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Sean McCann (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) Challenges Huizenga in Competitive Michigan Congressional Race
Native Vote 2026
Michigan state Sen. Sean McCann, a Democrat and citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, is locked in a tight race against incumbent Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga, who is seeking his ninth term in the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District.
In the past two congressional elections, Huizenga defeated his opponents by 12 percentage points.
This year’s race is different.
On October 9, 2026, the Cook Political Report moved the race to “Toss Up,” a significant shift that puts Huizenga’s seat among the most competitive House races in the country.
McCann, a two term Michigan state senator and former state represntative, participated in a short Q&A with Native News Online on Friday, October 23, 2026.
This Q&A has been edited for clarity and length.
Levi Rickert: What are you hearing from constituents in the district? What issues are they most concerned about?
Sen. Sean McCann: The biggest issue is what we’re seeing nationally: the war in Iran, which has driven up the price of gas and, in turn, the cost of everything connected to gas, diesel and fertilizers. It’s driving up people’s costs, not just at the pump but throughout their budgets. It really bites hard, and people are feeling it.
I think people also know that the tariff policy has been a disaster. The trade war with Canada, Michigan’s closest neighbor and ally, has people wondering what the heck is going on. Some of those tariffs were ruled unconstitutional, and the money is being refunded to the corporations that paid them. But those corporations aren’t passing the refunds on to consumers in the form of lower prices.
The third issue is health care. People are going to be losing Medicaid, and we’ve seen a rural hospital close nearby—not in the 4th Congressional District, but close to it. I’ve heard from so many health care providers and others connected to the system that health care is under tremendous strain and is really breaking down. The One Big Bill made that situation even worse.
There’s also a local flavor. Those are the national issues, but locally, Bill Huizenga hasn’t held a town hall since 2018. And he’s insisting on keeping a coal plant operating in the district that was supposed to be retired.
Rickert: I’ve been impressed by some of the people who have come out to support your campaign, including Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). They must see this race as winnable for you.
McCann: I think they’ve been advocating for me and saying they know, based on my past experience, how hard I’ll fight for the people of the 4th Congressional District, just as I’ve fought for the people in the districts I’ve already represented.
The party certainly encouraged people to come in and support my campaign. Rep. Raskin directs a lot of support toward candidates he thinks can win and help him in Congress to flip the House.
I’ve known Sen. Gary Peters for an awful long time. He’s someone I’ve always admired and looked up to. He wins tough races, and he knows how to be a pragmatic, get-things-done kind of senator. That’s something I try to emulate.
Rickert: In the final days of the campaign, what’s your ask of voters? Why should they vote for you, Senator?
McCann: I point to my record, which I think reflects a long career of working to help people get ahead and providing critical constituent services, regardless of someone’s partisanship. Throughout my legislative career, I’ve demonstrated in many ways how I’m helping lower people’s costs and make the American dream more achievable. But that work has faced more headwinds over the last two years because of some of these national policies.
I’ve helped provide free lunch and breakfast for K-12 students in Michigan. I’ve helped provide tax relief to low-income, hardworking families. I’ve helped repeal the senior pension tax in Michigan. Those things put money into people’s pockets.
And now I see all of that progress being undone. I’ve also helped build more affordable college opportunities. It’s tough when I do the work to advance policies that I believe will help people get ahead, only to see those efforts undermined by the people in Washington.
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