Phil Tanis, a former mayor of Holland, will challenge U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga in the upcoming primary election Aug. 4.
The winner will proceed to the general election for the Fourth District, which includes Allegan County and Van Buren County — along with portions of Berrien, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Ottawa. The district includes nearly 775,000 constituents.
“I’m standing to give voters a choice,” Tanis wrote in a release issued May 28. “Our politics have lost their balance and our representatives their voice. It’s time to restore civility, integrity, and genuine public service to Michigan’s Fourth Congressional District.”
Tanis, 61, served as the city’s youngest-ever mayor from 1987 to 1989. His tenure oversaw significant renovations downtown, including the installation of the snowmelt system. Before serving as mayor, Tanis was a councilmember.
“I’m not a career politician, and I’m not running a traditional campaign,” Tanis wrote. “I’m not accepting donations, seeking endorsements, or hiring consultants. I simply want to offer a chance for thoughtful, traditional Republicans (and anyone else) to register their belief that our democracy works best when we work together.
“I’m standing in protest against a political culture that rewards loyalty to power over loyalty to principle. I stand so voters can voice their dissatisfaction with a system that has stopped listening. That’s what this candidacy is about. It’s not a campaign — it’s an act of protest against the current state of affairs and a commitment to the United States.”
Tanis is currently director of Hope College’s Van Raalte Institute.
Huizenga has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2011, previously representing Michigan’s Second District from 2011 to 2023. The current race also includes two candidates vying for the Democratic nomination: Sean McCann and Diop Harris.
— Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on X @cassideykava.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland former mayor announces primary challenge against Bill Huizenga
Reporting by Cassidey Kavathas, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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