Swartz renews efforts to turn MI-4 blue, centers campaign on working families

BY KYLE DAVIDSON, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—Kalamazoo attorney Jessica Swartz is once again seeking to flip Michigan’s 4th Congressional District for Democrats, announcing on Wednesday that she would seek the Democratic nomination while lambasting US Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) over his support for President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Graduating from American University’s Washington College of Law, Swartz worked as an appellate attorney for the US Department of Veterans Affairs prior to serving as deputy general counsel for Western Michigan University.

Swartz previously ran against Huizenga in 2024, winning 43.4% of the vote while Huizenga received just over 55%.

However, both the Swartz campaign and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee see a path to victory, with the DCCC listing Michigan’s 4th Congressional district as one of its targets for 2026. Additionally, EMILY’s List, a political action committee that backs women candidates who support abortion rights, has also identified Huizenga’s seat as one they hope to flip next year.

Regardless, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the district in Huizenga’s favor, listing it as a “likely Republican” victory.

“Prices were already too high, and now career politician Bill Huizenga’s making them even higher while injecting chaos into our economy,” Swartz said. “West and Southwest Michiganders deserve a representative who’s laser-focused on bringing costs down, getting inflation under control, creating good-paying jobs, and making sure every working family can retire with dignity. From Day One in Congress, I’ll bring a working parent’s perspective that our current Congressman has completely lost.”

The district spans all of Allegan and Van Buren counties as well as parts of Berrien, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties.

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This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.