Biography
John Wetzel is the Republican candidate for Michigan State Senate District 31 in the November 3, 2026 general election, having advanced from the August 4, 2026 Republican primary.[1][2] A business owner and longtime high school basketball official, he is running against Democrat Chris Kleinjans.[1][3][2]
Wetzel was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, earned a high school diploma from Rockford High School, and received a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University in 1999.[1] His career experience includes working as a business owner and as a Michigan High School Athletic Association basketball official; in a Ballotpedia survey he said he served as a high school basketball official for 20 years.[1][3]
Wetzel was a candidate for Michigan House of Representatives District 84 in 2022, when he lost the Republican primary to Mike Milanowski Jr., and again in 2024, when he won the Republican primary and lost the general election to Democratic incumbent Carol Glanville.[1] In the survey, Wetzel listed his key messages as property tax reform, rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in state government, and fixing the education system, and said he supports the SAVE Act and the Citizens Only Voting amendment expected on the November ballot.[3]
- 1.John Wetzel (Michigan) - Ballotpedia · Ballotpedia Reference
- 2.Michigan State Senate elections, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.John Wetzel - Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey responses (2026) · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21. Not yet independently fact-checked.
Michigan Senate District 31
John Wetzel is on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot for Michigan Senate District 31 as R. Not researched in depth — candidate list only.