LANSING — Michigan House Democrats are planning to spend about $700,000 in an effort to unseat GOP House Speaker Matt Hall.

Buoyed by recent internal polling, the Michigan House Democratic Fund, the caucus’ campaign arm, believes it has a chance of unseating the four-term Kalamazoo County Republican in the 42nd House District.

Hall won the district in 2024 by about 15 percentage points.

House Democratic Leader Ranjeev Puri criticized Hall’s leadership in the 58-52 Republican-majority House in a statement announcing the ad spend Sept. 15.

“Matt Hall has used his state House majority to create chaos and stand in the way of progress while Michigan families pay the price,” said Puri, D-Canton. “The fact that his own district is now competitive speaks volumes about what voters think of his leadership.”

Hall is running this year against Democrat Nick Rowe, a U.S. Air Force veteran who now works as a full-time faculty member at Western Michigan University, where he teaches on aviation flight science.

The House Republican Campaign Committee said its frontline candidates “would like to send a note of thanks to the Democrats for allocating all these resources into a Republican seat that was won by 15%.”

“We are delighted that the Democrats are chasing rainbows while we use our significant resource advantage to not just maintain but grow our majority,” said Gus Portelo, a spokesman for the Republican campaign arm.

The Democratic caucus campaign arm began making reservations Monday that it said will add up to about $700,000 in broadcast television ads in the Grand Rapids media market.

The campaign arm did not immediately provide copies of the ads it plans to run, which they say are still in production.

There have long been hopes among some Democrats that the 42nd House District could be turned blue, but this campaign cycle marks the first time House Democrats have spent in the race, according to the House Democratic Fund.

“This reservation ensures that voters will hear the contrast in this race and makes clear that we are prepared to compete wherever Republicans are vulnerable,” said Sam Lundry, executive director of the Michigan House Democratic Fund. “Our path to the majority is expanding, and we have the resources and strong candidates to take advantage of it,”

House Democrats are targeting several closer races in its bid to take back control of the Michigan House. Among those targeted are Battle Creek’s 44th House District, which Republicans won by a tenth of a percentage point in 2024; Jackson’s 46th House District, which the GOP won by four percentage points last cycle; and Marquette’s 109th House District, which Republicans won by three percentage points in 2024.

Democrats also have a few vulnerable seats, including the 31st House District, where the incumbent Democrat, who is not seeking re-election, won by one percentage point in 2024.

It’s not the first time Democrats have sought to unseat House leadership. In 2012, Democrats unsuccessfully spent money in an attempt to unseat Republican former House Speaker Jase Bolger, according to Michigan Information & Research Services, Inc.

eleblanc@detroitnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan House Democrats plot bid to unseat GOP Speaker Matt Hall

Reporting by Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News / The Detroit News

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