UPDATE: The story has been updated to reflect Rich Cutshaw’s edited answer, regarding why he’s running.
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI — Republican incumbent Matt Hall is being challenged from within his party as he seeks reelection to Michigan’s 42nd House District.
Political newcomer Rich Cutshaw, of Scotts, is facing off against Hall in the Tuesday, Aug. 6, Republican primary. The winner will face Democrat Austin Marsman in the Nov. 5 general election.
Hall served two terms as a state representative in House District 63, prior to statewide redistricting in 2022. He is currently the representative in House District 42.
He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, business management and public administration from Western Michigan University and a juris doctor in advanced constitutional advocacy from WMU Cooley Law School. Hall previously worked for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. His website is electmatthall.com.
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Cutshaw enters the race without political experience. He has a high school education and is a truck driver with a self-proclaimed “drive to fight for our next generations.” His campaign website is cutshaw4mi.com.
Michigan’s 42nd district includes parts of Kalamazoo and Oshtemo Township, as well as the cities of Galesburg and Parchment and the townships of Alamo, Brady, Comstock, Cooper, Pavilion, Prairie Ronde, Richland, Ross and Schoolcraft. It also includes parts of Allegan County, including cities of Otsego and Plainwell, as well Gun Plain Township and part of Otsego Township.
MLive has partnered with the League of Women Voters and Vote411 to produce this voter guide.
All responses were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters or MLive, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. View the full vote411.org voter guide here.
Here are the questions and unedited answers from the two Republican candidates:
GENERAL BIO QUESTION: Why are you running for the Michigan State Legislature?
Cutshaw: My name is Rich Cutshaw. I have decided to run in the August 6th primary for the 42 District State House. I am married with six children. My wife and I own a home in Pavilion Township. I am a Constitutional Conservative who believes in the Constitution the way it was written. We the People need change in Lansing. I look forward to serving the people of the 42nd district and the people of the great state of Michigan. I am Pro Life, Pro Parental Choice, Pro 2A and Pro Common Sense! Help me help you by sending a true Conservative to represent We the People in Lansing. God Bless you all and God Bless America 🇺🇸
Hall: I am seeking re-election to reverse out-of-control government spending, protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars, and build a better Michigan for future generations. Because of the Biden’s open border policies, communities throughout Southwest Michigan are feeling the impacts of illegal immigration. We cannot allow our communities to become safe havens for dangerous criminals and fatal drugs, that’s why I introduced legislation to ban sanctuary counties and cities.
EDUCATION: What should Michigan do to provide an equitable, quality public education for all while addressing the current teacher shortage?
Cutshaw: We need massive overhaul of the public education system. Public schools have become indoctrination centers. They are forcing woke ideologies on our children and it’s destroying our youth. I believe that if we remove such ideologies from our Public Schools, the moral would return and teachers would feel safe and be able to do their job correctly. Public Schools should only be teaching a heathy curriculum, based on truth. Public education needs to get back to the 3 R’s so to speak
Hall: We must remove politics from children’s classrooms. It is essential to empower children during their educational development by focusing on core academic subjects, like reading and math. These skills will positively impact our children later in life when they enter the workforce. As your State Representative, I have championed parental input in our classrooms and fought to take power away from Lansing bureaucrats. Parents deserve to have a voice in their children’s education.
ENVIRONMENT: What do you see as the state’s role, if any, in mitigating the impact of climate change?
Cutshaw: The State has no business concerning itself with climate change. The climate changes hence we have seasons. Historically the climate is no different than it ever has been.
Hall: Michigan urgently needs to address skyrocketing energy prices. We must lower costs for families, ensure electric grid reliability, and embrace natural gas production. The new law implemented by Michigan Democrats to ban fossil fuels by 2040 is unsustainable and irresponsible. This policy will double your electric bill and create an unreliable grid. I will continue to fight for policies that lower electric bills and increase reliability.
RESIDENT RETENTION: What actions/proposals, if any, do you support to retain residents in our state?
Cutshaw: Lower taxes, Create middle class jobs, make Michigan small business friendly. Cut all unnecessary Government spending and programs. Stop funding Chinas interest in our state. Stop turning our good farmland into solar fields. Have safer and more educational public schools. Support Police agencies to make Michigan communities safer. Ban sanctuary counties and cities and deport all illegal immigrants. Fix the roads. A complete overhaul of the education system. Make all unconstitutional legislation null and void effective immediately. I would Assist in the Run Michigan Right Campaign, giving the house back to the We the People!
Hall: Michigan must implement an economic growth strategy to retain residents and businesses of all sizes. Reforming unaccountable taxpayer-funded programs to ensure better results, reverse the recent Democrat income tax hike, removing burdensome red tape, and bringing back Righ-to-Work. By doing this, we can create a healthy economy that retains residents.
Information on other state, county and local primary races can be found at Vote411.org. MLive’s coverage on this year’s races and election issues around the state can be found at this link.
Kalamazoo-area election coverage
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