The office of East Lansing’s state senator is up for grabs this November as Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, is term-limited and unable to run again.
Curtis Hertel Jr., a Democrat serving as Ingham County Register of Deeds, currently is the only candidate in the running to succeed Whitmer. Hertel is actively campaigning and accruing a list of notable endorsements, even though he is running unopposed for the time being.
“In every campaign I’ve ever been part of, even when people told me that there was no way we could lose, I’ve always knocked doors and gone out and asked people for their support,” Hertel said. “I just think that’s what you do if you run for office.”
The MSU alumnus entered the public sphere a year after graduating from James Madison College by unseating a Republican incumbent for a place on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners.
In 2008, he was elected to Register of Deeds and won re-election to the post in 2012.
He said his experience dealing with foreclosures that hit the state during the recession and recent legislation, such as Right to Work policies and the abortion rider voter-initiated law, sparked his desire to run for Senate.
“I just see a legislature that really doesn’t care about the average person, and cares more about special interests than they do real people,” Hertel said.
Hertel comes from a family with a long history in politics. His father, Curtis Hertel Sr., held office in the Michigan House of Representatives.
One uncle, Dennis Hertel, served in Congress as a six-term representative; another held three terms in the Michigan Senate.
Hertel said his father had a large influence on his decision to seek public office.
Hertel Sr. was Co-Speaker of the House from 1997 to 1998. During his tenure, the House had a rare 55-55 split between the members of each party, meaning both Democrats and Republicans had a House Speaker.
The period was marked by acts of bipartisanship where Hertel Sr. forged alliances across the aisle.
“I think, in general, public service is a noble calling,” Hertel said. “There’s a long history of working with both sides of the aisle to do things for people, something that I think is often missed today.”
Although Hertel said the legislature “needs a lot of change,” and admits “I have some pretty strong opinions,” noting he participated in a sit-down strike over Right to Work legislation, he said he’d make efforts to work across the aisle.
“I’m a pretty progressive guy, but that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to work with people to try to get something done in the compromise,” he said.
Mark Grebner, founder of Practical Political Consulting, said he doesn’t think Hertel will face significant competition from a right-wing candidate.
He said Hertel has “done a good job of getting everybody out of the way.”
“It’s entirely about the primary,” Grebner said.
Former East Lansing mayor and state representative Mark Meadows previously had stated his intention to seek Whitmer’s seat as a Democrat, but recently said he had come out in support of Hertel.
Despite Hertel’s intent to work with Republicans, Grebner said the reality of the legislature is different.
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“Being bipartisan in the Michigan State Senate is like being bipartisan as a doormat,” Grebner said, referencing Republicans’ tight grip on both chambers of the legislature. “The doormat may want to get along with people that are wiping their feet on it, but whoever holds the seat, there’s really nothing you can do.”
