Kerry Tapper
Kerry Tapper (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 39. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Tapper completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Kerry Tapper was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. She earned a high school diploma from Boyne City High School and a bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University in 1991. Her career experience includes working as a business owner.[1]
As of 2024, Tapper was affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Southwest Michigan Business Network
- Greater Paw Paw Chamber of Commerce
- Paw Paw Public Schools Superintendent Advisory Committee
- Senior Outreach Advisory Board
- Eagle Lake Paw Paw Association
- Business Network International
- Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce
- Paw Paw Downtown Development Authority
Elections
2024
See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Pauline Wendzel defeated Kerry Tapper in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 39 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Pauline Wendzel (R) | 63.1 | 29,906 |
 | Kerry Tapper (D)  | 36.9 | 17,498 | |
| Total votes: 47,404 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 39
Kerry Tapper defeated Jared Polonowski in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 39 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kerry Tapper | 63.2 | 2,911 |
 | Jared Polonowski | 36.8 | 1,692 | |
| Total votes: 4,603 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Pauline Wendzel defeated Richard Overton in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 39 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Pauline Wendzel | 71.7 | 6,867 |
| Richard Overton | 28.3 | 2,716 | ||
| Total votes: 9,583 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Tapper in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kerry Tapper completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tapper's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- I value connections with people, working hard, and showing up. I believe that everyone has the right to live their life as they like as long as they are being respectful to others. Love, Family and Friends are ultimately what I feel life is all about. I believe that each person and family deserves equitable access to the tools and knowledge they need to help them grow on their journey in regards to what inspires and drives them.
- I’m not running for office to make a career, I’m running to make a difference. My husband John and I have run a business together in Paw Paw for 30 years—a sign and decorated apparel company whose customers are other area businesses and organizations. We are grateful for the wide roots these connections have created for us in our district and the relationships that are created by local businesses supporting other local businesses. I am proud of the career that I have had thus far. I am running to make a difference and be a voice for our children, family, friends, fellow business owners and our community members.
- I feel strongly that everyone should have easy access to medical and mental health care. I spent the last 15 years as the power of attorney for my amazing mother who battled bipolar disorder since 1978 when I was 9 years old. We have made great strides in mental health care, and we have many more mountains to climb. I have been so grateful for the assistance from Van Buren County Mental Health, Bronson Commons Nursing Facility, Bronson Hospitals and their doctors, nurses and staff, and I have seen how hard they work and value them greatly. People who choose to make their living as care providers are amazing and they deserve our respect and appreciation.
Our campaign has been endorsed by 13 political organizations so far including the Michigan Education Association, League of Women Voters, Vote Common Good, West Michigan Progress, Fems for Dems, Van Buren - Allegan- Berrien County Democratic Parties, & more at www.kerrytapper.com
The ratio of workers to retirees will fall from 4.5 to 2.5 by 2035. This will have an enormous impact on the state.
Michigan is losing political influence, falling from 19 to 13 seats in the House of Representatives over the past 50 years.
Michigan's personal income is in the bottom third among all U.S. states.
The state ranks 38th in math and reading proficiency in K-12 education.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Michigan House of Representatives District 39 |
Personal |
Footnotes
