Holly Hughes (born December 28, 1957) is a former

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

member from the

State of Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

was a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from the 91st district.

Early life

Hughes was born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. Hughes's father is Bern Bolema.

Education

In 1981, Hughes earned a bachelor's degree in business from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

Career

Hughes was previously a business woman in

Montague, Michigan Montague is a city in Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,361 at the 2010 census. The city is located within Montague Township, but is politically independent. The Montague ZIP code 49437 also serves all of Mon ...

. Hughes has been involved in grassroot politics since 1989. She has worked on numerous political campaigns from stuffing envelopes to a campaign manager. She has held several positions in public service from county and district level, and the

Michigan Republican Party The Michigan Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party in Michigan, sometimes referred to as MIGOP. Ronald Weiser was elected chairman in 2021. Ronna Romney McDaniel was the chairwoman of the party, having been el ...

, including precinct Delegate, Treasurer, County Vice Chair, County Chair, District Chair and campaign county chair for

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

Spencer Abraham Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952) is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as the tenth United States Secretary of Energy from 2001 to 2005, under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Abraham pre ...

, Terri Land, and Mike Cox, among other noteworthy politicians. Hughes also served as a White River Township Trustee, and is a former Montague Area Public School board member. She was also appointed by

Michigan Governor The governor of Michigan, is the head of government of Michigan and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws; the power to either approve or veto appropriation bills passed b ...

John Engler John Mathias Engler (born October 12, 1948) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he later worked for Business Roundtable, where '' The Hill'' ...

to the MUSTFA Board. Hughes is also a former Republican National Committeewoman, as well as a member of the

. On November 4, 2008, Hughes sought a seat in the

for district 91 but lost the election. Hughes had 46.25% of the votes and was defeated by Mary Valentine with 53.75% of the votes. In 2010, Democrat Mary Valentine was term-limited. On November 2, 2010, Hughes won the election and became a member of

for district 91. Hughes defeated Ben Gillette with 55.94% of the votes. On November 6, 2012, as an incumbent, Hughes lost the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

for district 91. Hughes had 47.27% of the votes and was defeated by

Collene Lamonte Collene Lamonte is a Democratic politician from Michigan who served in the Michigan House of Representatives. Prior to her election to the Legislature, Lamonte was a high school math and science teacher for the Muskegon Public Schools.

with 48.10% of the votes. Hughes announced her intent to seek the same seat in the legislature in

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, facing off with Representative Lamonte in a rematch, winning the election by 58 votes. She would defeat Lamonte again in

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. As she is term limited in

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, she has filed to run to replace

Goeff Hansen Goeffrey M. Hansen (born September 26, 1959) is an American Republican politician from Michigan who previously served in the Michigan Senate, having served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives. Prior to his election to the legi ...

in the 34th State Senate district. She would narrowly lose the republican primary to fellow state rep

Jon Bumstead Jon Bumstead (born July 30, 1957) is a Republican politician from Michigan currently serving in the Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it co ...

51.7% to 48.3%.

Personal life

Hughes' husband is Richard. They have two daughters. Hughes and her family live in

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expa ...

References

External links