District Composition and Profile
An open-seat district spanning West Michigan and the state's interior corridor
Michigan's 33rd Senate District is one of the more geographically mixed Republican seats on the 2026 map. Official Michigan Senate and MiCRC materials place the district across Kent, Ottawa, Newaygo, Montcalm, Ionia, Lake, and Muskegon Counties, including all of Montcalm and Newaygo Counties and portions of the others.
That footprint matters. A district that stretches from the Kent and Ottawa side of the map into Newaygo, Montcalm, Lake, Muskegon, and Ionia can reward candidates with an established regional base, durable donor relationships, or a coalition that extends beyond a single corner of the district.
The current filed candidate list is available on our qualified candidates page, but the geographic shape of the district helps explain why the Republican primary here is likely to turn on more than ideology alone.
- Entire counties: Montcalm and Newaygo.
- Partial counties: Ionia, Kent, Lake, Muskegon, and Ottawa.
- Political implication: Existing officeholders enter with different home-base advantages depending on which side of the district they already represent.
The Candidate Field
The Michigan State Senate District 33 Republican primary field
Four Republicans have officially filed for the seat: Katie DeBoer, Joseph D. Fox, Gina Johnsen, and Thomas J. Norton. Two are sitting state representatives, one is a sitting county commissioner, and one is running from outside elected office.
Current House Member
Joseph D. Fox
Sitting state representative whose current House district includes all of Newaygo County and parts of Oceana, Lake, Mason, and Wexford Counties.
Fox filed for the Republican primary on June 3, 2025. His official Michigan House profile states that he was first elected in November 2022 and represents the 101st House District, which includes all of Newaygo County and parts of Oceana, Lake, Mason, and Wexford Counties. That gives him an existing legislative base in part of the Senate district he is now seeking.
His campaign presents him as a conservative candidate running on "faith, family, and freedom."
Current House Member
Gina Johnsen
Sitting state representative whose current House district includes parts of Kent, Ionia, Barry, and Eaton Counties.
Johnsen filed for the Republican primary on December 22, 2025. Her official Michigan House profile states that she was first elected in November 2022, was re-elected in 2024, and represents the 78th House District, which includes parts of Kent, Ionia, Barry, and Eaton Counties. That gives her an existing legislative footprint in another portion of the Senate district.
Her campaign presents her as a community leader and small business owner and frames the race around education, healthcare freedom, jobs, and election integrity.
County Government Lane
Katie DeBoer
Kent County commissioner, not a member of the Legislature.
DeBoer filed for the Republican primary on September 23, 2025. Kent County's official site identifies her as the commissioner for District 4, and her campaign says she has served on the Kent County Board of Commissioners since January 2023 while also serving on several county boards and committees.
That gives her a county-government record and a base in the district's Kent County portion. Her campaign presents her as a small business owner, licensed builder, realtor, professor, author, and nonprofit founder.
Issue-Driven Outsider
Thomas J. Norton
Candidate running from outside elected office with a platform focused on conservative issue commitments.
Norton filed for the Republican primary on February 26, 2026. Unlike Fox and Johnsen, he does not enter the race as a sitting legislator. Unlike DeBoer, he does not enter from county elected office. His campaign website presents him through issue advocacy rather than prior public office.
The platform on his site focuses on abortion, the Second Amendment, election integrity, a proposed Michigan Department of Government Efficiency, CPS reform, and school choice. His site footer identifies the committee as Friends of Thomas J Norton.
Norton's website displays additional social icons, including Instagram, but the exact destination URLs were not confirmed in the materials reviewed here. That remains unresolved in this draft.
Support and Positioning
Some of the ways the campaigns are signaling their base of support
Prior Support Network
Joseph D. Fox
Fox's campaign website provides the clearest statement of his prior support network, but it also labels that roster as endorsements received in 2024 in his House race. The listed support or ratings include Right to Life of Michigan, NRA Political Victory Fund, Michigan Farm Bureau AgriPAC, Rick Outman, and John Moolenaar.
Because the campaign page expressly ties that list to his prior House race, it should be read as evidence of prior support, not automatically as a current 2026 Senate endorsement list.
Visible Institutional Support
Gina Johnsen
Johnsen's campaign shows a broader visible network of support from Republican elected officials than the other sites reviewed here. Her endorsements page lists multiple current and former Republican officeholders, including State Senators Mark Huizenga, Jon Bumstead, and Roger Victory.
Her events page also advertised fundraisers hosted by Rick Outman and, in one case, Pat Outman, along with another event hosted by Rick Outman and Sheridan Community Hospital. Those items point to meaningful institutional support around her candidacy, but a hosted fundraiser is not identical to a formal endorsement.
Issue Portfolio
Katie DeBoer
DeBoer's values and biography pages emphasize religious liberty, abortion policy, the Second Amendment, deregulation, and medical freedom.
Her site includes an endorsements section in the navigation, but a reviewable endorsement roster was not confirmed in the materials pulled here. On this record, the existence of an endorsements page is clear; the contents remain unresolved in this draft.
Issue-Centered Campaign
Thomas J. Norton
Norton's campaign website presents him primarily through issue advocacy rather than through a visible officeholder endorsement network. The site foregrounds social and constitutional themes, as well as the proposed Michigan Department of Government Efficiency, rather than a long list of establishment validators.
That does not mean he lacks support. It means the public-facing footprint reviewed here is more message-centered than coalition-centered.
How the Field Is Taking Shape
The field divides into two sitting legislators, one county commissioner, and one outsider candidate
The structure of the field is fairly clear. Fox and Johnsen are sitting House members with existing legislative constituencies that overlap different parts of the Senate district. DeBoer enters from county government with a base in Kent County and a local-government resume rather than a Lansing one. Norton is running from outside elected office and is presenting a message centered on social and constitutional issues.
That does not determine the result, but it does explain the shape of the race. In a four-candidate primary, a district with this kind of geography can reward a candidate who combines a home-base advantage with a coalition that reaches beyond one part of the map.
Campaign Finance
The finance picture remains unresolved because the state search system was unavailable at review
The main unresolved issue in this race is the campaign-finance picture. At the time of review, Michigan's campaign-finance database page displayed a notice that search is currently unavailable, which means this draft does not include candidate-by-candidate receipts, expenditures, cash on hand, or debt totals from the official state system.
This is the cleanest current bottom line: SD-33 is an open Republican primary with four filed candidates, including two sitting state representatives, one sitting county commissioner, and one candidate running from outside elected office. Fox and Johnsen bring existing House bases. DeBoer brings county-government experience and a Kent County base. Norton is running on a message built around a set of conservative issue commitments.
Conclusion
The district's shape and the candidates' existing bases are likely to define the primary
The 2026 Republican primary in Michigan's 33rd State Senate District is still in its formative stage, but the broad outlines are already visible. Fox and Johnsen enter as sitting lawmakers with different pieces of the district already inside their political orbit. DeBoer enters from county government with a Kent County base and a biography-forward campaign. Norton is running from outside elected office on a message built around conservative issue commitments.
Because this is an open seat with a broad geographic footprint, the winner may be the candidate who proves able to turn an existing base into a district-wide coalition.