HOLLAND, MI — Inside the Lighthouse Baptist Church, where Ottawa County residents recently gathered for a Republican candidates’ forum, congressional hopeful John Gibbs delivered his speech to still angry voters against temporary COVID-19 restrictions and the impeachment of former President Donald Trump.

He found a receptive audience.

Gibbs, a former software engineer and political commentator who wants to defeat U.S. Representative Peter Meijer in the Aug. 2 Republican primary for Michigan’s 3rd congressional district, drew cheers as he touted his endorsement of Trump and called the first member of Congress to vote. to impeach the former president following the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

“What I want to do, two weeks from now, is win by a big enough margin that we beat cheating,” said Gibbs, who backed Trump’s baseless fraud allegations in the 2020 election. And God willing, I believe we’re on the right track to do that.”

With the election less than two weeks away, Gibbs hopes Trump’s endorsement and support from grassroots activists will carry him to victory. Although he has raised far less money than Meijer, has lived in the district for less than a year and has little publicity on TV, radio and social media, two observers politicians claim that Gibbs poses a threat to the congressman.

“I think John Gibbs has gained ground,” said Jase Bolger, a former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives and a lifelong Republican who lives in Norton Shores. “It’s because the primary voter is very attentive to the elections, the primary elections in particular, to the candidates and the positions that their elected officials take.”

Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump just 10 days after being sworn in, defended his decision to hold the former president accountable for his role in instigating the Jan. 6 insurgency.

He acknowledged the vote was “probably an act of political suicide”, but says his duty is to uphold the Constitution and he voted accordingly.

Ottawa County GOP Chairman Keith den Hollander said Gibbs has made progress in gaining name recognition since entering the largely unknown race last year. However, for some voters, the race is less about Gibbs than the protest vote against Meijer.

“I think, to some degree, people who are unhappy can find themselves in a camp where they’re voting against somebody against somebody,” he said, adding that there was still a lot of voters in the race who are undecided.

Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District encompasses much of Kent County, including the city of Grand Rapids, and extends as far north as Rockford and as far south as Byron Township. It also includes the northern half of Ottawa County, including Allendale and Grand Haven.

Southern Muskegon County, including the City of Muskegon, Norton Shores, and the Township of Fruitport, is also included in the district.

Don’t see the map? Click here

Gibbs, 43, grew up outside of Lansing and has a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Stanford University and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University. He has worked as an engineer in Silicon Valley, a Christian missionary in Japan, a political commentator and served in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Trump administration.

He was nominated in 2020 by Trump to serve as director of the Office of Personnel Management, but the Senate has not confirmed it, according to information from the Detroit News.

He has come under scrutiny due to inflammatory tweets, reported by CNN, that called the Democrats an “Islamic” and “gender-bending” party. He also tweeted a false conspiracy theory claiming that “Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign chairman took part in a satanic ritual,” CNN reported.

Related: Trump endorsement tests Meijer impeachment vote in Michigan GOP congressional primary

During the candidates’ forum, which was hosted by the Ottawa County Patriots group and featured lengthy presentations questioning vaccine effectiveness and the 2020 election results, Gibbs took aim at Meijer for more than his impeachment vote.

He called out the congressman, who did not receive an invitation to attend the forum, for supporting a $40 billion humanitarian and military program for Ukraine. He also criticized Meijer for voting for a bipartisan gun safety package following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers.

But it was Meijer’s impeachment vote that seemed to upset attendees the most.

“He doesn’t support Donald Trump, and so that’s my main problem,” said Cal Peters, 68, of Grandville.

Meijer was endorsed by the DeVos family, the Grand Rapids Chamber, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and received financial support from U.S. Representative Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and various Grand Rapids business leaders.

He acknowledges that he and Trump have “had our differences.” But he says he supports the policies put forward under the former president’s administration regarding border security and domestic energy production.

The disappointment over Meijer’s impeachment vote did not hurt his ability to raise funds.

Meijer, 34, of Grand Rapids Township, has more than 10 times more spare cash than Gibbs, and he’s used those dollars to spread his message and tout his conservative principles. He booked $520,787 on ads between January 2021 and the Aug. 2 primary, according to data from the firm AdImpact provided by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network.

Gibbs, meanwhile, spent $14,286.

Meijer’s campaign has run at least four ads and one radio ad in the past month. The spots focus on his deployment to Iraq in 2010 as a noncommissioned officer in the Army Reserves, take aim at President Joe Biden’s “botched” withdrawal from Afghanistan, and promote his efforts to strengthen the economy and secure the world. southern border.

One of the advertisements, a radio ad titled “A Fighter for West Michigan”, attacks Gibbs for moving to the district to run for Congress, and contrasts this with the de Meijer family’s longstanding ties to the area.

Related: Trump-backed challenger Peter Meijer is in the August 2 GOP primary for the West Michigan congressional seat

Speaking after her appearance at the Lighthouse Baptist Church, Gibbs said her fundraising and publicity disadvantage did not hurt her candidacy. He also defends his decision to move to West Michigan to run for Congress, saying he was born and raised in the state and believes he is the best candidate for the job.

“Money matters – yes,” he said. “You need enough money to get your name out there and pay your staff. But that no longer quite means what it was doing. People are tired of money buying elections.

Gibbs says he’s focused on beating Meijer by pounding the pavement.

“We hit the ground running every day,” he said, adding that his campaign’s internal polling shows he is ahead of Meijer in the race. “We’re going to knock on the door. We will visit each city and township in the district. We meet voters. We install traffic signs.

David Ryden, professor of political science at Hope College, said Gibbs poses “a serious threat to Meijer”.

Normally, recognition of Meijer’s name would be a big boon to his campaign, he said. But in the primary race, it may, for some voters, serve as a reminder of his impeachment vote, and it’s unclear whether Meijer’s ads to bolster his conservative credentials will resonate with voters.

“I think we’re in a time now where money can matter a lot less,” Ryden said. “The thing that works against money being the determinant is people’s cynicism, people are quick with the remote to turn off the add on or more importantly just not believe what they hear. “

Zach Lahring, chairman of the Muskegon County GOP, which endorsed Gibbs, said Meijer had the support of some business owners and “the established Republican elite.” Gibbs, on the other hand, is supported by rank-and-file members of the party, he said.

“The base is alive this year,” Lahring said. “They very actively support John Gibbs. I know it’s hard to beat money, and Peter Meijer spends it like it’s going out of style.

He predicts strong turnout among grassroots voters and says he expects Gibbs to beat Meijer.

“They’re very mobilized to come out and vote for their gubernatorial candidate, and I think that’s going to motivate the people of Gibbs to come out as well,” Lahring said.

In Ottawa County, there’s grassroots energy for Gibbs, but Meijer also has enthusiastic supporters, den Hollander said.

“There’s definitely an element of the party that would agree with his electoral record and the decisions he’s made,” he said, referring to Meijer’s impeachment vote and the bipartisan security vote. firearms. “I have certainly spoken with people who support Peter. There are people who support him because of those votes, people who feel like that’s where they are.

While polls released by the Gibbs campaign indicate Gibbs has an 18-point lead over Meijer, den Hollander says “he’s hesitant to make predictions” and that “it’s anyone’s race” to win.

Bolger, the former House speaker who lives in Norton Shores, says he believes Meijer will win but “Gibbs will give him a hell of a run.”

“I see him doing the job,” he said, describing why he thinks Meijer will win. “I see him making serious efforts to listen to voters. I think at the end of the day people want someone who represents what they believe in. Even for voters, it’s a difficult balance. They want someone who is honest with them, someone who tells them where they stand, someone who doesn’t blow with the wind, and they will respect someone even if they disagree with them.

Read more:

A $62 million mental health hospital for children will be built in the Grand Rapids area

Spectrum Health Opens New Outpatient Center in Downtown Grand Rapids

Michigan weekend weather: Starts sizzling and expected to get real rain in many places

Lawyers want Michigan minimum wage and sick leave increases suspended amid court battle