The 32nd state Senate District encompasses more than 2,000 square miles along the Lake Michigan shoreline, stretching from Benzie County to Muskegon and representing about 260,000 people.
Republican Kim Cole, who is the sheriff of Mason County, faces Democrat Rebecca Amidon, a college professor at Mid Michigan College, in the Nov. 3 election for a four-year term representing the seat.
The current state senator, Republican Jon Bumstead, has reached his term limit.
The biggest issues facing residents
Cole defined the biggest threat to the quality of life in the district as acts of violence.
“We live in a different world,” he said. “During my time as sheriff, we’ve ramped up our school safety programs. We have school resource officers in all our schools in Mason county. If you don’t have a foundation of public safety, you have a huge problem.”
Amidon said the biggest threat to quality of life for people in the district is the lack of opportunity.
“I wanna see a world where families can move here,” she said. “There’s opportunities here, and they can stay here. They can build a life here. And our kids don’t have to leave after high school graduation and not come home until after retirement.”
Both candidates also mentioned affordability as a significant challenge in their district.
The state’s role in addressing federal Medicaid cuts
Big changes are coming to the healthcare system at the end of this year stemming from the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The result will be massive cuts to Medicaid. Some estimates say over $1 billion in Michigan by 2032.
Here’s what the candidates said about how the state’s role in making up for the Medicaid cuts.
“Is there a mechanism for the state to supplement the federal shortfall?” Cole asked. “I’m not sure. I’m not a fan of increasing taxes to offset these costs. I understand a person’s need for insurance … but you can’t just make these promises without a plan. And if that plan involves increasing peoples’ taxes enormously to offset the costs, I just don’t know how you do that.”
Amidon wasn’t opposed to a tax increase to cover the shortfall.
“I think there are some creative ways we can solve this,” she said. “I think that taxing people fairly, people who make way more money than you or I can imagine, can be paying a little bit more.”
She also suggested rolling back tax breaks for data center developers to help.
Convincing voters to cross the political divide
What would candidates say to convince a voter from the other party to jump across the aisle and vote for them?
Cole said his background in law enforcement gives him a good understanding of what it means to turn a blind eye to partisan politics.
“As the sheriff, my job is to serve everyone equally,” he said. “Not one of us (sheriffs) has a form in our office that requires you to check a box that you’re Republican or Democrat before we listen to your concerns and needs.
“I will tell you I have great concerns with the whole defund the police movement,” he said. “And when people ask me about that, I am very pointed about defund the police. That is not a good thing.”
Amidon told IPR she does not support defunding the police.
What would Amidon say to a Republican she was hoping would vote for her?
“I believe in the America first agenda,” she said. “I believe in the Michigan first agenda. What does that mean? It means making sure our tax dollars stay right here in our communities. And that we’re investing in our own people. It’s tough when, as a country, we spend a lot of money overseas. When we’re paying for wars we didn’t agree to when we need investment in our own people.”
How competitive is this race?
The 32nd state Senate District has been reliably Republican since the district map was changed in 2020. The district went for Donald Trump by 7 points in 2024.
As of Oct. 13, Amidon had out-fundraised Cole by $79,564.
A total of $58,000 of Amidon’s $297,889 came from the Michigan Senate Democratic Fund for advertising and consulting, which indicates state Democrats think they have a chance to flip the district.
Cole is his own largest contributor, spending almost $15,000 in loans on his campaign. His second largest funder, at $9,000, is the Bumstead Leadership fund, which is affiliated with the incumbent. In total, Cole has raised $218,325.
Cole has received little to no money from statewide Republican organizations.
There is also a vast disparity between the candidates in the number of contributions, with Amidon receiving almost 1,000 different contributions. Cole’s campaign has received just under 400 contributions.
This reporting is made possible by the Northern Michigan Journalism Collaborative, led by Bridge Michigan and Interlochen Public Radio, and funded by Press Forward Northern Michigan.
