'Our Opponents Are Trump Supporters' - Meet the Phony Republicans Working with Democrats to Overthrow a MAGA County
Ottawa County, Michigan made headlines two years ago when a local conservative slate of concerned parents calling themselves Ottawa Impact (OI) successfully unseated 8/11 incumbent Republican County Commissioners over their support of unconstitutional covid lockdowns, taxpayer funded abortion, and DEI mandates. Despite heavy opposition from local Democrats, establishment Republicans, and local law enforcement, Ottawa Impact co-founders Joe Moss and Sylvia Rhodea led their PAC to victory, taking over the Board in the 2022 midterms and being voted in as Chairman and Vice-Chairwoman in January 2023.
Ottawa Impact shocked the nation with their first Board of Commissioners Organization Meeting, taking their oaths of office and proceeding to: fire the pro-mask, pro-DEI County Administrator, shut down the Marxist Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and replace the County Attorney with a constitutional law firm, Kallman Legal Group. The previous County Attorney had threatened the Ottawa Impact candidates multiple times with legal action and litigation for their opposition to lockdowns and youth sexuality clinics run by groomer county employees.
Since then, the elites have mobilized millions of dollars dedicated to unseating the Ottawa Impact Commissioners and recruiting a slate to run against them. Ottawa County, a medium-large county in West Michigan, is traditionally a conservative Republican stronghold. No Democrat Presidential Candidate has won Ottawa County since 1864, so naturally, the only way to beat Ottawa Impact is by running Democrats as Republicans in the Republican Primary. Michigan is an Open Primary state, meaning that anyone can vote in either primary, so long as they do not vote in both. Several major groups emerged in an alliance to recruit a slate to beat the OI Commissioners in the Republican Primary such as Progressive Lakeshore, Ottawa Objects, Organize Ottawa, Conservative Ottawa, and Ottawa for Good Government. Many of these groups have since been disavowed by the local GOP for encouraging Democrat Crossover voting.
A Brief Timeline:
Before we get to the present situation, a brief timeline will help readers understand the context of what is going on:
In 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, known nationally as one of the most repressive leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic, authorized County Health Departments to enforce and prolong draconian lockdown orders in Michigan at the discretion of their Health Officers. The Board of Commissioners at the time, consisting of 10 “Republicans” and 1 Democrat, funded the pro-lockdown operations and refused to intervene despite massive public backlash from the conservative majority of the community.
The backlash caused Joe Moss and Sylvia Rhodea to found Ottawa Impact, a conservative advocacy organization, as well as Ottawa Impact PAC, which they would use to finance and organize their slate of conservative County Commissioner candidates. The organization rallied against the RINO Board for their support of Covid Mandates, as well as exposed them for supporting using county facilities for abortion. The County was also exposed for funding a program in which County Health Department Employees were handing out graphic ‘Masturbation Tutorials’ to young children. This, as well as the County wasting millions of dollars on DEI, caused Ottawa Impact to win in a landslide. Out of the 9 incumbent RINO Commissioners Ottawa Impact put up a primary challenger against in 2022, they defeated 8 of them and took a majority on the Board. The new OI-controlled Board of Commissioners was sworn in on January 3, 2023. Since then, the Board has made several “controversial” and “radical” decisions, according to the left and local media, among these being:
Opening a Veterans Affairs Department to treat local veterans with PTSD
Mandating watermarked ballots and additional election security measures at county voting precincts
Shutting down the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Balancing the budget for the lowest annual increase in 20 years
Resolving that no county funds will be used for abortion
Resolving that the Department of Public Health can no longer sexually target young children
As you can imagine, the left has gone absolutely insane, and made it their goal to unseat these MAGA Patriots.
The Opposition Groups:
Progressive Lakeshore: Progressive Lakeshore is a “non-partisan” advocacy group which “seeks to grow the progressive community”. The group previously endorsed Joe Biden for President and has now switched its endorsement to Kamala Harris. The group has also endorsed 7 Republican County Commissioner Districts running against Ottawa Impact. On the Board of Progressive Lakeshore is Marcia Mansaray, a Democrat candidate for State Representative and Becky Patrick, a Democrat candidate for county office.
Organize Ottawa: ‘Organize Ottawa’ is a tight collection of smaller PACs throughout Ottawa County which have endorsed the “Republican” Slate running against Ottawa Impact. Meeting notes from an ‘Organize Ottawa’ meeting obtained by Big League Politics declared: “Our opponents are: Ottawa Impact, Election Deniers, Trump Supporters.” The group has since sent mailers to local Democrats with picture instructions of how to vote in the Republican Primary to get left-wing Republicans into office. The mailers can be found in the images below:
The mailers contain obvious falsehoods, such as $730,000 being paid in severance to fired administrators. This claim is false as only one Administrator was paid 12 months severance per his legally bound contract, and the other administrator was fired for cause, receiving zero dollars. They also quote a study which found that the Board of Commissioners had increased spending by $42 million since 2022. What they neglected to mention was that the previous left-wing Board was responsible for $33 million of that figure, where the OI-controlled Board was only responsible for $9 million, causing OI allies to be on the defensive, putting out graphics like the one below:
Others: Other groups advocating for Democrats to vote for leftists in the Republican Primary include Ottawa Integrity PAC, Chaired by Ottawa County Democratic Party Vice Chair Kim Nagy, Ottawa Objects, a left-wing activist group opposed to Donald Trump and Ottawa Impact run by David Barnosky, a Democrat candidate for Township Trustee in Port Sheldon Township, and Distill Social, a Michigan-based left-wing newgroup openly affiliated with Antifa.
The Candidates:
Jacob Bonnema, District 4: Jacob Bonnema is the well-established ringleader of the anti-OI slate. Jacob originally ran as an Ottawa Impact Republican candidate, but immediately disavowed and attacked them after taking office. Bonnema moved to Michigan from Texas. In Texas, Bonnema was named in multiple lawsuits, along with his father, alleging scamming. His father gained additional press coverage after he was exposed for falsely claiming he had found Noah’s Ark in order to fundraise money off of Evangelical Christians. Bonnema also sells insurance. In July of 2024, he criticized Ottawa Impact Commissioner Kendra Wenzel for criticizing officials on election fraud and shopping at Walmart. Leftists and RINOs often attack Walmart as it is where the majority of white, working-class people do their grocery shopping:
In August of 2024, Bonnema disavowed the Ottawa County Deputy Sheriff’s Association after 80% of deputies voted to endorse Ottawa Impact ally Jon Anderson. Bonnema cited reservations about deputies attempting to “influence voting choices”.
John Teeples, District 7: John Teeples is a retired attorney running against Rachel Atwood of Ottawa Impact, who he has decried as “extreme”. John Teeples is endorsed and funded by Georgetown Area Action Committee (GAAC) which is a member PAC of ‘Organize Ottawa’ and affiliated with Democrat State Rep. Candidate Marcia Mansaray. Much of the legwork on Teeples’ campaign is done by anti-Trump activist Becky Steele. Steele participated in the George Floyd riots of 2020 with several BLM and Antifa-linked groups. Teeples served on the Secretariat for Social Justice in the Diocese of Grand Rapids and has stressed the importance of the County promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Mark Northrup, District 5: Mark Northrup is the current mayor of the City of Hudsonville, MI and a self-described Freemason. In an FAQ, Northrup said: “I’m a 5th generation Freemason. My forefathers built the first churches, schools, and hospitals in SE Minnesota, and I’m proud of that heritage. I was raised to be a Master Freemason in 1990 in an Alaskan fishing village after two years of study.”
Northrup is running against Ottawa Impact founder Joe Moss and is linked to Larry Jackson, the Chairman of the Ottawa County Democratic Party:
(Republican Candidate Mark Northrup with Ottawa County Democrat Party Chair Larry Jackson)
Jim Barry, District 1: Jim Barry is the Democrats’ pick in the Republican Primary for District 1, running against Ottawa Impact Commissioner Gretchen Cosby. Barry is the half-brother of Congressman Bill Huizinga, who has endorsed him.
In a statement on July 31, 2024, former State Representative Dave Agema accused Huizinga of being pro-illegal immigration: “He [Bill Huizinga] lies! When he was a State Rep with me he would not support my illegal immigration bills. Why? Because Farm Bureau wanted him to oppose them because they wanted their illegal cheap labor.”
Huizinga also voted yes on several bills authorizing billions of dollars worth of military aid for Ukraine’s unjustified war against Russia.
Barry attends Grace Episcopal Church in Holland, a gay and transgender affirming church of the anglican tradition. The logo of the church is an LGBTQIA+ BLM flag on top of the traditional Anglican Christian shield. Despite his brother being endorsed for Congress by President Trump, Jim is endorsed by Progressive Lakeshore and Ottawa Objects, who have both endorsed Harris over Trump.
Jordan Jorritsma, District 2: Jordan Jorritsma is a 26 year old former campaign staffer for Congressman Bill Huizinga and currently works as a Legislative Aide to State Representative Curt Vanderwall. Michigan-based Republican group ‘Rescue Michigan’ has given Vanderwall a 42/100 Conservative Voting Record Rating and CPAC has criticized Vanderwall multiple times for voting to raise taxes. Vanderwall has refused to endorse Trump against Harris. Jorritsma is running against OI-backed Lucy Ebel.
Phil Kuyers, District 9: Phil Kuyers was first elected County Commissioner in 2000. After 22 years on the Board, Kuyer was defeated by OI-backed Roger Belknap, losing his seat. Kuyers seeks to now reclaim his seat, despite having pushed Covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.
While he was still Commissioner, he voted to fund massive DEI initiatives, telling reporters at a conference: “We train our employees through customer service to have the DEI in education, so when the employees encounter people, they treat them in a Disney way and then it makesit where you belong, which is where the county is.”
Phil also was stripped of his Right to Life Endorsement in 2022 over the county pushing abortion and youth masturbation clinics.
Kuyers is also actively campaigning with Tim Meyer, a Gretchen Whitmer ally and Democrat candidate for State Representative, running against incumbent Republican Greg VanWoerkom.
Josh Brugger, District 10: Josh Brugger is the hand-picked successor of current District 10 Commissioner, Roger Bergman. Bergman is the only incumbent Republican County Commissioner who survived a primary challenger from Ottawa Impact in 2022. Brugger is running against OI-backed businessman Jason Koert.
In a statement, Brugger said if elected, he would:
“Look for creative ways to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion. I would call it DEI 0.2. And we’ll challenge our county administrator to bring back best practices to Ottawa County to make sure that we welcome all people to Ottawa County.”
Shawn Haff, District 6: Shawn Haff is an attorney running against OI Incumbent Kendra Wenzel. Haff has multiple times disavowed Trump, populism, ‘far-right politics’, and endorsed Ron DeSantis for President in 2024. Haff was pro-Ottawa Impact until late 2023, when he applied for a position to the Board of Commissioners but was passed over for another applicant.
Reception in the Community:
Tuesday, August 6th will tell whether or not Ottawa County will remain red, or will in fact be consumed by crypto-leftists who seek to establish the old guard, giving handouts to their friends and talking about adult things with children.
One concerned Republican voter and parent living in Ottawa County, Lori Grasman, told Big League Politics:
“In Ottawa County, there are 9 district PACs and 1 countywide PAC that are all run by leftists. Each one is actively educating democrats to crossover vote in the Republican Primary. Each PAC found either a RINO or a democrat to run as a Republican, with their only stance being that the candidate was “‘non-OI’ or ‘anti-Ottawa Impact’.”
Ottawa Impact Founder and Ottawa County Board of Commissioners Chairman Joe Moss had this to tell Big League Politics:
“In Ottawa County, Democrats know the people overwhelmingly vote Republican, so they are running and endorsing fake and weak Republicans who align with the progressive agenda.
Ottawa Impact is focused on engaging and informing everyday Americans, especially parents, to defend their piece of America.
Michigan needs strong Republicans. We need leaders with spines of steel who put the people first and refuse to bow to the pressures of the left and their activist media allies. And we need Republican voters to vote on Tuesday for candidates who will protect children and the Republican Party platform”
“Good Governance”:
The 2024 election cycle has also seen the rise of a large ‘non-political’ 501c(4) operating in Ottawa County, under the name ‘Ottawa for Good Government’. While the group is not registered with the Secretary of State or Bureau of Elections, it instead claims to be an apolitical non-profit. Big League politics has confirmed that the group has done at least 10 county-wide mailers so far during the 2024 primary cycle. These ‘apolitical’ mailers are dedicated to attacking the current incumbent Commissioners and praising their primary opponents, using coded language so that they technically do not mention voting or the election date. The group also maintains multiple billboards across the county, and is running Facebook, TV, and YouTube ads, attacking OI and praising their primary opponents. Conveniently, as Ottawa for Good Government is not registered as a political organization, its donor list is not publicly available.
Ottawa for Good Government is registered out of Okemos, a suburb of Michigan’s capital Lansing, and is run by Eric Doster, an attorney. Doster has long been involved on and off in the State GOP, and is connected to multiple anti-Trump groups, such as the Michigan Freedom Fund, and the RINO billionaire DeVos family. The group simultaneously changes tune on the Commissioners, decrying them as far-right extremists one day, while sending them to Republican voter lists, claiming they are actually liberals on other days. Below is an example of one of their many defamatory mailers they have done:
The mailer claims Commissioner Belknap voted to increase his own salary, which is false. Ottawa County Commissioners made $19,000 per year in 2023 when Belknap took office. As of 2024, they still make only $19,000 per year, and are set to receive a 0% increase in 2025 and 2026. The mailer claims Belknap voted to give “huge salary increases for bureaucrats”. The county gave routine salary increases for all county employees according to a formula to compete with the rate of inflation in the United States, as most public sector employers do. The mailer claims Belknap “voted to increase spending by $42 million”. The OI controlled Board has only raised the County budget by $9 million, proportionately the smallest budget increase of the past 20 years. Conversely, Belknap’s primary opponent Phil Kuyers, a former Commissioner, voted to increase the budget by $33 million during his last year in office in 2022.
As you can see, the group is extremely dishonest, shamelessly lying to suit their agenda one way or another, depending on who the audience is. They are also dishonest in their filing as a 501c(4), as there is a clear pattern that they are promoting certain candidates while attacking other candidates.
Below is a mailer Ottawa for Good Government did for anti-OI candidate John Teeples, which they conveniently branded as praising him for being a “community leader” rather than endorsing him as a candidate to maintain that they are apolitical:
This should be a major campaign finance scandal.
“There are millions of dollars pouring into our county from all over, and it’s really confusing voters,” Rachel Atwood, Ottawa Impact candidate for District 7 running against John Teeples told Big League Politics. “They’re using groups to mask their billionaire donors, they’re running with lies, and they’re changing their tune to whoever their audience is. We are God-fearing parents and Christians. We will not be intimidated by globalist billionaires and leftists.”
Conclusion:
Voters in Ottawa County have until 8:00 PM on Tuesday, August 6th to make their referendum on grassroots conservative government. All of Michigan, and much of the nation is watching to see if voters can be co-opted by the left-wing, RINO, and liberal coalition coming together to thwart right-wing leadership, similarly to what happened recently in France.
“Voters will decide on Tuesday if Ottawa County is truly independent and that our citizens are in charge of our own destiny,” said Rachel Atwood. “This election will determine whether or not Ottawa County is run by We The People or outside special interest groups and good ol’ boy cliques.”
Big League Politics will continue to provide updates on the situation in Ottawa County.