Economic growth is a priority for most candidates, whether they’re running for local, state, or national office. As a regional economic catalyst, Southwest Michigan First reached out to the 2024 candidates to hear their strategies for driving economic development. Now through election day, we’ll be sharing their responses, organized alphabetically by last name, regardless of the office they’re seeking.

This week, we’ll share the responses from the first four candidates:

• James Bronke | Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, MI-5
• Bill Huizenga | Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, MI-4
• Elissa Slotkin | Candidate for U.S. Senate, Michigan
• Dave Stein | Candidate for U.S. Senate, Michigan

 

 

James Bronke | Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, MI-5

Email | Website

What community/professional experiences do you possess that have prepared you for this position?

I have run for president twice in the village of Cassopolis where I live and the first time lost by just one vote to a lot more familiar name in my community. As a very experienced engineer with a lot of successful accomplishments as an engineer I am very experienced at reviewing data and information and solving a problem. With a lifetime of experience being an American and studying our problems as well as having as high as a top secret clearance I am well versed at facing the challenges that our country faces.

 

What is your motivation for running for office?

My frustration with our current representative in Washington started first with the Middle East conflict as he said that we ought to “just nuke Gaza”. Indicating to me that he’s never really studied or researched the problem there. The more I corresponded with him I realized that the big problem facing my fellow citizens is our health system as I have currently experienced and learned about issues like cataracts and cancer and found our health system to be really coming up short in both. People are paying over $10,000 per month for cancer pills and our treatments don’t always save people’s lives. Our FDA is quite clearly a profit oriented medical institution and not a solution oriented medical institution. The result being that our people are very disappointed in their treatment, that there are better treatments out there, and our insurance rates are very high because of the high cost of the existing cancer treatments. I talk with citizens personally about how I have cataracts under control with just eye drops that our FDA will not approve. I know of people who have lost their vision because of cataract surgery. The answer to cancer is really fasting but our doctors who treat cancer won’t talk about anything other than the services that they provide. Cancer is a $200 billion a year business and shouldn’t be. Cataract surgery is a $3.4 billion business and shouldn’t be. I talked to my fellow citizens about what they can do to avoid less than the best treatments. My current representative is not in a position on these issues to recommend changes, I am.

 

Please list your top priorities within the responsibilities of this elected office.

1. To create an alternative Health Care Supervisory system that I will title “Researched Health Solutions” that will work side by side with the FDA.
2. Support legal immigration and protect our borders. Including the use of walls.
3. Support our public school systems and not divert money to charter on other non profit schools at a national level.
4. Act as and knowledgeable engineer on the issue of climate change and that it is being seen as a threat to our power grid and our weather. We need a working plan going forward on reducing the impact of serious climate.

 

How do you plan to accomplish these goals within the responsibilities and restrictions of the office?

I consider my concerns to be in the interests of all the American people and I will not barter to try to implement these changes unless it is something that I feel supports the interests of all Americans. Passing legislation certainly requires a working relationship with other leaders and I intend to pursue that as much as possible by sharing my points of view developed on a sound informational basis.

 

At Southwest Michigan First, our mission is to increase economic prosperity for all in Southwest Michigan. What is your vision for economic development in our region?

We here in Michigan are probably the luckiest people in The United States as far as climate change is concerned. We are seeing warming that means snowmobiles and ice fishing are not the primary source of fun in the winter anymore, but we are also not seeing extreme high temperatures in the summer as much of the rest of the US is seeing. We see the jet stream bringing cooler arctic air. This gives us a chance to continue to expand our manufacturing base. We have plenty of land and housing costs are low. I will promote this. In Washington I want to see equal and fair trade with our trading partners. It has been well established that we don’t have that with China. They add tariffs to our products for sale in China and we should return the favor. I support this philosophy.

 

What do you see as the major economic opportunities facing our region and would you propose addressing them?

Both farming and industry represent our best wild card as homes are still less expensive here, and there is plenty of land to build on. I expect people to move here to support manufacturing that will grow due to the stability of the region.

 

What do you see as the major economic challenges facing our region and how would you propose addressing them?

Keeping homes affordable.

 

How will your election impact the region’s workforce and companies who call Southwest Michigan home?

I will work to make incoming industries a smart decision for the future of southwest Michigan as well as working with farmers to assure smart crop development with the challenge being climate change.

 

How can elected officials create a place where working together towards meaningful progress is the priority?

Elected officials have to keep their focus being improving all aspects of American life including jobs and health and health insurance and other leaders need to be reminded of this instead of focusing on their political opponents as being their enemy.

 

What do you see as the biggest areas of opportunity for elected officials when it comes to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion? What is the biggest challenge?

Reminding people of our Constitution.

 

In what ways do you plan to connect with constituents to receive their input?

I will maintain offices and staff that are designed to take input from people as well as help coordinate meet and greet opportunities with my constituents on a regular basis.

 

What are your long-term political/career goals?

To be involved in our government as long as I feel it’s necessary to be a voice for sanity and a positive direction. There is too much party loyalty instead of solution loyalty.

 

 

Bill Huizenga | Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, MI-4

Email | Website

What community/professional experiences do you possess that have prepared you for this position?

I am a third-generation owner of Huizenga Gravel, a family-run, small business in Ottawa County. Previously, I served as Public Policy Director for Former Representative Pete Hoekstra, served in the Michigan State Legislature, and worked as a realtor and developer. Now, as a Congressman, I’ve always relied on my experience running a small business and my worldview as a man of faith and family, and a Southwest Michigan native with deep ties to our communities.

 

What is your motivation for running for office?

If reelected, I’ll continue to apply my principles and experience as a job creator, as well as build on my record of reining in reckless spending, preventing tax increases on our families and small businesses, cutting bureaucracy, holding the federal government accountable to the people, making daily life more affordable, and protecting the Great Lakes — all to make Southwest Michigan a better place to live, work, start a business, and raise a family.

 

Please list your top priorities within the responsibilities of this elected office.

Improving affordability for job creators, consumers, and families; helping businesses create good-paying jobs and attract/create talent in Southwest Michigan; and addressing our national debt so the U.S. continues to be the premier place for investment capital and so we protect SS/Medicare and so future generations are not saddled with trillions in debt. Additionally, keep TCJA tax cuts, restore R&D tax deduction, pass GLRI Act 2024, fix border crisis/visa programs, pass my Fiscal Commission Act.

 

How do you plan to accomplish these goals within the responsibilities and restrictions of the office?

I will accomplish these goals as I always have, namely by relying on my team, correspondence with my constituents, expert input from Southwest Michigan community stakeholders, my personal experience, and my bipartisan relationships in Congress. Aside from legislation and a strong focus on casework, I have never shied from using my voice, letters, and meetings to get things done and bring taxpayer dollars and policy wins back to Southwest Michigan.

 

At Southwest Michigan First, our mission is to increase economic prosperity for all in Southwest Michigan. What is your vision for economic development in our region?

Southwest Michigan is incredibly hardworking and filled with potential. In Congress, I am your proud partner in creating a pro-growth environment where world-class businesses and economic developers thrive, thereby growing businesses from manufacturing to the agricultural sector, providing adequate housing for workers and seniors, and ensuring availability of services like banking and childcare. This vision includes getting big-government off your back, lowering taxes, and fighting for grants and other investment opportunities.

 

What do you see as the major economic opportunities facing our region and would you propose addressing them?

Southwest Michigan is poised to lead America’s economic comeback on multiple fronts, including manufacturing and energy. Home to the sites of global corporations and smaller suppliers – we can prove that we can not only keep key employers, but attract/reshore businesses and jobs by ensuring our region is open to investment, securing our supply chains, and improving Southwest Michigan’s reputation as a beautiful and affordable place to live and work.

 

What do you see as the major economic challenges facing our region and how would you propose addressing them?

We address inflation and cost of living/running a business by tackling reckless government spending, national debt, and burdensome government regulations. Energy costs are skyrocketing and we must unleash domestic energy production – including repowering Palisades Nuclear Power Plant to meet our region’s demands. On regulations, I’ve fought unfair EPA emission mandates on Berrien and Allegan businesses – and helped blunt SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rule’s impact on agriculture by bringing a local farmer to DC to testify.

 

How will your election impact the region’s workforce and companies who call Southwest Michigan home?

This election is critical to next year’s tax deliberations in Congress. Taxes are on the table, and I’m fighting to keep and improve the TCJA so that our regulatory and tax structure allows families to thrive and businesses to come, stay, and grow in Southwest Michigan. Additionally, I’m fighting to improve our workforce – including by focusing primarily on growing good-paying jobs and updating WIOA to give employers the resources to fill jobs and upskill workers.

 

How can elected officials create a place where working together towards meaningful progress is the priority?

I am already leading a get-stuff-done bipartisan environment via not just bipartisan legislation but also my co-chairmanship of groups like the Great Lakes Task Force and the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum (BFF), where Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) and I lead dozens of Members in addressing the national debt. One example is the equally-bipartisan Fiscal Commission Act we introduced to force Congress’ vote on a comprehensive medium/long-term solution to the fiscal crisis.

 

What do you see as the biggest areas of opportunity for elected officials when it comes to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion? What is the biggest challenge?

America should foster a culture, based on our founding principles, that values opportunity and merit. DEI shouldn’t be a top-down government mandate. Rather, employers should engage in hiring practices based on the non-discriminatory merits they value that meet their unique goals while recognizing potential and offering opportunity to employees as they grow their businesses. In short, the biggest challenge is government mandates, and the biggest area of opportunity is the power of a merit-based economy.

 

In what ways do you plan to connect with constituents to receive their input?

I plan to continue what has worked during my time in office – corresponding with constituents via meetings, events, letters, emails, proactive outreach, polls, and tele-town halls. We offer various ways for constituents to get in touch with me and my staff, and I am proud to have corresponded with many thousands of constituents in a meaningful way on a daily basis. Your input is helpful to me in my decision-making in Congress.

 

What are your long-term political/career goals?

My priority is to consistently/successfully advocate for the 4th Congressional District. I am committed to selfless service, whether it be for seniors, veterans, farmers, or any constituent whom we can help. Additionally, I am running to chair the House Financial Services Committee if re-elected and the Republicans maintain our majority. As chair, I would fight for a regulatory environment that encourages investment and capital formation, while facilitating innovative technologies throughout the financial services ecosystem.

 

Please list any relevant endorsements you have received.

Friends of West MI Business, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, US Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Farm Bureau, National Federation of Independent Business, Citizens Against Government Waste PAC.

 

Campaign Song

“Won’t Back Down” Tom Petty

 

Favorite Movie

“It’s A Wonderful Life”

 

Favorite Book

“Education of A Wandering Man”

 

Favorite Food

“A good medium-rare steak”

 

 

Elissa Slotkin | Candidate for U.S. Senate, Michigan

Email | Website

What community/professional experiences do you possess that have prepared you for this position?

After 9/11, I was recruited to the CIA as a Middle East analyst, and within a year, I was deployed to Baghdad alongside America’s soldiers and diplomats. I held various leadership roles at the White House and the Defense Department, and until January 2017, I served as acting Assistant Secretary of Defense. I was then elected to Congress in November of 2018 and have represented Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives since.

 

What is your motivation for running for office?

The reason I decided to run for office was personal. My mother died of ovarian cancer in 2011. She struggled to afford healthcare for years because of an early case of breast cancer, and based on that pre-existing condition, the insurance companies had gouged her for years – so reducing healthcare costs is important to me. In the House, I’ve spearheaded legislation to cap costs of insulin and to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.

 

Please list your top priorities within the responsibilities of this elected office.

My number one priority is to make it easier for Michiganders to get into the middle class. Michigan invented the middle class by maintaining a strong union presence and making investments in small businesses. We can keep people there by reducing healthcare costs, putting Americans on the path to homeownership and making more critical items in America. I am committed to restoring the national standard set by Roe, and ensuring voting rights for every American.

 

How do you plan to accomplish these goals within the responsibilities and restrictions of the office?

My professional background is in national security, working in intelligence and defense. I have proudly worked for both Republicans and Democrats in my career, including directly for President Bush and President Obama. This bipartisan, country-first approach has informed my work in Congress. I believe in bipartisanship in my bones: my guiding principle in office will be to work with people based on how committed they are to serving their constituents, not by party affiliation.

 

At Southwest Michigan First, our mission is to increase economic prosperity for all in Southwest Michigan. What is your vision for economic development in our region?

I believe that economic development works best when all levels of government – local, state, and federal – and the private sector are rowing in the same direction. Economic development requires buy-in from everyone – the community, policymakers, and businesses – so transparency is key. And it requires making the right investments – ones that yield the highest returns on investment in terms of creating good-paying jobs, supporting the local economy, spurring additional private-sector investments, and more.

 

What do you see as the major economic opportunities facing our region and would you propose addressing them?

I believe that we need to make more critical items in America so that we are in control of our own economic security – supply-side shocks like COVID have the potential to wreak havoc on our economy and middle class families, so I’m committed to bringing critical manufacturing back to the United States. Manufacturing is in Michiganders’ bones, so I think that recentering manufacturing in our state could be a tremendous opportunity.

 

What do you see as the major economic challenges facing our region and how would you propose addressing them?

First, the cost of childcare. I have championed proposals to make childcare more affordable like the American Family Act, which would make the expanded Child Tax Credit permanent. Second, affordable housing. I’ve been proud to tackle this issue in a way that both helps Michiganders and boosts our economy. Last September, I introduced the Workforce Housing Development Act, which would create a grant program at HUD to create and preserve affordable workforce housing.

 

How will your election impact the region’s workforce and companies who call Southwest Michigan home?

Many small and medium-sized businesses can’t find enough qualified job candidates to meet their needs. Improving our education system and our immigration system to meet the workforce needs of employers in our community is critical. For Southwest Michigan’s workforce, I hope to make significant strides in retaining and attracting talent. That means fostering workforce pipelines that start in college – and alternative post-secondary routes – that lead to good-paying local jobs.

 

How can elected officials create a place where working together towards meaningful progress is the priority?

As I mentioned above, I believe that legislators’ guiding principle in office should be to work with people based on how committed they are to serving their constituents. One of the first things I did after entering Congress was joining the Problem Solvers Caucus. This group is made up of equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans who meet weekly to craft and champion bipartisan legislation, debate existing bills, and reach bipartisan agreement on pressing issues.

 

What do you see as the biggest areas of opportunity for elected officials when it comes to addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion? What is the biggest challenge?

I see our biggest challenge and biggest opportunity to be the same here: creating a clear agenda in Washington focused on eliminating long-standing barriers to opportunities. That was the impetus for my Opportunity Agenda. Created in conjunction with Michigan’s Black community leaders – including faith leaders, neighborhood leaders, and small business leaders – the Opportunity Agenda is about putting forth an actual plan to uplift marginalized people, businesses, and communities, and following it with concrete action.

 

In what ways do you plan to connect with constituents to receive their input?

When I entered this race last February, I started with a listening tour all across the state. Southwest Michigan was one of my first stops, and I heard firsthand what your community needs most in their Senator. Simply put, the lessons I’ve learned from constituents during this tour and in previous races have been indispensable to my effectiveness as a legislator; I cannot envision my life as a Senator without constant communication with my constituents.

 

What are your long-term political/career goals?

Helping Michiganders is my primary goal. My vision is based on the values I developed during my career in national security. I believe that America should inspire and lead, at home and abroad. Not just by having a strong military, but by tackling global challenges like AI and climate change together. Our strength abroad is inextricably linked to our strength here at home: our schools, a strong middle class, and the health of our democracy.

 

Please list any relevant endorsements you have received.

I’ve been endorsed by over 24 of the largest unions in Michigan, collectively representing 600,000+ workers across the state. Additionally, I’ve received the backing of national organizations including Planned Parenthood Action Fund, EMILYs List, End Citizens United / Let America Vote, GIFFORDS, and the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity. In previous campaigns for the U.S. House, I have received endorsements from Michigan Chambers of Commerce, law enforcement organizations, and agricultural organizations.

 

Campaign Song

Get Ready by The Temptations

 

Favorite Movie

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

 

Favorite Book

The Soul of America by Jon Meacham

 

Favorite Food

Mediterranean

 

 

Dave Stein | Candidate for U.S. Senate, Michigan

Email | Website

What community/professional experiences do you possess that have prepared you for this position?

CDL A Driver for 17 years and Foreman for 10 years. No formal degree but did attend college, several other schools and have certificates in Heating and Air Conditioning, Electronics, Building Trades, Metal Fabrication and grinding, supervisory, and Heavy Machinery. I also studied common law on my own for a few years as well as CAD, and 3D printing, and am currently studying constitutional law. I have volunteered for different events in Bay City as well as volunteered at the missions in Saginaw and Bay City.

 

What is your motivation for running for office?

The fate of this county as we need more of the common man to enter office rather than the career-oriented seeking to become millionaires off of the taxpayers backs.

 

Please list your top priorities within the responsibilities of this elected office.

To show the public that a common man can represent their peers in government and get the job done with hopefully motivating more to do the same and eliminate career minded politicians whom suffer from greed rather than selfless service to their country.

• Legal citizenship requirements for all voters.
• Social Security numbers not being used as identification for voter registration requests.
• Appealing the Modernization Act from Obama in 2011-2012 in order to end the States continuing disinformation through the free press and other various news platforms.
• Addressing the gray areas of abortion. Abortion is not birth control, it is murder. If someone can consent to having unprotected sex then they should take responsibility for possible pregnancy and adoption is an option. However there are many circumstances that abortion should be allowed. I understand this personally from experience.
• Prevent Social Security monies from being absorbed by the Social Security Administration after a person dies. Those monies should be paid out to the deceased heirs.
• Correcting the overgrowth of our government’s usurpation, which has become incomprehensible and in certain cases unconstitutional and even treasonous. E.g. Paying taxes over and over on items or products resold or moving through production levels.
• Lowering the budget
• Ending corporate contributions/donations to politicians and their companies.