Bill Huizenga

William Patrick Huizenga (/ˈhaɪzɪŋɡə/ HY-zing-gə; born January 31, 1969) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009.[1]

Bill Huizenga
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 2nd district
Assumed office
January 3, 2011
Preceded byPete Hoekstra
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 90th district
In office
January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2009
Preceded byWayne Kuipers
Succeeded byJoseph Haveman
Personal details
Born
William Patrick Huizenga

(1969-01-31) January 31, 1969
Zeeland, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Natalie Huizenga
​
(m. 1993)​
Children5
EducationCalvin College (BA)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life

Huizenga, born to a family of Dutch Americans, is the current co-owner and operator of Huizenga Gravel Company, a family business located in Jenison, Michigan. In the early 1990s, Huizenga worked in real estate. He left real estate in 1996, becoming by an aide to U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra.

Michigan House of Representatives

Starting with his first election in 2002, Huizenga represented the 90th district for three terms, by winning reelection in 2004 and 2006. After the 2006 election he was term limited. The district is located in Ottawa County and includes the cities of Holland, Zeeland, Hudsonville, and the four townships of 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.[2]


Elections
2010
See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan § District 2

Huizenga is the U.S. Representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district, defeating Democratic nominee Fred Johnson in the general election. 64% of the ballots were cast for Huizenga, and 32% were cast for Johnson.[3] The district was rated "Solid Republican" by The New York Times.[4]

After serving 18 years, Republican incumbent Peter Hoekstra retired to run for the Republican nomination in the 2010 Michigan Gubernatorial race. Huizenga defeated Jay Riemersma, 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.[5]

2012
See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan § District 2

In 2012, Huizenga was reelected to the U.S. House, defeating Willie German Jr. of the Democratic Party, Mary Buzuma of the Libertarian Party, Ronald Graeser of the U.S. Taxpayers Party and William Opalicky of the Green Party.

He is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.[6]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Tenure

In December 2020, Huizenga was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[9] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[10][11][12]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi 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."[13][14] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Huizenga and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[15]

Personal life

Huizenga and his wife have five children and live in Holland, Michigan. Huizenga attends Haven Christian Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan.[16]

On October 14, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Huizenga announced that he had tested positive for the virus via a rapid antigen test that he was required to take before meeting with Vice President Mike Pence.[17] The following day Huizenga announced that he had once again tested positive for the virus after taking a more accurate PCR test.[18]

References
  1. "Representative William Patrick Huizenga (Bill) (R-Michigan, 2nd) – Biography from LegiStorm".
  2. Jim Harger, Jay Riemersma criticizes Bill Huizenga's 2007 Vote, Grand Rapids Press, October 12, 2009.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-06-14. Retrieved 2010-11-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Michigan 2nd District Race Profile Archived August 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine New York Times. August 23, 2010.
  5. Roelofs, Ted. "Bill Huizenga edges out former NFL player Jay Riemersma by less than 700 in race for Congress", The Grand Rapids Press, August 4, 2010.
  6. "Members". Republican Mains Street Partnership. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  7. "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  8. "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  9. Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  10. Liptak, Adam (2020-12-11). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  11. "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. 2020-12-11. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  12. Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  13. Smith, David (2020-12-12). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  14. "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  15. Williams, Jordan (2020-12-11). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  16. Bill Huizenga: ‘A good Christian Reformed Dutchman, and a little Irish’
  17. "Huizenga announces positive COVID-19 result via rapid test". U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga. 2020-10-14. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  18. "Huizenga Statement Confirming Positive COVID-19 PCR Test". U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga. 2020-10-15. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
Articles
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Pete Hoekstra		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Michigan's 2nd congressional district
2011–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Jaime Herrera Beutler		 United States Representatives by seniority
143rd		 Succeeded by
Bill Johnson
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