Jim Haadsma said he does it nearly every day: door-knocking. Putting foot to pavement and rapping knuckles on doors across the district to speak with voters.
I followed along on a Tuesday in late September as he walked down Chestnut Avenue in Battle Creek. But the 44th state House District doesn't just cover the Cereal City.
“On Saturday I was in Albion, which is part of this district, and remarkably, notwithstanding inclement weather here and there, I was able to doors-knock and get a complete turf in,” Haadsma said.
"Sunday we started, it commenced raining and I went in and did a pivot and did phone calling to communicate with voters, especially absentee voters."
In 2024, I interviewed Haadsma’s opponent Steve Frisbie as he knocked on doors, before he went on to unseat the then-incumbent Haadsma by just 79 votes.
This was after a re-tabulation to correct an error that left thousands of ballots uncounted, and a recount. Haadsma watched as Frisbie’s lead changed throughout.
“They went from almost 1400 to 58 to 61 to 79 by time the recount was completed.”
Frisbie sued to stop the re-tabulation. Haadsma requested the recount.
But this year, Haadsma isn't preparing for another close race. Rather he says his strategy is to make sure the race isn’t close.
“What we're trying to do is just to ensure that we win by a significant number of votes. So, there's less likelihood of any attempted election interference or any lawsuits of a candidate against the other.”
"A 50-50 district"
On the other side of the race is Representative Steve Frisbie. I hoped to go door-knocking with him once again, but he opted for a phone interview, citing a busy schedule.
Unlike Haadsma, Frisbie said he expects whoever wins this year, won’t win by much.
“It's a district that's pretty much a 50-50 district. All of the county-wide electeds are Republicans. In the urban areas, it's a little bit more Democrat. So, it makes the district very tight and always will be.”
And to make sure the votes that decide the election are for him, Frisbie said he is knocking on his fair share of doors.
“It's simply staying in touch with the voters, the people that are going to decide. And like I said, we've been knocking on doors and talking with people at their door step since 2005," Frisbie said.
"If you stay engaged with people and people know who you are and they like what you're doing, you have a greater chance of re-election.”
Cost of living, data centers on campaign trail '26
So, for both candidates, it’s all about the issues voters are bringing to the ballot box. And both Frisbie and Haadsma agree that their constituents will be voting with cost of living in mind.
On Chestnut Avenue in Battle Creek, residents made this apparent. Like when Haadsma met Michael Summerfield.
“I'm almost 60, so those things are important. I'm working harder than I think I ever have even in my younger years just to try to keep things afloat and make a living," Summerfield said.
And, as you would expect, both Frisbie and Haadsma say they’re the one to address this.
Frisbie said his record is defined by saving people money.
"In 2024, Jim Haadsma didn't run on his record because he didn't want to. Instead he tried to be focused on negative against me and it didn't work out," Frisbie said.
"I'm happy to run on my record of restoring local control, trying to reduce property taxes, trying to reduce energy cost for citizens."
To show this, Frisbie pointed to a series of bills he helped pass in the state House in May.
The bills aimed to cut state property taxes by over $5 billion, but didn’t go anywhere in the Democratically-controlled state Senate.
“The Senate hasn't taken up. Why? Because they're afraid of losing revenue. Again, we have plenty of revenue. I want you with a dollar in your wallet to make a decision about where that dollar goes versus sending it to Lansing to let politicians decide where your dollar goes.”
The taxes that were the subject of the bills go to fund things like schools, libraries and local government services like garbage collection.
The legislation passed in the state House without a complimentary bill that was meant to backfill the loss in state revenue.
Back in Battle Creek, Haadsma pushed back, claiming that State House Republicans have accomplished little besides blocking Democrats in the state Senate.
"It seems to me it's been a very obstruction-oriented session and I want to make sure we go back to some of that which we did early in the 2023-2024 session and bring a lot of victories home for Michigan and for Calhoun County," Haadsma said.
He said when the Democrats controlled both houses, they achieved several victories on cost-of-living issues.
"Like ensuring that we repeal the senior pension tax and like ensuring that we quintuple the earned income tax credit for Michigan working families and like ensuring that we do have free schools, breakfast and lunches at our public K-12 schools."
Cost of living wasn’t the only issue I heard about on Chestnut Avenue. Resident Samantha Brown is worried about data centers.
“I've heard that they're talking of building one in Marshall, which is crazy 'cause its whole shtick is that it is historic downtown Marshall," Brown said.
"I've heard that they're thinking of building one in Augusta. So, the idea of being in Battle Creek and having one on either side is a lot.”
And Brown said that, while she’s independent, she doesn’t trust a Republican candidate to address this.
"I do feel that seeing anybody marked as a Republican right now just is a red flag for me."
She added that even her Republican friends are re-considering their vote over issues like abortion rights.
“They've had to have D&Cs or because of an ectopic pregnancy, they've had to have treatment for that. And that is considered abortion," Brown said.
"So, I do have friends that are leaning more Democratic because of things that are affecting them.”
Dialing in on Trump
President Donald Trump loomed over these conversations.
Brown’s father Kevin Reeves said he retired from the US Army. Also an independent, Reeves said many of Trump’s controversial actions, including the appointment of former TV personality Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of War, will impact who he votes for.
“Anybody that is supporting the federal leadership, the Republicans, I'm just not going to vote for him. I'm not even looking at names anymore. I'm just going to vote Democrat down the line. And I've never been like that before," he said.
"We feel like Trump has just brought out the worst in anybody he spends time around."
Of course, these are voters willing to stop and chat with a Democratic candidate, so it’s hard to say if they’re representative of the district.
A poll co-published by the Associated Press found only 17% of respondents approved of Trump’s handling of cost of living. Political experts say that could drag Republicans down this November.
But Frisbie said it’s actually the Democrats who will be hindered by their fellow party members, like Democratic Michigan U.S. Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
“I'm hearing more and more and more that the Democrat Socialist party and El-Sayed are a big problem for independents and Democrats alike,” Frisbie said.
"I think people have to make a decision: Are we going to continue the pathway that we've forged to make this country the greatest country on the face of the Earth and the history of mankind, or are we going to try to make this a socialist country?"
But, in a roundup of half a dozen recent polls The New York Times considers reliable, El-Sayed was polling 1 to 7 points ahead of Republican opponent Mike Rogers in September.
As for Haadsma, he said he isn’t letting the idea that voters won’t vote for any Republican lead him to be overconfident, adding that it's out of his control.
“What I can control is getting out, knocking doors, meeting voters as often as I can. If I can't, making phone calls," Haadsma said.
"If I project confidence it's because I know I'm doing all that's within my ability to control, to try to come out ahead.”
"I gave him a chance"
In some ways the atmosphere ahead of this year's midterms mirrors that of the 2024 elections. Then-President Joe Biden also had a low approval rating, and cost of living was a major issue for voters.
Before that election, I went door-knocking with Frisbie in Battle Creek’s Washington Heights neighborhood.
It was there that Wendell LaGrand met Frisbie, and despite being a Haadsma supporter, he listened to Frisbie’s pitch.
Two years later, LaGrand told me he almost voted for Frisbie.
“He came across charismatic. He knew what he was talking about and he was talking about the education, the teachers," Wendell said.
"That's what hooked me, was his take on education here in Michigan. It was general but it was on point as a former substitute teacher.”
LaGrand said he ended up missing the 2024 election because he was out of town, but he said he's definitely voting this year.
After his two years in office, LaGrand said he isn't happy with Frisbie.
"The complaints in my neighborhood, in this community are, we haven't seen him. I was hoping that perhaps he would be more present, but that has not been the case."
As for his record, LaGrand said Frisbie hasn't delivered.
“I gave him a chance, hoping that there would be change, and there was no change and it's going status quo and I get the feeling that Mr. Frisbie is on the side with Mr. Trump and his individuals and we are not happy about that.”
Making life even harder are recent cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, which have reduced Wendell’s over-the-counter coverage and grocery benefits, according to LaGrand.
And while he doesn’t blame Frisbie directly for these cuts, he does blame President Trump, who he added has mishandled a number of issues like immigration.
“I'm concerned about the immigration and the way they treat people. I'm concerned about why it is that you allow the South Africans to come over saying it was racism in South Africa, but the other countries they don't have that kind of grace with Mr. Trump and his administration,” La Grand said.
"The war, the immigration, the healthcare is overwhelming as a voter. So, with those things being said, I can see going with a Democrat."
Then there are Trump’s efforts to change election rules, which Frisbie defended in our phone interview.
“I think there's an attempt by the federal government to make sure that the election is fair and that people who are voting are only the citizens of the state, you know, the state of Michigan and the United States," Frisbie said.
But LaGrand said these actions were more like voter repression.
"It makes it seem to me like you want to do everything so that you can win everything. Voting, immigration, health care, taxes, and the border. These are all issues that have been haunting us since this guy came along," LaGrand said.
“Mr. Frisbie just kind of — he either glosses over it or says, ‘Oh yeah it's for the good of the people’ and we just don't feel that way. It just haunts, it rings of the 60s. It just does.”
However, this isn't to say Wendell is certain he’s voting for Haadsma, as he has issues with both parties.
"With the Democrats, they haven't really done anything. The Republicans cut everything. They want to make me poor and I am."
But LaGrand did say he is certain about something.
"Right now, I'm just not sure who I'm going to vote for. But I know I'm not voting for Frisbie."
