John Donnelly: Finally, a fair fight: Bill Huizenga faces his toughest opponent yet

EDITOR'S NOTE: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not of Ottawa News Network.

Huizenga now represents a much less red district

Bill Huizenga was first elected to the U.S. House in 2010. He represented the “old” MI-2 district, which ran along the lakeshore from Ludington to just south of Holland. This was considered a very Red district, but the district gradually became less red.

Huizenga won the following percentage of the vote in MI-2:

• 2010: 64%
• 2012: 61%
• 2014: 64%
• 2016: 63%
• 2018: 55%
• 2020: 59%

The citizens of Michigan passed a constitutional amendment in 2018 creating an independent, bipartisan commission to draw less gerrymandered congressional districts. The new districts went into effect in 2022.

Huizenga ran in the new MI-4, which was farther south and east from the old MI-2. It starts in the middle of Ottawa County and goes south along the lakeshore to Benton Harbor/St. Joseph and then east to include the largest city in the district: Kalamazoo.

The new MI-4 is much less red than the old MI-2. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won the new MI-4 in 2022 by 1%. President Trump won MI-4 by 5% in 2024. If you look at the area for the old MI-2, Trump won that area by +14% in 2024. Thus, Huizenga, starting in 2022, is running in a much more competitive district.

Huizenga won the following percentage of the vote in MI-4:

• 2022: 54%
• 2024: 55%

Huizenga's massive funding advantage is disappearing

While running for U.S. House, Huizenga has never faced a well-funded opponent who has also won prior elections in the district. That likely changes this year.

Huizenga’s likely Democratic opponent is state Sen. Sean McCann. McCann was in the Michigan House and is now in the Michigan Senate representing Kalamazoo. Thus, the voters in the largest city of MI-4 have a history of voting for McCann.

Huizenga’s opponents in 2022 and 2024 were little known to the voters, as they had never before competed in an election.

Huizenga has always been able to dramatically outspend his opponents. In the first quarter of 2022, Huizenga received $320,000 and had cash on hand at the end of that quarter of $1,175,000. Huizenga’s Democratic opponent raised $1,500 that quarter and had essentially no cash on hand at the end of that quarter.

In the first quarter of 2024, Huizenga received $300,000 and had cash on hand at the end of the quarter of $1,170,000. Huizenga’s Democratic opponent raised $240,000 that quarter and had cash on hand of $345,000 at the end of that quarter. For all of 2024, leading up to the election, Huizenga was able to outspend his Democratic opponent 3-1.

Huizenga has always been able to drown out his little-known, underfunded opponents with advertising. That advantage for Huizenga is fading in 2026.

McCann significantly outraised Huizenga in the first quarter of 2026 (January through March). McCann raised an astounding $1 million in 2026 Q1 and ended the quarter with $1.1 on hand, while Huizenga raised $635,000 — more than double what he raised in the first quarter of his two previous election cycles — yet well below McCann; he ended up with $2.1 million on hand.

Huizenga is now looking at his first race, where he may not be able to blow his opponent out of the water with spending. If McCann can have a strong second quarter in donations, this will definitely be Huizenga’s most competitive race.

Major prognosticators (i.e., Cook Political Report) rate this year’s race as “Likely Republican.” This is a big change from the previous election in 2024, when MI-4 was consistently rated by these prognosticators as “Solidly Republican.” Thus, a shift away from Huizenga has already occurred six months before the election.

Bill Huizenga's funding is not grassroots

A “grassroots” candidate is a local person who relies on local support. A “carpetbagger” candidate is a person who comes from outside a district to run in the district with support from outside the district. An “astroturf” candidate is a local person who primarily relies on funding from outside the district for support.

McCann is a grassroots candidate. Huizenga is an astroturf candidate.

The vast majority of McCann’s funding comes from MI-4 individuals and organizations. The majority of Huizenga’s funding comes from individuals and organizations outside of MI-4. The Federal Election Commission has a database where all candidates must report the magnitude and source of funds received every quarter. First quarter donations from 2026 can already be seen on that database.

Nearly 90% of the Q1 funds received by McCann’s campaign were from individuals — not PACs — with the vast majority of those people residing within the district. About 40% of the Q1 funds received by Huizenga’s campaign were from PACs — nearly all of which are outside the district.

On top of this, a clear majority of funds sent to Huizenga from individuals came from people residing outside of the district. Thus, McCann is very reliant on local funds, while the majority of Huizenga’s funds come from wealthy individuals and PACs residing outside of our district. The biggest PAC category donor for Huizenga is Wall Street/Finance — a long way from the Main Streets of West Michigan.

Please remember, when later this year you see TV ads and yard signs for Huizenga, that the majority of them will be bought and paid for by individuals and organizations from outside our district. Support for McCann is grassroots. Support for Huizenga is astroturf.

Huizenga is vulnerable in a blue wave

Huizenga has been able to pummel lesser-known, underfunded candidates with his outside-of-the-district funds for a very long time. He will still have his outside of the district funds, but he will be facing a much stronger opponent in a year that will be uphill for Republicans.

Consumer sentiment is at a multi-decade low. Most voters are unhappy with tariffs and the war the president started with Iran. Huizenga has very much tied himself to the president, and the president’s popularity is now at an all-time low. Many observers are predicting a blue wave this November. Sean McCann defeating Bill Huizenga can be a pivotal part of that wave.

— John Donnelly is a resident of Holland.

How to submit an opinion

Ottawa News Network accepts columns and letters to the editor from everyone. Letters should be about 300 words and columns should not exceed 1,000 words. ONN reserves the right to fact-check submissions as well as edit for length, clarity and grammar. Please send submissions to newsroom@ottawanewsnetwork.org.