Third candidate announces run for 35th District state rep
Jennifer Wortz, 44, is the latest candidate to qualify for the 2024 race for state representative for the 35th District.
Wortz joins Branch County Commissioner Tom Matthew and Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford in the race to replace State Rep. Andrew Fink, who is running for Michigan Supreme Court.
All are Republicans who will face each other in the Aug. 6 primary.
The district encompasses Branch and Hillsdale counties and the village of Hudson in Lenawee County.
Wortz and her husband owned the Central Grace Farms near Quincy since 2016. They raise chickens under contract with Miller Poultry.
“My top priorities are conservative values, fiscal responsibility, and I think there needs to be a larger voice for women in Lansing," Wortz said.
As head of Moms for Liberty in Branch and Hillsdale counties, Wortz protested before the area health agency and filed suits in federal court opposing COVID-19 school mask and quarantine mandates. The lawsuits became moot with changes in state law.
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The Michigan State University graduate in agriculture communication and education taught in Camden-Frontier schools for a couple of years.
After having four children, Wortz home-schooled them until they started middle and high school. The youngest is a sophomore at Quincy this year and just turned 16.
Wortz was elected to the Quincy School Board in 2016 and served until 2019.
“I think as a mom, as an educator, as a small business owner and agriculturalist, I do bring a well-rounded perspective” to the representative job, Wortz said. “I think there are needed changes in education.”
Wortz became Branch County Conservation District manager last summer.
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Wortz comes from a political family. Her father, Gary Leininger, served for 36 years as Hillsdale County treasurer.
Her brother Brent Leininger is a Hillsdale County commissioner.
-- Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Jennifer Wortz qualifies for 35th District state house race.
