Who is running against Bill Huizenga in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District?
- U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga faces Republican primary challenger Brendan Muir in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District
- Democratic attorney Jessica Swartz is running to try and flip the seat
- The district favors Republicans and covers all or parts of Allegan, Van Buren, Berrien, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties
The Michigan 4th Congressional District is Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga’s to lose, but two candidates are vying to replace him.
The district covers the lakeshore from southern Ottawa County to Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, and extends east to include Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. It covers the entirety of Allegan and Van Buren counties and includes portions of Berrien, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties.
The seat has trended Republican in recent election cycles. Huizinga, who has served in Congress since 2011, won his re-election bid in 2022 with 54.36% of the vote over Democrat Joseph Alfonso.
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Former President Donald Trump has been a favorite of local voters. He beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the district by 9 points in 2016 and President Joe Biden by 4 points in 2020.
Democrats contend the district is trending blue, pointing to local voter support for Proposal 3, a 2022 ballot initiative that added abortion protections to the Michigan Constitution.
Four major-party candidates filed required petition signatures by the April 23 deadline, but Democrat Joseph Alfonso announced he is suspending his campaign. Winners of the Aug. 6 primary will square off in the Nov. 5 general election. Third parties can nominate candidates at conventions later in the year.
Democrats
Jessica Swartz: Swartz is a Kalamazoo attorney who previously worked for Western Michigan University and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. She also volunteered with Voters Not Politicians, the group behind the successful ballot initiative that created Michigan’s independent redistricting commission. In announcing her campaign, Swartz said she wants to cut through partisan extremism and gridlock in Washington.
Republicans
Bill Huizenga: Huizenga, of Holland, has served in Congress since 2011 and is a member of the House Financial Services Committee. He has served in leadership roles on task forces involving the Great Lakes and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Before running for office, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives and worked as a staffer for former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra. He co-owns Huizenga Gravel Inc. Among other issues, Huizenga supports a balanced federal budget, reducing regulations and taxes on businesses and restrictions on abortion access.
Brendan Muir: Muir has served as chair of the Ottawa County Republican Party since March 2023 and filed signatures to run in the 4th Congressional District primary shortly before the April 23 deadline. According to his LinkedIn profile, Muir lives in Holland and has a background in engineering.
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