ESCANABA — Kelli van Ginhoven of Escanaba has declared her intent, and has filed to run for District 38 Michigan Senate in 2026. A near life-long resident of Delta County, van Ginhoven is currently vice-chair of the Delta County Board of Commissioners. She assumed office in a successful recall election in May 2024 and was re-elected in November 2024 to a four-year term.

Van Ginhoven currently serves on the Airport Advisory Board, Opioid Task Force, Central Upper Peninsula Materials Management Planning Committee, Delta Solid Waste Management Authority, Delta County Emergency Operations Coordination Committee and is Chairperson of the Personnel Committee.

A 1998 graduate of Escanaba High School and a 2005 graduate of Bay College, van Ginhoven spent her 20’s and 30’s raising her family and working full time as a preschool teacher before moving on to work many years at a local credit union. In 2016, she became a small business owner, opening her bakery, For The Love of Cupcakes, in downtown Escanaba. Through her business and generous customers, van Ginhoven was able to donate thousands of dollars to local causes including UP Honor Flight, End The Silence Walk, Lake Shore Live, and more. She passed the baton to the new owners in 2024 in order to focus solely on local politics and her role as County Commissioner.

Van Ginhoven has also served on several city and organization boards including Escanaba City Planning Commission, Escanaba Downtown Development Authority and Community Foundation of Delta County.

In a press release from her campaign, van Ginhoven explained her reason for entering the race. “The citizens of the U.P. deserve to be heard in Lansing. Over the last two decades I have heard over and over that we have been disregarded and forgotten by our state leadership. I will stand up and speak out when state leadership tries to steamroll over us or ignore our needs. I will not be remembered as a woman who kept her mouth shut.

She said her campaign will be different, “It’s not about me and my goals — it’s about what the citizens need me to do for them. I will hustle hard, listen, and collaborate with fellow Senators to bring what you deserve back to the UP.”