In the run up to the election, Hoekstra said although he knows he is the underdog, he still will campaign on election day until the results come in.

“As a candidate, even when you are ahead, you are nervous,” he said. “You never take an election for granted.”

The State News has talked with Hoekstra during his campaign this year to find out where he stands on the issues, and the following interview is based on interviews from the past three months.

Job growth through energy investments:
“I think Washington’s become disconnected because Washington doesn’t understand that when they say no to the Keystone Pipeline, that means that people in our state (won’t get jobs). … It means there’s going to be people that get up in the morning that don’t go to work. They’re involved in these megadebates that are not getting anything done, and that end result is people all across the country are hurting.”

Taxes:
“We need to reform the tax code. … We need to do regulatory reform so it’s easier for businesses to do business, remove impediments and create an environment where people will invest. … On Dec. 31, a good portion of the tax code expires, (which) hurts businesses in Michigan (because) they don’t know what their taxes will be as of Jan. 1. People are thinking of making investments, and they don’t even know what the tax code is going to be. Regulatory policies are making it difficult for industries in Michigan to grow and invest.”

College cost and job availability:
“The most important thing (is that) lots of young people who were excited about (President Barack) Obama four years ago no longer are. Whether they’re coming out of high school and going to college or going into the trades, they can’t find a job, and if they do find a job, it may not be in the field they studied for, or a salary lower than they were anticipating. … For traditional four-year colleges, costs have gotten very, very high. (But) young people have a choice of community colleges, (going) to an online college (or going) into the trades. And so the market itself will start to adjust as people start taking a look at your options. They will be the biggest force on colleges to control their cost, or (students) are going to start looking somewhere else.”