Whitmer, Slotkin join effort to unseat GOP congressman Bill Huizenga

Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News on Oct 29, 2026

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KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Democratic win in the Republican-held 4th Congressional District in southwest Michigan would send "shockwaves" through the country and encourage Democrats in other traditionally red areas of Michigan, Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin told canvassers while campaigning with Democratic candidate Sean McCann.

Slotkin and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stumped for McCann, currently a state senator, on Thursday, as he attempts to flip the 4th District seat currently held by Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga since 2011.

"If we’re able to turn this seat, the message is that, when Democrats compete, they win; when they go to very red areas, they can flip them," Slotkin said.

At the canvassing kickoff, Whitmer stressed that people are busy and frustrated as they attempt to deal with higher costs and may not have their minds made up yet regarding how they'll fill out their ballots.

"We’ve got to talk to them," Whitmer told the crowd inside the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party office. "We’ve got to tell them what’s on this ballot and why it's so important that we elect Democrats to help people keep money in their pockets, Democrats who are going to hold the Trump administration responsible and fight back against this war in Iran, this illegal war against Iran, and the tariff chaos that has made all of our lives harder.”

It's essential, Whitmer said, that Democrats win "not by slim margins, but by margins big enough that it’s undeniable.”

Michigan's 4th District stretches from southern Ottawa County to northern Berrien County, covering all of Allegan and Van Buren counties, part of Kalamazoo County and Battle Creek in Calhoun County.

For years, Democrats have contended that the 4th District is getting "bluer" since Whitmer won the district in 2022 by a percentage point and its residents voted that year in support of Proposal 3 to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. Huizenga, an eight-term congressman from Holland, has become one of several Republican congressmen targeted by Democrats in their efforts to swing control of the U.S. House.

Huizenga spent the morning visiting the Palisades nuclear plant in Covert alongside U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Officials are currently aiming to restart the nuclear power plant on the shores of Lake Michigan in Van Buren County.

McCann noted during Thursday's canvassing meeting that Huizenga voted against the Biden administration bill that helped finance the nuclear plant's restart.

"Bill Huizenga voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, so it’s really interesting to see someone showing up to do a photo op or celebrate an accomplishment that he didn’t vote for," McCann said.

McCann noted that when he first ran for his current state Senate seat in 2014, he lost by 61 votes to former Republican state Sen. Margaret O'Brien. In 2018, he flipped the seat by about 12,000 votes, this time alongside Whitmer, who won her first term as governor, and Slotkin, who won her first term to the U.S. House.

That was the start of a "great journey" but more work needs to be done to ensure the congressional district can stand as a buffer to Republican President Donald Trump, McCann said.

If elected, he said he would immediately turn his focus to ending the war in Iran, easing tariffs and shoring up Medicare, Social Security and Affordable Care Act subsidies.

The state, McCann said, needs to break the "rubber stamp" for Trump's agenda.

"There’s a lot to undo and a lot to do," McCann said.

Democratic state Rep. Julie Rogers is running for the Senate seat McCann is leaving in his bid for a congressional seat, but she stopped by the canvassing launch Thursday to help rally volunteers. As she knocks doors in areas of her prospective Senate district, Rogers said, she's noticed a change among the more Republican areas of the district.

"I’m hearing over and over that Republicans are either picking and choosing and going back and forth between Dems and Republicans and picking the individual candidates; or, for the first time in their life, they’re voting straight ticket Democrat," Rogers said. "And it’s always tied to affordability. People can’t afford these policies.”