Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg joined Democratic state Senator and Congressional candidate Sean McCann for an event in Kalamazoo Wednesday at the First Baptist Church.
McCann organizers kicked off the event by encouraging attendees to go door-knocking as a way to garner Democratic votes in McCann's race against incumbent Republican Representative Bill Huizenga.
The Cook Political Report has moved the race from "lean Republican" to "toss-up." Buttigieg took the stage after McCann.
"We've got Democrats, we've got independents, we've got an awful lot of what I like to call 'future former Republicans,' all saying that we can do better than Bill Huizenga in the United States Congress right now," Buttigieg said.
The two focused on the importance of bipartisan voter turnout for McCann in a race that appears increasingly close as election night draws near. Buttigieg emphasized affordability as a reason to vote for McCann.
"Because you don't have to be a bleeding-heart liberal or a card-carrying Democrat to believe certain things like the basic idea that one job ought to be enough in the United States of America. It ought to pay enough and have good enough benefits. Something Sean McCann believes too," Buttigieg said.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, painted the 4th District race as a key fight against Trump-allied Republicans.
"I served as mayor just a few miles from Fred Upton's district. We worked with Fred Upton on the bipartisan infrastructure law. Bill Huizenga is no Fred Upton. Fred Upton was known for standing up to his party when it was the right thing to do. Right now the incumbent here, Bill Huizenga, is going to be 100% taking instructions from the White House. I think western Michigan wants somebody who'll think for themselves," Buttigieg said.
McCann focused on ways he says he'll fight corruption in government, and told reporters after the event that he's skeptical of new Huizenga campaign ads promising to end insider trading.
"I haven't had 16 years in Congress to try to stop stock trading — the practice of Congress doing that. He's had that opportunity. So it's kind of interesting and suspect timing that we're on the cusp of an election and now all of a sudden the conversation is about, 'I'm against stock trading for members,'" McCann said.
Bill Huizenga’s campaign said McCann appeared "out of touch" by aligning himself with with Buttigieg.
Huizenga told WWMT TV that the Biden administration's policies when Buttigieg was transportation secretary made energy less affordable.
Buttigieg and McCann said they've heard from former Republican voters who have become disillusioned with Huizenga on issues like gas prices and tariffs, and believe this could give McCann a chance to flip the district.
"The district changed in 2022 and I became a part of the new Fourth Congressional District. It's people who are struggling no matter where you go or what you see. People are facing these higher costs. They're facing their healthcare being taken away from them. They're seeing none of the promises made by Trump or Huizenga in Congress is to make their lives easier," McCann said.
Huizenga won the district by nearly 12 points two years ago. If McCann were to unseat Huizenga, it would be the first time a Democrat has held the office in over 90 years.
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