By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org

The general election season is barely a week old but Dr. Rob Davidson, the Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga’s 2nd District seat, has already paid a visit to the City of Wyoming — and for good reason.

While most of the 2nd District is West Michigan lakeshore areas, the panhandle area of the district extending south of Grand Rapids which includes Wyoming is often seen as more Democratic leaning than much of the district.

And, according to Davidson, it is also an area — and a group of constituents — often ignored by Rep. Huizenga.

“A lot of people in this (part of the) district, of the 2nd, who are probably struggling the most, are probably in the most need of representation from their single connection to the federal government, their U.S. house representative,” Davidson said to WKTV, Tuesday, Aug. 14, at a campaign event at a church near Wyoming Lee High School. “And I feel like campaigns of old and certainly our current representative focuses on the lakeshore, Ottawa County, a little bit of Muskegon, and this part of our district just gets left behind.

“Some people out here do not even know they are in the 2nd District. They don’t know who their representative is because they just haven’t heard from him. So, to me, I think I have a very intentional focus on campaigning here, and then being here, and showing up here once I am elected to office, is essential. I think the place you need to go is the folks who need you the most.”

(For a video of a previous WKTV Journal: In Focus interview with Davidson, see end of this story or visit here.)

The Tuesday event, held at Joy Like a River church (Ministerios Ríos de Agua Viva), 1841 Havana Ave SW, was actually billed as a healthcare forum, one of several put on and planned by Davidson, who is an emergency room physician. The event had a crowd of about two dozen people (the turnout dampened, maybe, by the crowds attending the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools’ sixth grade orientation held at the same time nearby).

Rep. Huizenga was invited to the forum but did not attend. Davidson previously invited Rep. Huizenga to a healthcare forum July 30 in Zeeland — Rep. Huizenga’s hometown — but the congressman also declined to attend an event which had a crowd of about 200 people.

“We were not expecting such a huge turnout for our event in Zeeland, and what that showed us was how important healthcare is to everyone in West Michigan, so that’s why we’re doing a second event for more folks to share their thoughts and concerns,” Davidson said in previously supplied material. “Republicans, Democrats and independents filled every seat and stood along the walls for two hours to discuss healthcare in an honest, spirited yet respectful way. People talked about Congress taking healthcare away from patients with preexisting conditions, raising the prices of prescription drugs, taking away lifesaving services such as mammograms and prenatal and maternity care. I appreciated hearing from people, both those who agree with me as well as those who disagree.

“Congressman Bill Huizenga had an opportunity to join the forum and share information that can help families overcome their healthcare challenges, and unfortunately, he chose to avoid his own constituents.”

Davidson was joined by two speakers at the Wyoming event, both of whom spoke about their and their family’s needs for affordable healthcare and their opposition to Republican-led attack on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).

One of the speakers was Heidi Draft-Peppin, a healthcare social worker whose husband is battling spina-bifida and whose has a child with autism.

“If the Republicans have their way, and the pre-existing conditions (coverage) of Obamacare is eliminated, it would devastate our family,” she said.

For more information on Davidson’s campaign visit his website.

See the following for Davidson’s WKTV Journal: In Focus interview from April.