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van Ginhoven seeks state senate seat

Kelli van Ginhoven

ESCANABA — Kelli van Ginhoven (D) of Escanaba has declared her intent and filed to run for District 38

Michigan Senate in 2026.

A near life-long resident of Delta County, Kelli van Ginhoven is currently the vice chair of the

Delta County Board of Commissioners. She assumed office in a successful recall election in

May 2024 and was re-elected in November 2024 to a 4 year term.

Commissioner van Ginhoven currently serves on the Airport Advisory Board, Opioid Task

Force, Central Upper Peninsula Materials Management Planning Committee, Delta Solid Waste

Management Authority, Delta County Emergency Operations Coordination Committee and is

Chairperson of the Personnel Committee.

A 1998 graduate of Escanaba HS and a 2005 graduate of Bay College, van Ginhoven spent

her 20s and 30s raising her family and working full time as a preschool teacher before moving

on to work many years at a local credit union. In 2016, she became a small business owner,

opening her bakery, For The Love of Cupcakes, in downtown Escanaba. Through her business

and generous customers, van Ginhoven was able to donate thousands of dollars to local

causes including UP Honor Flight, End The Silence Walk, Lake Shore Live, and more. She

passed the baton to the new owners in 2024 in order to focus solely on local politics and her

role as County Commissioner.

van Ginhoven has also served on several city and organization boards including Escanaba City

Planning Commission, Escanaba Downtown Development Authority and Community

Foundation of Delta County.

Why van Ginhoven decided to run:

“The citizens of the U.P. deserve to be heard in Lansing. Over the last two decades I have

heard over and over that we have been disregarded and forgotten by our state leadership. I

will stand up and speak out when state leadership tries to steamroll over us or ignore our

needs. I will not be remembered as a woman who kept her mouth shut,” she stated in a press release.

“My campaign will be different; it’s not about me and my goals — it’s about what the citizens

need me to do for them. I will hustle hard, listen, and collaborate with fellow Senators to bring

what you deserve back to the UP. In 2026, we can make positive change happen. Let’s go!”

Starting at $3.50/week.

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