OTTAWA COUNTY — After breaking tradition with a primary endorsement convention that largely backed Ottawa Impact, the Ottawa County GOP is calling for a dozen other candidates to stop running as Republicans.
The primary is crowded in Ottawa County, with contested races up and down the ballot. All eleven commissioner seats are up for election, and there are a record number of candidates (33) and a total of 10 contested primaries — nine of which are between Republicans.
The primary serves as the first referendum on Ottawa Impact since the PAC's candidates won a majority of seats on the Ottawa County Board on Commissioners in August 2022. It's especially important because commissioner terms will double this election, from two years to four.
There are also Republican primaries for three major countywide offices, including sheriff, prosecutor and treasurer.
The contested races have stewed already deep-seated tension in the Ottawa County GOP, which has twice come down on the side of Ottawa Impact supporters. The first was the primary endorsements, which prompted citizen-created Conservative Ottawa PAC to offer dueling recommendations.
Now, the Ottawa County GOP has passed a resolution to “denounce and condemn” Conservative Ottawa and the candidates it endorsed. The resolution calls on a dozen candidates to stop running altogether.
In its resolution, the Ottawa County GOP writes Conservative Ottawa is “soliciting Democrat help” in the primary.
Michigan has an open primary system, meaning voters don't have to register with a particular party to vote for that party's candidates. Because most Democratic races are uncontested in Ottawa County, the GOP fears left-leaning voters will attempt to influence the outcome for Republicans.
The twelve named candidates include:
- Jim Barry, District 1
- Jordan Jorritsma, District 2
- Jacob Bonnema, District 4
- Mark Northrup, District 5
- Shawn Haff, District 6
- John Teeples, District 7
- Phil Kuyers, District 9
- Josh Brugger, District 10
- Richard Van Dop, District 11
- Cheryl Clark, Treasurer
- Eric DeBoer, Sheriff
- Sarah Matwiejczyk, Prosecutor
Conservative Ottawa was formed by a group of concerned Republicans, organizers say. The Ottawa County GOP, however, accuses the group of partnering with nonpartisan organizations that are “working against” conservative candidates.
“Any organization or group working against the strongest, most conservative Republican candidates is working to weaken the party in Ottawa County, which ultimately hurts the citizens of Ottawa County,” the party wrote.
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The candidates, for their part, don't seem perturbed.
“Today, the Ottawa County GOP demanded I stop running for office as a Republican. I will not comply,” Haff wrote on his campaign’s Facebook page. “I've been fighting for conservative, Republican values since 1996. The members of Ottawa Impact, I mean the Ottawa County Republican Party, were in high school back in 1996.”
Bonnema, who is running unopposed in the primary but faces a Democratic challenger in November, said the state of the Ottawa County GOP is “disheartening” and decried the resolution in his own social media post.
“The resolution below is a desperate attempt to malign those that won’t put up with the parties (sic) foolishness and bully tactics,” he wrote. “Real Republicans should publicly condemn this extreme resolution and the extreme people behind it. Vote Aug. 6.”
Contested races include:
District 1: Barry and Gretchen Cosby**
District 2: Jorritsma and Lucy Ebel*
District 5: Northrup and Joe Moss**
District 6: Haff and Kendra Wenzel**
District 7: Teeples and Rachel Atwood*
District 8: David Lee Morren and Sylvia Rhodea**
District 9: Kuyers and Roger Belknap**
District 10: Brugger and Jason Koert*
District 11: Van Dop, Sara Bajema and Allison Miedema**
Sheriff: DeBoer and Jon Anderson*
Treasurer: Clark and Ben Genser*
Prosecutor: Matwiejczyk and Greg Todd*
* = Ottawa GOP Endorsed
** = Incumbent and Ottawa GOP Endorsed
Early voting begins Saturday, July 27, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 4. Election Day is Tuesday, Aug. 6.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.
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