Republican John Wetzel runs on lower taxes and local control for Ottawa County’s open 31st District Senate seat against Democrat Chris Kleinjans

GRAND HAVEN — The state Senate seat that covers most of Ottawa County is open this fall, and Republican John Wetzel is asking voters to send a small-business owner to Lansing on a platform of lower taxes, smaller government and local control. Wetzel, 51, of Robinson Township, faces Democrat Chris Kleinjans, 58, of Holland, in the 31st District on Nov. 3. Republican Sen. Roger Victory of Hudsonville is term-limited and is running for the Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Wetzel and Kleinjans are the only two candidates for the seat on Ottawa County’s official candidate list.

The district. The 31st takes in Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Ferrysburg, Holland, Hudsonville, Jenison and Zeeland, along with Laketown and Fillmore townships in Allegan County, according to the Grand Haven Tribune and Wetzel’s campaign. In the Aug. 4 primary, Wetzel won a three-way Republican race with 15,527 votes, about 40%, to 12,321 for Kevin Maas and 10,399 for Michael Markey Jr., while Kleinjans beat Keagan Host 22,511 to 7,374, according to results reported by MLive. Combined, the three Republicans drew about 38,200 votes in the race, compared with about 29,900 for the two Democrats.

Who Wetzel is. Wetzel founded Pure POS Inc., a Michigan hospitality software company, more than 20 years ago, grew up in Rockford and has a business and information systems degree from Grand Valley State University, according to his campaign. He also spent more than two decades as a Michigan high school basketball official. His campaign lists endorsements from Victory, U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, former Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, former Ottawa County Sheriff Gary Rosema, Ottawa County Commissioner Jordan Jorritsma, the Police Officers Association of Michigan, Right to Life of Michigan, the Michigan Manufacturers Association, the Grand Rapids Chamber, the Michigan Corn Growers Association and the Michigan Realtors political action committee.

Taxes and costs. Wetzel told the Tribune that affordability is the district’s biggest issue, pointing to grocery, housing, utility and property tax bills and to water rates that he said “have increased dramatically” in parts of Ottawa County. He supports cutting Michigan’s income tax, “meaningful property tax relief, particularly for seniors on fixed incomes,” and eliminating “unnecessary government spending, waste, fraud, and abuse.” He wants state help to lower water bills and pay for water infrastructure, and backs natural gas, nuclear and “clean coal” over what he called “costly mandates that burden families and businesses.” “My focus is simple: Lower taxes, smaller government, affordable energy, and more money in the pockets of hardworking Michigan families,” he said.

Local control. “Lansing has increasingly taken decision-making away from local residents,” Wetzel told the Tribune, citing large solar developments on farmland, zoning decisions and other state mandates. He pledged to “restore local control, protect private property rights, preserve farmland” and back farmers and small businesses. On data centers, he said local governments and residents “must retain control over zoning and land-use decisions, rather than having projects forced upon them by Lansing,” and that the projects should protect Ottawa County’s groundwater and “pay their own infrastructure and energy costs rather than passing those expenses along to residents and small businesses.” For housing, he wants fewer regulations, faster permits and lower construction costs, and more skilled-trades training at places like Careerline Tech Center. On Flock license plate cameras, he said he supports giving police effective tools, but “public safety must never come at the expense of our constitutional rights,” and called for limited data retention, independent audits and strict penalties for misuse.

Schools. Wetzel’s campaign says Michigan’s education system “is failing. Period.” He told the Tribune he supports “restoring academic accountability, strengthening parental rights, expanding school choice,” along with career and technical education and more dual-enrollment college credit for high school students.

Kleinjans’ pitch. Kleinjans, a U.S. Navy veteran, has worked in West Michigan’s nonprofit sector for nearly two decades and says housing is his focus as director of strategic initiatives for the Allegan County Community Foundation. He told the Tribune he got into politics after Ottawa Impact won a majority on the county board in 2022. He won a May 2024 recall election against Ottawa Impact Republican Lucy Ebel and then lost the seat that November to Jorritsma, now a Wetzel endorser, according to Ottawa News Network. Kleinjans calls for “bigger, bolder action” on housing and proposes an 18-month moratorium on data center construction to study effects on the environment and on electricity and water costs, and he blamed President Trump and Republican lawmakers for backing data centers. On taxes, he told the Tribune, “Tax relief is easy to promise but can be difficult to implement in reality,” though he said “thoughtful relief for Michigan workers should be a priority.” He also wants changes to state revenue sharing with local governments and closer oversight of the state’s Community Mental Health reorganization.

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:
Ottawa County Clerk, November 3, 2026 General Election list of candidates (State Senator, 31st District), https://app.miottawa.org/ElectionManagement/viewPublicFile.action?viewFile=%2Fmnt%2Fottawa-apps%2Fcontent%2FappImages%2FElectionManagement%2FcandidateFile-226.pdf
Grand Haven Tribune, “Wetzel, Kleinjans contend for open District 31 state senate seat,” October 2026, https://www.grandhaventribune.com/news/elections/wetzel-kleinjans-contend-for-open-district-31-state-senate-seat/article_bb577b2e-5989-58b9-8683-9745f7b02059.html
Grand Haven Tribune, “Get to know Michigan Senate District 31 Republican candidate John Wetzel,” Oct. 12, 2026, https://www.grandhaventribune.com/news/elections/get-to-know-michigan-senate-district-31-republican-candidate-john-wetzel/article_b52f7167-c0fa-52eb-80ed-f8b61b038561.html
MLive, “Kleinjans, Wetzel win primaries for 31st Senate District,” Aug. 5, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/politics/2026/08/kleinjans-wetzel-win-primaries-for-31st-senate-district.html
Ottawa News Network, “Get your results from the Ottawa County August primary election,” Aug. 5, 2026, https://www.ottawanewsnetwork.org/get-your-results-from-the-ottawa-county-august-primary-election/
John Wetzel for State Senate, campaign home page and endorsements, https://wetzel4michigan.com/
The Ballot Brief, “Chris Kleinjans vs. John Wetzel for Michigan Senate District 31” (candidate backgrounds), https://theballotbrief.com/state/michigan/ottawa-county/michigan-senate-district-31
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: WestMichigander, “Ottawa County courthouse in Grand Haven Michigan.jpg,” Aug. 26, 2023, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and resized; derivative shared under the same license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ottawa_County_courthouse_in_Grand_Haven_Michigan.jpg

Tri-Cities · Election 2026 coverage

Tags: Tri-Cities · Election 2026 · State Senate · Ottawa County · Taxes · Local Control