Levin, who has served for Michigan in the U.S. Senate since 1978, will begin his sixth term in office. Before arriving in office, he was on the Detroit City Council from 1969-78, serving as council president from 1974-77.

He now serves as the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and has recently sponsored bills to protect the Great Lakes and reform of medical care and treatment for war veterans.

“We face the challenges before us propelled and inspired by all of the energy and enthusiasm and goodwill and hopefulness of this historic night,” Levin said in a statement. “Working together, we will accomplish great things in the coming years for our state and our nation worthy of the history of this election.”

Hoogendyk, 53, is a three-term state representative from Kalamazoo. For the past 12 years, he has served as the executive director of Kalamazoo Pregnancy Care Center.

“I guess I picked a bad year to run a race as a Republican in Michigan,” he said. “We were very proud of the effort. We ran hard and we ran well. We got a lot done with not as much money, probably outspent 20-1. With the kind of night it’s been across the country and in (Michigan), I’m not ashamed of our effort. Would I run and do this all over again? Absolutely.”

Hoogendyk has served as the chairman of SHALOM, a nonprofit adult foster care agency. He’s often refuted Levin’s voting tactics and campaign to increase taxing and deficit budget spending.

And although the Kalamazoo representative can’t implement any of his plans as senator, Hoogendyk at least hopes Levin will work toward three things: a balanced budget, making the Bush tax cuts permanent and not supporting or sponsoring the Employee Free Choice Act with it being so devastating to Michigan manufacturing.