Northeast Allegan County County voters will find themselves split between two districts for the Aug. 2 primary election for state representative and state senator.
The election for state senator from the 20th District will be familiar because it will include incumbent Republican Aric Nesbitt of Lawton. However, this race will apply only to people who live in Dorr and Hopkins Townships, along with Monterey and Salem.
The other district, the 18th, will be a new frontier, with Republican Thomas Albert of Lowell, term limited state representative and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, facing Ryan Mancellini of Alto.
The 18th includes Wayland City and the townships of Leighton, Wayland, Martin and Watson. It was changed because of redistricting that was completed at the end of last year.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Incumbent Republican last fall was charged of inappropriately touching a nurse and since then has dropped out of the race. He had been the front runner, until now.
Nesbitt, who is just completing his first four-year term, is being challenged by Austin Kreutz and the youngest hopeful in the field Kaleb Hudson.
Democrats running for state senator in these parts are community activist Kim Jorgensen Gane in the 20th and attorney Kai DeGraaf in the 18th.
Candidates for state representative in the 79th District, which takes in only Leighton Township in this area are Angela Rigas, Ryan Gallogly, who was a candidate for state representative in 2016, losing to Steve Johnson, and Jeremiah Keeler.
Meanwhile, there are four candidates for state representative in the 43rd District, Martin Township Clerk Rachelle Smit, former Monterey Township Supervisor Nevin Cooper-Keel, LIndsay Kronemeyer of Dorr and Phillip Joseph of Delton. Mark Ludwig of Fennville is the lone Democrat on the ballot.
COVER PHOTO: The two state senate districts, No. 20 in blue and No. 18 in white.
Mark Ludwig is running in the 43rd for the Democrats.