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July 27, 2010

Nine vying to replace Hoekstra

Seven Republicans and two Dems eye congressional seat

BY LINDSAY VANHULLE lvanhulle@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — The incumbent in the Congressional district spanning much of West Michigan is running for governor.

Nine people want to take his place.

The crowded field to replace U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, in Michigan's 2nd Congressional District tilts Republican, with seven candidates in the Aug. 3 primary. Two Democrats also are vying for the seat.

Benzie, Manistee and Wexford counties comprise the northern end of the district, which stretches south to Ottawa and Allegan counties.

On the Republican ticket, candidates include Spring Lake businessman Bill Cooper; former state Rep. Bill Huizenga, of Zeeland; state Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland; Ferrysburg resident Chris Larson; Grand Haven businessman Field Reichardt; former professional football player Jay Riemersma, of Holland; and Ted Schendel, a part-time Benzie County Sheriff's Department officer and Honor resident.

The Democratic field includes Fred Johnson, of Holland, a Hope College associate history professor; and Nicolette McClure, a Lake County commissioner from Idlewild.

The winners of both races will advance to the November general election.

Riemersma, 37, leads all candidates in campaign contributions, receiving $702,697 as of July 14, Federal Election Commission records show. He played football for the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers before moving to Holland and working for the conservative nonprofit lobbying group Family Research Council.

He thinks the best way to spur economic growth is to reduce taxes and corporate regulations, since it hinders companies' ability to create jobs.

"Our government is too big, it's too expensive and we need to rein in spending and cut out the fat before we raise taxes on the very people who are going to get us out of this economic downturn," Riemersma said.

Two candidates already have political experience. Kuipers, 48, has spent 12 years in the state Legislature, both in the House and now in the Senate where he's term-limited. He's heard the "career politician" label used to describe him, but said the term isn't accurate. He worked for a landscape construction company for 15 years before his first election.

"I would have done this anyway, even if I had time left," Kuipers said of Congress. "I understand what conservative principles are, and how you can work within the system to advance the things that you believe in."

In Washington, he wants to create government transparency on spending, eliminate federal pensions and cut federal pay by 10 percent for all employees. Military service members and veterans would be exempt from the latter two proposals, Kuipers said.

Huizenga, 41, was a state representative from 2002 to 2008. Prior to that, he spent six years as Hoekstra's district director in West Michigan. He previously worked in real estate and ran a gravel company in Jenison.

He wants a national balanced budget amendment, presidential line-item veto power and earmark spending transparency.

Michigan's efforts at balancing a budget led to recent partial government shutdowns, but Huizenga is more optimistic for Washington.

"Are we really going to be able to live with that? I think we can," he said. "We've got to quit taking this stuff off the books and pretending it's not there."

Cooper, 48, said his business background is an advantage. He started several businesses in West Michigan, including a chain of quick print shops, a corporate aircraft brokerage firm and several billboard companies.

The federal deficit is not an inviting climate for private capital, Cooper said, and national security could be challenged if the U.S. is too deeply indebted to foreign countries.

"What we're doing right now is unsustainable," he said. "Unless we do something about it, our country will go bankrupt."

At 61, Reichardt is the oldest candidate in the Republican race. He thinks his moderate beliefs will help lure voters. He runs a business that imports organic olive oils.

He describes himself as a fiscal conservative who is pro-choice and supports the science of evolution.

"There is a giant middle that feels as I do, that we've got to start to bring this country back to the center," he said.

His primary issues include supporting small businesses, preserving the Great Lakes and investing more in science and technical subjects, medical education and teacher training.

The only local candidate, Schendel admits he's a "dark horse" who represents the emerging Tea Party movement.

A retired Florida police sergeant, Schendel, 53, advocates for smaller government and a balanced budget. He raised about $5,100 as of June 30, FEC records show.

"My sole motivation is to return this government back to the people, the way our founders intended it to be," he said. "They're tired of wealthy elitists buying their way in."

Larson did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Johnson, on the Democratic ticket, is trying for the second time to win Hoekstra's seat — this time, without an incumbent.

He first ran in 2008.

A retired Marine Corps officer, Johnson, 51, wants to represent working families, who he believes are forgotten as special interests funnel money into lobbying.

The priority issue is fixing the economy, but he said improving public education and investing in new energy sources is crucial to creating a diversified workforce.

Johnson said he supports tax incentives for small businesses, but doesn't want to see large corporations deregulated — he points to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the Wall Street financial crisis as examples.

"The free market is one thing," Johnson said. "The free market does not mean piracy, pillaging and plundering."

His challenger, McClure, 63, is a retired Detroit Public Schools teacher who values education and improved teacher training.

She also wants the country to invest in alternative energy and living-wage jobs.

"We had all these blue-collar jobs, we had high-end jobs, but we did not continue to stay abreast, to stay educated," McClure said. "We did not design our industries to (go forward)."

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