022 election.
Huizenga represented a significantly less competitive seat in Congress before that. While 2022 was a good year for Democrats in Michigan generally, the party was unable to coalesce around a challenger and then-nominee Joseph Alfonso had to run a write-in campaign for the primary that year. In 2024, Republicans fared well in Michigan as Trump carried the state and the party recaptured the Michigan House, all while Huizenga won reelection by about 12 points over Democratic challenger Jessica Schwartz.
But McCann is the most organized Democratic challenger to take on Huizenga up to this point. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named the district a flip target earlier this year. And McCann, having represented a part of the district in the state Legislature since 2019, isn't completely unfamiliar to some voters.
Both parties — and groups backing them — think the race is up for grabs, if outside spending in southwest Michigan is any indication.
No Going Back PAC, a political action committee tied to Trump's MAGA Inc., has spent over $5 million to boost Huizenga in the race, according to Federal Elections Commission receipts analyzed by the Free Press. Fairshake, a PAC backed by the cryptocurrency industry, also has spent over $1 million backing Huizenga, per FEC records.
House Majority PAC, which backs Democrats in congressional races, has dropped over $2.9 million in opposition ads against Huizenga. Other groups, including a PAC associated with the League of Conservation Voters, also have spent in the race to boost McCann.
In total, there's been over $16.6 million in directly reported outside spending in the race as of Oct. 19, according to FEC records. Huizenga has a slight advantage — close to $8.4 million of that spending is boosting him, compared to just over $8.2 million in aid of McCann.
That of course, augments what the candidate's campaign committees are spending themselves. Huizenga, according to campaign finance filings, has more cash on hand as of the latest pre-election deadline. But McCann outraised the incumbent in the most recent quarter, bringing in $1.6 million in contributions compared to Huizenga's roughly $970,000.
It's another indicator that the race is going to be competitive.
"It's a winnable seat. (Huizenga) has the advantage of incumbency," Zinman said. "But McCann is a known quantity. He's a mainstream Democrat and is harder to demonize as an extremist. So, this race is going to be kind of an interesting test."
You can reach Arpan Lobo at alobo@freepress.com
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Longtime incumbent Bill Huizenga faces competitive reelection bid
