Curtis Hertel Jr. (born January 9, 1978) is an American politician currently serving as the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. He previously served as a state senator from 2015 to 2023 for the 23rd district, representing the Greater Lansing Area.
Hertel is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served two terms as the Ingham County Register of Deeds, and more recently served as Governor
Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Esther Whitmer (; born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of R ...
's top lobbyist. He was the Democratic nominee for Michigan's 7th congressional district in the 2024 election, losing the general election to Tom Barrett.
He is the son of Curtis Hertel, who was co-speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1993 to 1994. Hertel's brother, Kevin Hertel, was elected to the Michigan State Senate in November 2022.
Education and early career
Hertel holds a bachelor's degree from James Madison College at Michigan State University, where he attended from 1996 to 2000. Hertel served on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners from 2001 to 2008, representing the north half of East Lansing and Meridian Township. From 2005 to 2008, Hertel worked as a Legislative Liaison for the Department of Community Health under Governor
Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is an American politician who was the 16th United States secretary of energy from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously served as the 47t ...
.
Hertel was elected Ingham County Register of Deeds in 2008, and re-elected to a second term in 2012. As Register of Deeds, Hertel filed a lawsuit against mortgage firms
Fannie Mae
The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), commonly known as Fannie Mae, is a United States government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) and, since 1968, a publicly traded company. Founded in 1938 during the Great Depression as part of the New ...
and
Freddie Mac
The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC), commonly known as Freddie Mac, is an American publicly traded, government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), headquartered in Tysons, Virginia. The outcome is still pending.
State senate
Hertel was elected to the Michigan State Senate in 2014, where he served as the Minority Whip and Chairperson for the Democratic Caucus Campaign Committee. He served as senator for the 23rd district in Michigan, which represented the cities of
Lansing
Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...
and
East Lansing
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
Lansing
Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...
White Oak
''Quercus'' subgenus ''Quercus'' is one of the two subgenera into which the genus ''Quercus'' was divided in a 2017 classification (the other being subgenus ''Cerris''). It contains about 190 species divided among five sections. It may be calle ...
.
He introduced bills to offer tax credits to Michigan college graduates who elected to remain residents of the state after graduation. He also introduced legislation to require discussions on affirmative consent in high school sex education classes. In March 2016, he introduced a bill to put $3 million into the First Responder Presumed Coverage Fund, which would give money to firefighters who develop cancer due to chemical exposure on the job.
In November 2018, Hertel was re-elected to the 23rd district in the Michigan State Senate, where he served four more years. Hertel served as the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Political career
Due to
term limits
A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...
, Hertel was ineligible for re-election in
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
. He joined the gubernatorial administration of
Gretchen Whitmer
Gretchen Esther Whitmer (; born August 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of R ...
as Whitmer's top lobbyist in the role of director of legislative affairs. He announced his resignation from the Whitmer administration on June 30, 2023. Less than a week after resigning from the Whitmer administration, where he had negotiated the state's $82 billion budget, Hertel took a role at the nonprofit Greater Flint Health Coalition, which was expected to benefit from the state budget in the form of a $1.5 million grant. Hertel denied that his involvement in the state budget included knowledge of the $1.5 million budget appropriation earmarked for the Greater Flint Health Coalition. According to ''The Detroit News'', the arrangement "puts a spotlight on the close, behind-the-scenes relationships between groups seeking assistance from state government and officials in positions to provide it."
On July 10, 2023, Hertel announced his candidacy for Michigan's 7th congressional district, which was held by Elissa Slotkin, who had already announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Hertel was defeated in the general election by Tom Barrett.
In February 2025, Hertel was elected chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. Hertel ran unopposed after his only opponent dropped out due to not collecting enough signatures.
Personal life
His wife, Elizabeth, serves as Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services director.