Aug. 2 primary: Meckley takes on Fink in Republican primary for Michigan House District 35

Michigan's 35th District House of Representative race pits incumbent Andrew Fink, 37, against Steve Meckley, 54, a Somerset Township trustee drawing statewide attention.

Little differentiates the political stands of each man on opposition to abortion and support of the Second Amendment. The difference is where each fit in the Republican party.

The first-term lawmaker, Fink, an attorney, points to his record in his first term.

Meckley, a farmer from the northeast corner of Hillsdale County, is also a business owner with a brewery, bakery, apple orchard and cider mill. He was convinced he needed to run because of what was being done by the Governor during COVID-19.

"We had to jump through the hoops or lose a business in terms of the mandates and this kind of stuff," he said.  "I could not sit back and not do anything after the last two years."

Fink supported bills that prohibit state health emergency order extensions unless approved by the legislature and limit the duration of an emergency order issued by the state health department to 28 days.

Fink served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps from 2009 to 2016, following his graduation from Hillsdale College in 2006 and his law degree from the University of Michigan in 2010.

The conservative Fink also voted to limit emergency gun restrictions and prohibit research on stem cells obtained from an abortion.

The race is one of 35 house seats embroiled in a battle with Trump "America First" Republicans.

Fink drew the ire of Rep. Matt Maddock, ousted from the Republican caucus in the spring. He has mounted a run for House Speaker after this fall's elections with the backing of former President Donald Trump.

Maddock openly criticized Fink during a Young Americans for Freedom assembly at Hillsdale College in March over support of legislation to reduce or eliminate cash bonds for those arrested for non-violent first offenses.

Maddock, who has a licensed bail bond company, accused Fink of trying "put bail bondsmen out of business," supporting a "leftist agenda."

Meckley campaigned this week in Branch County with like-minded Republican candidates, Ryan Kelley for governor, Matt DePerno for attorney general, and Jonathan Lindsey for state senate.

Fink received endorsements from Sheriffs John Pollack and Scott Hodeshire in Branch and Hillsdale Counties, prosecutors Zack Stempien and Neal Brady, Greg Stuchell, Hillsalde City Commission, Branch County Commissioner Tom Matthew, regional American Legion Commander Ralph Gottschalk, along with Hillsdale College professors Adam Carrington and Mickey Craig among many others.

Meckley opposes critical race theory. Fink co-sponsored a bill that passed the Michigan house last fall that would ban the teaching of "racial stereotypes" on a 55-0 vote.

Fink said, "there is the possibility of fraud in any election." He pointed to two cases being prosecuted by Michigan's attorney general in the 2020 elections.

Meckley states, "There was systemic voter fraud in the 2020 election, and we need leaders to stand up to fight it. We need public access to signature verification and Voter ID immediately, among other reforms. And we need a complete forensic audit of what happened in the 2020 election."

Fink does support legislation to allow county clerks to remove deceased individuals from the qualified voter file.

"Regardless of wherever we fall on the political spectrum, election integrity must be a bi-partisan issue to assure Michiganians that all legally cast votes are counted accurately," Fink said.

Echoing the "America First" creed, Meckley said, "The foundations of our nations are crumbling. We need to preserve and restore the founding principles of America found in the United States Constitution."

The winner faces Democrat Andrew Watkins of Hillsdale in the November general election. The district is comprised of Branch and Hillsdale counties.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Fink faces Meckley in Republican primary for Michigan District 35