Primary Election Overview: 26th Senate District

Liz Gullett

Jun 19, 2018

Through the primary election on August 7, on every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday on the MLC Blog we will be highlighting races for which the primary is the key race due to the voter base. Candidate’s website and professional information is listed when available.

District Overview

The 26^th Senate District is located in Allegan and Van Buren Counties, plus a portion of Kent County, including portions of Gaines Township and Kentwood.

Commentary

Senator Tonya Schuitmaker (R) can’t run for this seat again due to term limits, leaving this seat open. The Republican primary race includes two former State Representatives. One of those, Aric Nesbitt, served on the leadership team as the Majority Floor Leader during his time in the legislature. The other former legislator has served as the Allegan County Clerk for four years, providing good name recognition for him. The district has a 62% Republican base and the winner of the primary race should win this November.

Democratic Candidate:

Garnet Lewis – Small business owner, retired educator, Chair of the City of Saugatuck Planning Commission and a member of the City of Saugatuck Board of Review

Republican Candidates:

Bob Genetski – Allegan County Clerk, former State Representative and high school teacher
Aric Nesbitt – Former State Representative and Michigan Lottery Commissioner
Don Wickstra – Dentist, chair of the Health Township Planning Commission

Libertarian Candidate:

Erwin Haas – Infectious disease doctor, former Kentwood City Commissioner

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.