William Patrick Huizenga ( ; born January 31, 1969) is an American politician serving as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for , serving in Congress since 2011. The district, numbered as the 2nd district from 2011 to 2023, covers much of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

's eastern shore and many of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

's suburbs, including

Muskegon 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 expans ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, Kentwood, and

Grand Haven Grand Haven is a city within the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand H ...

. A member of the Republican Party, Huizenga served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009.

Early life

Born to a family of

Dutch Americans Dutch Americans ( nl, Nederlandse Amerikanen) are Americans of Dutch descent whose ancestors came from the Netherlands in the recent or distant past. Dutch settlement in the Americas started in 1613 with New Amsterdam, which was exchanged with ...

, Huizenga is the co-owner and operator of Huizenga Gravel Company, a family business in

Jenison, Michigan Jenison is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is located within Georgetown Charter Township. The population of the CDP was 17,211 as of the 2000 census. The current estimated population ...

. In the early 1990s, he worked in real estate. He left real estate in 1996, becoming an aide to U.S. Representative

Pete Hoekstra Cornelis Piet "Pete" Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously ser ...

Michigan House of Representatives

Starting with his first election in 2002, Huizenga represented the 90th district for three terms, winning reelection in 2004 and 2006. After the 2006 election he was

term limited A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potent ...

. The district is in Ottawa County and includes

, Zeeland, Hudsonville, Blendon Township, Jamestown Township, Holland Township, and Zeeland Township. Huizenga voted for the initial version of the Michigan Business Tax, but opposed the 2% surcharge and a sales and services tax later in the process.

U.S House of Representatives

Elections

2010

After serving 18 years, Republican incumbent

Peter Hoekstra Cornelis Piet "Pete" Hoekstra (; born October 30, 1953) is a Dutch-American politician who served as the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from January 10, 2018, to January 17, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he previously serv ...

retired to run for the Republican nomination for governor. Huizenga defeated

Jay Riemersma Allen Jay Riemersma (born May 17, 1973) is a former American football tight end. He played for the University of Michigan from 1994 to 1995. He next played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills (1996–2002) ...

, State Senator Wayne Kuipers, businessman Bill Cooper, and three others in the Republican primary election—the real contest in this heavily Republican district—on August 3, 2010. Huizenga defeated Democratic nominee Fred Johnson, 64% to 32%. The district was rated "Solid Republican" by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

.'' The district and its predecessors have been in Republican hands for all but four years since 1873, and without interruption since 1935.

2012

Huizenga was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Willie German Jr., Mary Buzuma of the Libertarian Party, Ronald Graeser of the U.S. Taxpayers Party and William Opalicky of the Green Party.

2014

Huizenga was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Dean Vanderstelt, Ronald Welch of the Libertarian Party and Ronald Graeser of the U.S. Taxpayers Party.

2016

Huizenga was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Dennis Murphy, Erwin Haas of the Libertarian Party, and Matthew Brady of the Green Party.

2018

Huizenga was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Rob Davison and Ronald Graeser of the U.S. Taxpayers Party.

2020

Huizenga was reelected, defeating Democratic nominee Bryan Berghoef, Max Riekse of the Libertarian Party, Gerald Van Sickle of the U.S. Taxpayers Party, and Jean-Michel Creviere of the Green Party.

Tenure

In December 2020, Huizenga was one of 126 Republican members of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

to sign an

amicus brief An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

in support of '' Texas v. Pennsylvania'', a lawsuit filed at the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

contesting the results of the

2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...

, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked

standing Standing, also referred to as orthostasis, is a position in which the body is held in an ''erect'' ("orthostatic") position and supported only by the feet. Although seemingly static, the body rocks slightly back and forth from the ankle in the s ...

under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state. House Speaker

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Huizenga and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions." As of January 2022, Huizenga has voted with President Biden's stated position roughly 14% of the time.

Committee assignments

Committee on Financial Services The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees t ...

** Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit ** Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology ** Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade

Caucus memberships

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prim ...

Congressional Constitution Caucus The Congressional Constitution Caucus is a congressional caucus made up of 41 members of the United States Congress. The caucus was founded in 2005; it had 37 members the first year it was founded. The group was founded and formerly led by Repu ...

Republican Main Street Partnership The Republican Main Street Partnership is a 501(c)(4) organization that was allied with the congressional Republican Main Street Caucus. The Partnership continues to exist, while the Caucus was dissolved by its members in February 2019. Hist ...

Political positions

Marriage

Huizenga voted against the "

Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal gover ...

" codifying Loving v. Virginia and

Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark LGBT rights case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protect ...

, recognizing marriages across state lines regardless of "sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individuals."

Personal life

Huizenga and his wife have five children and live in Holland. He attends Haven Christian Reformed Church in

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

. On October 14, 2020, Huizenga announced that he had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

References

External links

Congressman Bill Huizenga
official U.S. House website
Campaign website
* * *
Bill Huizenga
at MichiganVotes.org ** Voting record
2003–20042005–20062007–2008
;Articles

Jim Harger, ''Grand Rapids Press'', October 12, 2009
No Worker Left Behind After Three Years: Successes and Challenges
Andrew S. Levin, ''Michigan.gov'', June 29, 2010 , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Huizenga, Bill 1969 births 21st-century American politicians American people of Dutch descent Christians from Michigan Living people Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Jenison, Michigan People from Zeeland, Michigan Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan