Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole runs on public safety and tax relief for the open Muskegon-area state Senate seat against Democrat Rebecca Amidon

MUSKEGON — An open state Senate seat that runs up the Lake Michigan shoreline from Muskegon to Frankfort is on the Nov. 3 ballot. Republican Kim Cole, the Mason County sheriff, faces Democrat Rebecca Amidon, an adjunct communication professor at Mid Michigan College, in the 32nd District. Republican Sen. Jon Bumstead, who has held the seat since 2019, cannot run again because of term limits. Cole and Amidon are the only two candidates on Manistee County’s official candidate list for the race.

A seat both parties want. The 32nd District takes in all of Benzie, Mason and Oceana counties and parts of Muskegon and Manistee counties, including the cities of Muskegon, Norton Shores, Muskegon Heights, Ludington, Manistee, Whitehall, Montague and Hart. Bumstead won it in 2022 with 61,113 votes, or 52.8%, to Democrat Terry Sabo’s 54,557, or 47.2%, according to MyRepTracker, which compiles state results. Michigan Legislative Consultants (MLC), a Lansing lobbying firm, lists it among this year’s swing seats and wrote on Oct. 12 that “Republicans believe they are well positioned to retain the district, while Democrats believe it is trending left.” The August primary showed why both sides are watching: Cole won the Republican nomination with 20,326 votes to 6,361 for Max Riekse, a retired teacher and Army lieutenant colonel from Fruitport, while Amidon drew 31,667 votes running unopposed, according to unofficial results reported by Hearst’s Michigan’s Thumb.

Who Cole is. Cole, 62, is a fifth-generation Mason County resident who lives in Pere Marquette Township, graduated from Ludington High School and West Shore Community College, and has worked in law enforcement for 41 years, starting as a reserve deputy in 1985. He is in his fourth term as sheriff. He was president of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association in 2022, sits on its legislative committee, and was appointed in 2023 to the National Sheriffs’ Association board, where he serves on its traffic safety and border security committees, according to Mason County Press. The sheriffs’ association named him its Sheriff of the Year in 2021. “Sheriff Cole isn’t running for office to play politics – he’s running to take our common sense West Michigan values to Lansing,” his campaign site says.

Taxes, spending and school choice. Cole told Mason County Press that families are struggling while state spending has grown, and that he wants to get spending under control, provide tax relief and cut regulations so businesses can expand. “Affordability must be a priority and putting money back into the pockets of hardworking Michiganders,” he said. His campaign says the state “should live within its means—just like every Michigan family does.” On schools, Cole said teachers should not be blamed for the system’s problems, “many of whom I consider friends, but changes need to happen,” and called for letting teachers focus on teaching, keeping parents involved and supporting school choice, along with trade schools, community colleges and regional universities. He also pledges to stand up for sportsmen and protect the state’s lakes, forests and farmland.

Public safety. Cole opposes cashless bail and efforts to defund police, and says he will back officers and other first responders. “For 41 years, as a law enforcement officer, I have stood in the gap between good and evil to keep our communities safe,” he told Mason County Press. “I will continue to do it in the Michigan Senate.” He said public safety policy also has to address mental illness and addiction, which he said he has seen firsthand through loved ones, and pledged to support treatment programs and “be a voice for victims of crime.”

Amidon’s pitch. Amidon, 38, lives in Manistee County and was vice chair of the Manistee County Democratic Party from 2021 to 2024. She lists child care, education and health care as her top issues. She supports expanding state child care subsidies and tax credits, more employer participation in the state’s MI Tri-Share program, and “dedicated long-term public funding for early childhood education,” according to Mason County Press. She opposes sending public education money to private and for-profit schools, criticized the Republican-led state House’s school aid budget proposal as harmful to special education and rural districts, and wants to keep free school meals and expand free preschool. She also wants to support rural hospitals, expand mental health and addiction treatment, and use state funding to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid delivery.

A mailer dispute. In September, a Michigan Republican Party mailer promoting Cole listed the main phone number of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office for calls to him, the Ludington Daily News reported. County Administrator Kaitlyn Szczypka said the county had not authorized the number’s use and was not involved in the mailer. Cole said neither he nor his campaign authorized, approved or coordinated it. “I was not involved in the decision-making process and cannot speak for any outside organization,” he told the paper. Cole did not fill out the League of Women Voters’ Vote411 guide published by MLive; MLive used positions from his campaign website instead.

How to vote. Monday, Oct. 19, was the last day to register to vote online or by mail. After that, residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency, through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Statewide early in-person voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1; check with your city or township clerk for early voting sites and hours. Absentee ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Oct. 30 by mail or online, or by 4 p.m. Nov. 2 in person at the clerk’s office. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. County canvasses must finish by Nov. 17, and the Board of State Canvassers certifies statewide results by Nov. 23. Voters can check their registration and see their sample ballot at Michigan.gov/Vote.

Updated Oct. 20, 2026: The Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote online or by mail has passed, so the voting details now say so. Residents can still register in person at their city or township clerk’s office with proof of residency through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Sources:
Manistee County Clerk, November 2026 Official Candidate List (State Senator, 32nd District), https://www.manisteecountymi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3028/November-2026-Official-Candidate-List
Michigan Chamber of Commerce, “2026 General Election Candidates,” https://www.micoc.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-General-Election-Candidates.pdf
Michigan Legislative Consultants, “General Election Overview: 32nd Senate District,” Oct. 12, 2026, https://mlcmi.com/general-election-overview-32nd-senate-district/
MyRepTracker, “Senate District 32 - 2026 Election” (district places and 2022 results), https://www.myreptracker.com/michigan/elections/2026/state/senate/32
Michigan’s Thumb (Hearst), “Kim Cole chosen as Republican contender for Nov. 3,” Aug. 5, 2026, https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/mason-county-sheriff-beats-republican-contender-22375060.php
Mason County Press, “Amidon, Cole outline priorities in 32nd Senate District race,” Aug. 25, 2026, https://www.masoncountypress.com/2026/08/25/amidon-cole-outline-priorities-in-32nd-senate-district-race/
Kim Cole for State Senate, campaign home page, https://coleforsenate.com/
MLive, “2 Republicans, 1 Democrat competing for Michigan Senate District 32 seat,” July 27, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2026/07/2-republicans-1-democrat-competing-for-michigan-senate-district-32-seat.html
MLive, “Sheriff faces college professor in Michigan Senate District 32 election,” October 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/2026/10/sheriff-faces-college-professor-in-michigan-senate-district-32-election.html
Ludington Daily News, “State GOP mailer directs Cole calls to Sheriff’s Office,” Sept. 18, 2026, https://www.shorelinemedia.net/ludington_daily_news/news/state-gop-mailer-directs-cole-calls-to-sheriff-s-office/article_4d1da3cb-1ae4-49c5-a4cc-5c218ee188ee.html
Michigan Department of State, “Absentee voting” and election calendar (registration, early voting and absentee deadlines), https://www.michigan.gov/sos/elections/voting/absentee-voting
Photo: Notorious4life, “Mason County Courthouse (Michigan) 2023.jpg,” Aug. 20, 2023, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/), cropped and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mason_County_Courthouse_(Michigan)_2023.jpg

Muskegon · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Muskegon · Election 2026 · State Senate · Public Safety · Taxes · School Choice