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Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.)

U.S. Representative (since January 2011)

(Official photo)

Why He Matters

A lifelong resident of Michigan's 2nd district, Huizenga won the seat of his former boss, Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra, in the 2010 election.

A businessman and former state lawmaker, Huizenga won the GOP nomination in a bruising primary. Despite running in a year when establishment connections were a liability in conservative districts such as Hoekstra's, Huizenga fought off former University of Michigan tight-end Jay Riemersma, winning by claiming experience both in government and business.

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At a Glance

  • Career History: Co-owner, Huizenga Gravel; Michigan State Representative (2003-2008); Director of Public Policy, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) (1996-2002); Real-Estate investor (1991-1996)
  • Birthday: Jan. 31, 1969
  • Hometown: Zeeland, Mich.
  • Alma Mater: Calvin College, B.A. (1992)
  • Spouse: Natalie
  • Religion: Christian Reformed
  • Committees: House Financial Services Committee
 

Path To Power

Born in 1969 in Zeeland, Mich., Huizenga is the son of a mother who ran a dance studio and a father who ran the family's gravel business that Huizenga would later co-own.

Having trouble in traditional high school, Huizenga attended a vocational school where his teachers told him he had academic potential.

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The Issues

A classic conservative, Huizenga says jobs and the national debt will be his biggest priorities.

Huizenga is a critic of federal control over education policy, saying choices should be in more local hands. He criticizes federal education programs such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top as part of "an unwarranted and unhelpful intrusion into matters that the people of Michigan and other states can decide on their own." He is a proponent of a parental rights amendment to the Constitution, ensuring that parents' may choose how to educate their children without state regulation.

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The Network

Huizenga is closely connected with his predecessor, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), and once worked as Hoekstra's public policy director.