ICYMI: The ‘Gander Highlights Sean McCann’s Fight to Lower Costs, Protect Michigan Jobs, and Make Healthcare More Affordable

KALAMAZOO, MI —In case you missed it, two new stories from The ’Gander highlight the stakes in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District, as Sean McCann campaigns to lower costs, protect Southwest Michigan manufacturing jobs, and make health care more affordable while Congressman Bill Huizenga continues to back policies that McCann argues are leaving working families behind.

The stories spotlight McCann’s proven record of delivering tax relief for working families and seniors, expanding access to affordable child care, and investing in workforce development. They also feature Southwest Michigan voters struggling with skyrocketing health care premiums and rising everyday costs, underscoring the urgent need for a representative focused on making life more affordable, not protecting special interests in Washington.

Here’s what voters across Michigan are reading about Sean McCann’s record, his plans for Congress, and the cost-of-living concerns shaping the race in MI-04:

The ‘Gander: Sean McCann’s pitch to West Michigan: More good-paying jobs, lower costs

• “I think we have to start with undoing the damage that’s been done, and then we can get back to the basics that help us with economic development, which is investing in education, trying to cut red tape out of the way for people to be successful, and making sure that job opportunities are available for people,” McCann said.

• As a state senator and vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in Michigan, McCann has made efforts to invest in workforce development and skilled trades.

• McCann has also supported collective bargaining rights for labor organizations, helping workers to get their fair share.

• “The tariffs of the Trump administration that Congress and the congressman (Huizenga) have supported have deeply disrupted that predictability, that ability to know, sort of, what the future might hold, and that makes hiring decisions more difficult,” McCann said. “It makes investment decisions more difficult. It just basically makes everything harder to do. It shrinks profit margins. It drives up costs.”

• As a state senator for District 19, McCann helped seniors by finalizing a Lowering MI Cost Plan to overhaul the state’s retirement tax and pension benefits, giving retirees bigger tax refunds while withholding less income tax from their pensions. He also helped expand the Working Families Tax Credit, which increased the state’s match of the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit from 6% to 30%.

• “For too long, politicians like Bill Huizenga have been focused on rigging the economy for corporate special interests, instead of helping hardworking families who want to achieve the American Dream,” McCann wrote on his website. “I’m running for Congress to lower costs for the regular people of Southwest Michigan so they can raise a family, find a good-paying job, buy a house, and retire with dignity.”

The ‘Gander: Retired Michigan nurse backs Sean McCann over Bill Huizenga on health costs

• A lifelong resident of Southwest Michigan, Barbara Hammon is a retired critical care nurse who has served as an elected trustee of Texas Township since 2020. She’s also a member of the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party. And at age 75, she’s now a patient herself.

• “Last year, he paid $90 a month for healthcare insurance. This year, it’s $270 a month. It’s tripled,” she said, describing her son’s rising healthcare costs.

• “We need somebody who will stick up for us,” said Hammon, who criticized McCann’s competition, current US Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-Holland), who has “consistently voted to cut subsidies” for the ACA.

• “We need to support our healthcare system, and I think that Sean will do that,” she said.

• As a state senator for District 19, McCann helped to finalize a Lowering MI Cost Plan to overhaul the state’s retirement tax and pension benefits, giving retirees bigger tax refunds while withholding less income tax from their pensions. The effort saves eligible seniors as much as $1,000 a year.

• “People are going to choose to go without health insurance, and that’s actually going to end up costing everyone else more when they make that choice because they might end up in the emergency room or rationing medication,” McCann added. “It’s a long-term cost driver.”

• McCann voted in favor of three bills aimed at helping more families qualify for the Michigan Energy Assistance Program, and co-sponsored a bill proposing a three-year freeze on utility bills.

• “He’s thoughtful, he’s smart, and I think he has good underlying values… He will work for the people of the 4th District, for the people of Michigan, and for the people of the US,” Hammon said.

Read both stories from The ‘Gander:

Sean McCann’s pitch to West Michigan: More good-paying jobs, lower costs

Retired Michigan nurse backs Sean McCann over Bill Huizenga on health costs

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About Sean McCann:

Sean McCann has spent his career standing up to the powerful and on behalf of people in Southwest Michigan. From cracking down on slumlords to serving as a State Senator, Sean has fought to change broken systems. In the State Legislature, he stood up to polluters to protect Lake Michigan, and he cut taxes for working families.

Sean knows Washington is broken and he’ll fight for the change we need – banning members of Congress from trading stocks, negotiating for lower drug prices, and stopping massive tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations, so we put hard-working people first.

Born and raised in Michigan, Sean attended Western Michigan University before serving as a Kalamazoo Commissioner, State Representative, and now State Senator for Southwest Michigan. Along the way, he’s earned a reputation among Democrats and Republicans alike as a serious problem-solver who works across the aisle and stands up for families trying to make ends meet. 

As a husband and father raising his family in Michigan, Sean understands what’s at stake for working families. In Congress, he’ll bring the same work ethic, common sense, and determination he’s brought to public service throughout his career, and fight every day to make Washington work for people it’s supposed to serve. 

About the race for Michigan’s 4th Congressional District:

MI-04 is one of the country’s key 2026 battlegrounds. The R+3 district has been named a top “Red to Blue” race by the DCCC and rated a toss-up by Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Cook Political Report has consistently moved this race in Democrats’ direction, calling the district “a bright spot for Democrats.”  Poll after poll has shown Sean McCann leading Bill Huizenga, and McCann continues to post strong fundraising numbers. 

According to Cook, Sean McCann’s State Senate seat (MI-19) “makes up about a third of the 4th District and includes 45% of the 4th’s primary electorate.” Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson each carried MI-04 with more than fifty percent of the vote in 2022.

MI-04 covers Southwest Michigan and includes the cities of Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Holland, St. Joseph, Benton Harbor and the outer suburbs of Grand Rapids including Ottawa County.

Sean has also received endorsements from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Senator Elissa Slotkin, Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, former Congressman Mark Schauer, over 15 labor groups, and over 70 local elected officials and community leaders. 

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