A two-term incumbent is being challenged by a first-time candidate for state office in the 103rd House of Representatives race.

State Rep. Betsy Coffia of Traverse City is looking for a third consecutive win for the Democratic Party after she flipped the historically Republican seat four years ago. Republican challenger Edwin Dean of Northport looks to return the seat to the GOP and add to its thin majority in the state House. Both candidates were unopposed in the primary.

The 103rd District is made up of Traverse City and Grand Traverse County’s metro townships including Garfield, East Bay, Acme, Long Lake and Peninsula, along with all of Leelanau County and Almira and Platte townships in Benzie County.

Dean is member of the Northport Village Council, and works as an owner-operator of a skilled home health agency. Dean says his interest in running for state office has been “incremental” as he became more involved in local politics.

“When I was in Northport hearing about local issues going on in decided to get involved in local politics, then realizing how much of local politics is affected at the state level…the further I dive into it, the more I realized there’s so much fundamentally that we can fix,” Dean says.

Dean’s platform includes permanently lowering Michigan’s 4.25 percent income tax rate, a full review of state spending, and an improved road and infrastructure funding formula.
Dean is specifically critical of what he describes as “corporate subsidies” providing grants, tax breaks and other subsidies to private interests.

“I just find it absurd that we spend millions of dollars on corporate subsidies or we’re giving tax cuts to data centers when we really should be focusing on our small businesses, our communities,” Dean says. “That money should be diverted back into our infrastructure, making sure our roads are working … making sure that the water and sewer systems of our local communities are working well.”

Among Coffia’s major initiatives is a multi-bill package dubbed “Take Mi Power Back” that would limit how businesses and corporations make political donations.

“The norm in Lansing has become too heavily skewed toward currying favor with corporate lobbyists,” Coffia says. “That’s really wrong, and outside the (Capitol) Dome everybody knows it…we have the power to remove their ability to spend politically, and we need to do that.”

Another plank in Coffia’s campaign is a wide expansion of health care in Michigan, which she describes on her website as “Healthcare For All.”

“We can’t keep dealing with the exorbitant cost to get people basic care,” Coffia says. “Our social safety net in Michigan is tattered… we’ve got to go big, bold, New Deal – that’s where we’re at.”

Coffia also wants lawmakers to repeal the state’s data center tax breaks that passed with Democrat support in late 2024.

“We need to repeal that tax break immediately, and we need to pass a multi-year moratorium on AI data centers, both from a surveillance as well as an environmental impact,” Coffia says. “Any kind of technology of this magnitude should have clear guardrails that ensure the safety of people and planet, as well as ethical usage.”

The candidates share similar views on a few topics. Both favor more transparency for state lawmakers by subjecting them to public disclosure laws including the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). They also support efforts led by a state-wide coalition of local officials that includes Traverse City Manager Benjamin Marentette to use a portion of tourism revenues to help local communities deal with tourism costs.

Improved housing is also part of both platforms, although candidates have different ideas on how to get there. Coffia supports implementing a tax on short-term rental properties to increase revenue for housing and infrastructure development. Dean favors amending local land-use regulations to expedite approval processes for housing developments.

“I want to streamline the operations, essentially allowing builders to build on their parcels if the zoning allows for it,” Dean says.

The two candidates are also at odds over the future of Line 5, the controversial energy pipeline from Enbridge Inc. that runs through the Straits of Mackinac.

Coffia has been critical of the pipeline and has called on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to shut it down. Dean says federal agreements between the U.S. and Canada prevent the state from shutting down Line 5, and he supports Enbridge’s efforts to construct a tunnel beneath the straits to transport the materials.

“We have our own Michigan Public Service (Commission that) did a full analysis, and said there is no feasible alternative besides the pipeline…if we had just done it initially, it would have been done two years ago,” Dean says.

A third candidate on the ballot is Michael Gorbe of Traverse City, who’s running as a Libertarian candidate. Gorbe also ran for Grand Traverse County Sheriff in 2024 from the Libertarian Party.

Precincts are open 7am-8pm on Election Day. In-person absentee voting in Michigan started Sept. 24 and continues through Nov. 2, while early voting starts Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 1.