While President Donald Trump’s current low approval rating may hurt U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), controversy around how he’s handled campaign funds over the last several years may be the biggest hurdle for the Republican’s reelection.

In 2019, the House Committee on Ethics reviewed allegations that his campaign may have accepted contributions from individuals employed in his congressional office, and may have reported disbursements that were not legitimate or verifiable campaign expenditures. The review concluded that the 2nd Congressional District Republican may have violated House rules and standards and federal law and urged a closer review. 

Congressional investigation

A closer review did follow, and in 2024, the committee issued a 375-page report that detailed Huizenga’s spending campaign funds on Aspen ski resorts, snowmobiling in Montana and golf and dining in Florida. In the end, the committee did not recommend any reprimand for Huizenga, concluding that while he violated House rules around campaign finance recordkeeping, it closed the inquiry, citing a need for better guidance for all lawmakers.

The report said that Huizenga’s questionable campaign expenses that “fell within unclear areas” of federal regulations were ultimately found to have an “established campaign purpose.” The committee also said it would “refresh its guidance to the House community on these issues based on lessons learned from this and other matters.”

‘His record has never been litigated.’

Still, the ethics reviews have been a pressure point for his Democratic opponent, state Sen. Sean McCann. He also has criticized Huizenga for voting in favor of things that he’ll benefit from. At a press conference in August at a labor union, McCann accused Huizenga of profiting from his position, citing a Detroit Metro Times investigation from the month prior.

“He was one of just 13 Republicans to vote against the ban on insider trading,” he said. “He’s paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash to his brother, while his brother was selling condos for his luxury condo business. And after being in Congress for nearly 16 years, he’s gotten as much as five times richer.”

The Metro Times investigation found that Huizenga’s campaign sent over $400,000 to a company owned by his half-brother, James “Jim” Barry, from 2013-25. Huizenga for Congress listed the expenses as “campaign management, consulting, strategy work and reimbursements.”A spokesperson for McCann told Heartland Signal on Oct. 15 that “Bill Huizenga has never faced a competitive general election in his career — his record has never been litigated as Democrats have never meaningfully spent in this race and now, that changes.” 

The spokesperson also said that “Huizenga used his office to enrich himself while leaving Michiganders behind,” and pointed to several allegations, including that he funneled money to his brother.

“Huizenga got caught paying more than $400,000 in campaign cash to his brother – who also worked as a full time real estate agent, selling condos for Huizenga’s luxury condo company,” the spokesperson said.

Recent expenses

McCann’s campaign is attacking Huizenga’s support of Trump’s debunked claim about the 2020 presidential election, saying that he will fight against extremist attempts to undermine our elections and also pledges to overhaul ICE and hold agents accountable for illegal actions. His campaign has also attacked Huizenga’s support of the Iran War. When it comes to campaign finances, McCann says he will fight to keep “dark money” out of politics. 

Huizenga’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Currently, Huizenga ranks #162 out of 3,761 when it comes to spending among candidates running for House seats, according to the Federal Election Commission. From Jan. 1, 2025 to date, Huizenga has spent $1,934,284 — the bulk of which $1,869,434 listed as operating expenditures.

A search of Huizenga for Congress’s spending over the last year showed mostly routine expenses for a congressional candidate, although an unusually high amount of activity was reported on the same disbursement date: June 26. Charges included:

• $567 to American Airlines for travel
• $240 at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Michigan for travel
• $208 on Uber for transportation
• $1,034 to Delta Airlines for travel
• $451 to Marriott Hotels in Maryland for travel
• $388 to Founding Farmers Restaurant in Washington D.C. for a meeting
• $240 to East Potomac Golf Course in D.C. for a meeting
• $271 to Talay Thai Restaurant in D.C. for a meeting$470 to Levy in D.C. for a meeting
• $671 to Bullfeathers in D.C. for event catering
• $690 to Le Meridien in New York for travel
• $252 to the Capitol Hill Club in D.C. for a meeting
• $160 to the Crazy Horse Steakhouse in Michigan for a meeting
• $9,034 to American Express.  

As of Oct. 14, Huizenga was leading McCann by between 1-6 percentage points, according to The New York Times.