Rep. Huizenga, No. 2 on House finance panel, defeated

• Key insight: Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., the number two Republican on the House Financial Services Committee and leading opponent of environmental, social and governance measures by banks and regulators, lost his bid for re-election.
• Forward look: Huizenga’s defeat is the highest-profile loss of a sitting Republican on the financial services committee, though several other longtime members lost their re-election bids on Tuesday night — and still more may follow. 

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., an eight-term Congressman who had risen to serve as the vice chair of the House Financial Services Committee, lost his bid for re-election in a close race that was only called Wednesday afternoon.

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With more than 97% of votes counted, the Associated Press declared Democratic challenger Sean McCann the winner in Michigan’s 4th Congressional district, with McCann besting Huizenga by a margin of 50.1% to 48.3%, or a difference of about 7,000 votes out of nearly 300,000 cast. Green party candidate Chafina Che Barnett was also on the ballot and received about 5,600 votes. The race had been rated as “lean Republican” heading into Tuesday’s election and was not expected to flip, even in a cycle that was historically favorable to Democrats.

Huizenga, who first won election to Congress in the 2010 tea party election, has been a vocal critic of progressive policies and personalities in his time in office. During the Biden administration, the financial services committee held a week’s worth of hearings and events focused on highlighting the Biden administration’s efforts to advance environmental, social and governance priorities — known as ESG — and Huizenga was central to pushing that message. 

Huizenga also played a critical role in advancing this year’s legislative priorities for the GOP, including the stablecoin bill Trump signed in 2025 and this year’s housing bill, which included several community bank riders. He also led the committee’s investigations work during the Biden administration, particularly concerning former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra and Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler.

McCann, who comes to Congress after having served in the Michigan legislature and Kalamazoo city council, does not have a substantial campaign platform concerning financial services, but his campaign has emphasized lowering costs for consumers and cited the White House’s tariff campaign and housing costs as contributors to rising household costs.

Huizenga is the highest-profile Republican on the House Financial Services Committee to lose his reelection bid, but he is far from the only one.

Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., who chaired the committee’s panel on capital markets, lost her re-election bid in a race that was called by the AP on Tuesday night. Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Bryan Steil, R-Wisc., and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, also lost their re-election bids on Tuesday, while Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., was trailing in the tally of his election by a little more than 2% on Wednesday afternoon in a race that the AP has not yet called. House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill, R-Ark., has also not had his race called by the AP, though he retains a lead of about 4,500 votes — out of some 150,000 — with almost all ballots counted, a far closer result than was expected.