District 17
Ashleigh Baker - Democrat
Mike D. Jones - Democrat
Jonathan Lindsey - Republican
District 18
Anthony Pennock - Democrat
Anthony Pennock
Democratic Candidate for Michigan State Senator in Michigan's 18th Congressional District for the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.
Dr. Anthony Pennock is a special education teacher, advocate, and candidate for the Michigan State Senate in District 18. Raised in a working-class family in the district as the youngest of five children, Anthony learned the values of hard work and community early in life.
Before entering public education, Anthony gained a diverse range of real-world experience working in the retail and service industries. Today, his career as an educator spans the elementary, middle, and high school levels, where he focuses on listening, solving complex problems, and advocating for students and fellow educators.
Anthony holds a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership (2021), providing him with a practical framework to bring people together and tackle systemic challenges. Anthony is running for State Senate to bring a practical, community-first voice to Lansing that delivers real results for all residents.
Thomas A. Albert - Republican
District 19
Julie Rogers - Democrat
Shaun Young - Republican
District 20
Dale Murney - Democrat
Curtis Clark - Republican
Kenny Clevenger - Republican
Chris Moraitis - Republican
District 29
Ivan Diaz - Democrat
Ivan Diaz
Democratic Candidate for Michigan State Senator in Michigan's 29th Congressional District for the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.
Ivan Diaz was born and raised in Grand Rapids and is the son of Méxican immigrants who came to the United States in the 90s in search of economic opportunity. Ivan graduated from Godfrey-Lee Public Schools, Grand Rapids Community College & Grand Valley State University. Ivan is a proud member of the working class who believes in and fights for human rights. In 2022, Ivan became the first person of Méxican descent elected to the Kent County Board of Commissioners and now, Ivan is running to be the next Senator for Michigan’s 29th State Senate District.
Abbie Groff-Blaszak - Democrat
Abbie Groff-Blaszak
Democratic Candidate for Michigan State Senator in Michigan's 29th Congressional District for the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.
Abbie has more than 20 years of public service experience, including classroom teaching, school leadership, state government policy leadership, community organizing, nonprofit management, and elected office.
She is a graduate of East Kentwood High School; Indiana University (BA, History and Political Science); Harvard University (Ed.M., Administration, Planning and Social Policy); and Grand Rapids Community College (Certification in Craft Brewing).
Phil Skaggs - Democrat
Phil Skaggs
Democratic Candidate for Michigan State Senator in Michigan's 29th Congressional District for the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.
Phil Skaggs serves as the State Representative for Michigan House District 80, representing Kentwood, East Grand Rapids, Cascade, GR Township, and Grand Rapids. Before entering public service, he was a college history professor.
Phil was elected to the East Grand Rapids City Commission in 2012, where he served until 2016, before representing the area on the Kent County Board of Commissioners from 2017 to 2022. He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2022.
On the East Grand Rapids City Commission, Phil led the effort to pass one of Michigan’s strongest LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination ordinances and championed a major streets and sidewalks millage that rebuilt local infrastructure. As a Kent County Commissioner, he played a key role in creating Michigan’s only dedicated countywide early childhood education and development program, founding the County Office of Diversity and Inclusion, authorizing a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies over their role in the opioid epidemic, and advancing efforts to address PFAS contamination.
In the Michigan House, Phil is proud to have helped secure historic investments in public schools, enact commonsense gun safety laws, expand renewable energy, repeal the state’s “Right to Work” law, restore prevailing wage protections for skilled trades, create the Rx Kids program, guarantee paid sick leave, pass Clean Slate expungement, and raise Michigan’s minimum wage. He also authored and passed two significant labor laws – one restoring full collective bargaining rights for teachers and another strengthening enforcement of Michigan’s child labor laws.
A lifelong supporter of organized labor, Phil is a former member of both the American Federation of Teachers and the United Rubber Workers, now part of the United Steelworkers.
Phil lives in East Grand Rapids with his wife, Kate. Together they have a blended family with five children: Lainey (26), Julia (23), Livi (13), Elsie (11), and Philo (8).
Brady A. Middleton - Republican
District 30
Carol Glanville - Democrat
Rickie Kreuzer - Democrat
Rickie Kreuzer
Democratic Candidate for Michigan State Senator in Michigan's 30th Congressional District for the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.
Rickie Kreuzer, a lifelong West Michigander, grew up in a small-business family, where he learned firsthand both the opportunities and sacrifices of entrepreneurship.
Drawing on a background in business administration and for-profit management, Rickie has built a career focused on solving problems, strengthening communities, and expanding opportunity. His work with organizations including the Human Rights Campaign, Michigan United, Voters Not Politicians, and OutFront Kalamazoo has advanced civil rights, protected voting rights, strengthened civic engagement, and mobilized voters across Michigan and in Georgia during the historic 2021 U.S. Senate runoff elections.
As Executive Director of Chosen Family of Michigan, Rickie leads initiatives to prevent youth homelessness, defend civil rights, expand healthcare access, and provide community education. His public service extends across state government, where Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed him to Michigan's State Board of Nursing. He also serves on the Michigan HIV/AIDS Council, the Medicaid HIV Quality Improvement Policy Group, and the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross of Southwest Michigan. He served on the Health Equity Grand Committees for both Corewell and Trinity Health.
Rickie's legal and policy work spans all three branches of government and the private sector. He develops court policies and administrative orders for a tribal court, advises organizations on employment law and human resources policy, has testified before the Michigan Legislature, submitted an amicus brief to the Michigan Supreme Court, and regularly speaks with community organizations and the media on public policy and civil rights.
Rickie is the author of I Relate and is currently pursuing his Juris Doctor while continuing his commitment to law, public service, and community advocacy. He is endorsed by the Michigan Democratic Party Progressive Caucus and several community leaders and former elected officials."
Mark E. Huizenga - Republican
Mark E. Huizenga
Republican Candidate for Michigan State Senator in Michigan's 30th Congressional District for the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.
Huizenga has been involved in the city of Walker in varying capacities from serving on the planning commission from (2005-2011), as city commissioner to the 3rd Ward (2011-2013), and as mayor (2013-2018). Huizenga was elected to serve the 74th District in the Michigan House of Representatives in 2018 and 2020. He was elected to the Senate 28th District in 2021 and re-elected 30Th District in 2022. Huizenga is a graduate of the MSU Michigan Political Leadership Program. He is Board Certified by the American Council of Medical Practice Executives.
District 31
Keagan Host - Democrat
Chris Kleinjans - Democrat
Chris Kleinjans
Democratic Candidate for Michigan State Senator in Michigan's 31st Congressional District for the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.
From the age of 18 to today, my life’s work has centered on building and strengthening the community around me.
My time in the military shaped that commitment in lasting ways. Service–especially during conflict–teaches you quickly that going it alone invites failure. Trusting the people beside you is what carries you through when things get hard. That lesson stayed with me. Ever since, I’ve found the greatest fulfillment in helping others grow, succeed, and achieve their goals.
Years of nonprofit community work, alongside raising two boys with my wife, Sarah, have been deeply fulfilling, but not without struggle. The 2009 housing crisis and the recession that followed hit the nonprofit sector hard, and I experienced a long stretch of unemployment and underemployment. Like many families, we faced moments of uncertainty–times when simply keeping the heat on, food on the table, and opportunities open for our kids felt fragile. To make ends meet, I’ve been a line cook, a commercial cleaner, and, briefly, a tree trimmer. Those jobs are a reminder that hard work takes many forms, and that dignity is found in all of it.
Kevin J. Maas - Republican
Michael J. Markey Jr. - Republican
John Wetzel - Republican
District 32
Rebecca Amidon - Democrat
Kim Cole - Republican
Max Rickse - Republican
Max Rickse
Republican Candidate for Michigan State Senator in Michigan's 32nd Congressional District for the 2026 Michigan Primary Election.
District 33
Stan Opal - Democrat
Katie DeBoer - Republican
Joseph D. Fox - Republican
Gina Johnsen - Republican
Thomas J. Norton - Republican
