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Lois Maassen

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Lois Maassen
Image of Lois Maassen

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Fremont High School

Personal
Birthplace
Shelby, Mich.
Religion
Protestant Christian
Profession
Business consultant
Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Lois Maassen (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 89. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Maassen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lois Maassen was born in Shelby, Michigan. She graduated from Fremont High School and Hope College. Her career experience includes working in marketing and communications for a Fortune-500 company and assisting companies and nonprofits of all sizes and in multiple industries with strategic planning, marketing, and organizational development.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 89

Incumbent Luke Meerman defeated Lois Maassen in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 89 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Luke Meerman
Luke Meerman (R)
 
69.3
 
35,147
Image of Lois Maassen
Lois Maassen (D) Candidate Connection
 
30.7
 
15,563

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 50,710
Candidate Connection = 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.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 89

Lois Maassen advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 89 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Lois Maassen
Lois Maassen Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
3,667

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,667
Candidate Connection = 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 89

Incumbent Luke Meerman advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 89 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Luke Meerman
Luke Meerman
 
100.0
 
12,969

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 12,969
Candidate Connection = 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 Maassen in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Lois Maassen completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Maassen's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I was born and raised in West Michigan, the daughter of a pastor and a public school teacher. After graduating from Hope College, I worked at a Fortune-500 company for nearly 30 years, eventually serving as Vice President of Marketing Communications and Technology. For the past 15 years, I have been an independent consultant, working with nonprofits and for-profits of all sizes. I’ve maintained a number of volunteer commitments, including as a co-founder of Women’s Service Day, an annual event in the Holland/Zeeland area, and serving as a board member for several nonprofits. My husband and I have three adult children. I have an 8-year-old granddaughter who deserves a future in a functioning democracy, on a liveable planet, within a thriving community. I believe it’s important for voters to have choices about who will represent them--and work for them--at every level of our government, from township to federal positions.
  • I believe in the radical experiment that is the American democracy. In a democracy, government is not some foreign force: It’s us. We elect representatives and leaders, and then we hold them accountable. And “we” needs to be all of us, because we are all “created equal, …endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Every eligible voter needs reliable, truthful information and ready access to the ballot.
  • It’s urgent that we mitigate climate change, and that we acknowledge and plan for the effects of climate change both in our region and around the world. We and our grandchildren need clean water to drink, clean air to breathe; we owe them enjoyment of the natural world we’ve camped, hiked, fished, and farmed in.
  • We can build communities that are healthy and harmonious. We all need safety, health care (including for mental health), housing, access to healthy food, and rewarding work. Education has long been foundational to our citizens’ ability to participate fully in our democracy. As the daughter and mother of teachers, I support public education and the people who devote their talents to it; they deserve a safe working environment.
Public education, democracy and civic engagement, environmental responsibility, worker protections, inclusive and healthy communities
My political philosophy is informed by history, and a deep belief in the principles of the founders. For a recent book, I'd name Heather Cox Richardson's *Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.* She reiterates the importance of the equality of every citizen, of their voices, and participation in our continuing experiment in self-governance.
Integrity and honesty are at the core for elected officials, which extends to the ability to recognize fact vs. opinion vs. ideology. This is particularly important in this age of division and disinformation.

Curiosity and open-mindedness are necessary to serve constituents, since issues that arise will not necessarily be "in the wheelhouse" for every legislator. Curiosity must extend to being able to network and research to get reliable, unbiased information on which to base responses to constituents and legislative action. Curiosity, accompanied by empathy, also needs to extend to constituents in the district, as well. In the ideal, the representative is reaching out to understand the challenges and aspirations they face; s/he is not awaiting contact from the most vocal.

The ability to collaborate and find common ground is also critical. When there are various viewpoints within each party, it's completely understandable that the entire political spectrum contains even more variety of perspective and belief.
My optimism and confidence in the possibility of a better future are qualities that come to mind first. As an editor and consultant, I’m accustomed to encountering topics about which I know little and researching--whether independently or through seeking out experts--to gain understanding. While I’m continually reading and learning, I have a pretty solid understanding of what I know and what I don’t know--when I need to learn more or rely on someone else for expertise. I’m a critical thinker, which supports a focus on facts and reason, which can counter emotional ideologies. My experience in leadership and in facilitation has helped me to develop skills in bringing together disparate points of view for collaboration.
Core responsibilities include two-way communication (both speaking and listening) with constituents, representing and advocating in their interest, and participating with other legislators in creating the laws and frameworks that assure the best interest of citizens of the state.
I have an 8-year-old granddaughter who deserves a future in a functioning democracy, on a liveable planet, within a thriving community. I believe it’s important for voters to have choices about who will represent them--and work for them--at every level of our government, from township to federal positions. In the current climate, which is full of disinformation and prejudice, I couldn’t not step up.

All of us are here, in West Michigan. I’ve always been in the political minority in the community, and am fatigued with misinformation and mischaracterizations about what Democrats (me!) do or believe. It’s time to end the dysfunction and find ways to include everyone in the conversation to find the best, most workable paths to take us forward.

There are two parts to the legacy that would be meaningful to leave: Progress on coming together to understand and address the effects of climate change and a new example of democratic engagement in our communities.
The book I've come back to again and again is Jane Austen's *Pride and Prejudice.* While fiction, it has such a range of characters with attributes that we see in real life, and calls attention to the social structures that delineated possibilities for individuals--with humor.
Ideally, they work collaboratively to create a vision for Michigan's future. The legislature writes and amends laws and appropriates funds, and the executive branch provides leadership in making proposals and managing the departments that operate on the state's behalf.
Climate change--in both short-term and long-term effects. We need to understand the science, educate ourselves and each other, and recognize that there will be economic, population, and quality of life implications for generations to come.
It is beneficial, yes, but in our system of government of, for, and by the people, it is not a prerequisite. Experience in business, education, and other fields can prepare a person to research, collaborate, and communicate.
Relationships with other people are almost always beneficial. In the case of the legislature (and other Michigan entities), personal relationships can pave the way for finding common ground and opportunities to collaborate in the public interest.
Michigan Education Association, Ottawa Integrity, Progressive Lakeshore, Progressive Democratic Women's Caucus, Ottawa County Democratic Party, Kent County Democratic Party
Education, Elections, Economic Development and Small Business
As a government of, for, and by the people, financial transparency is vital. Citizens need to understand where Transparency in other matters is also a critical component of citizens' ability to hold their legislators accountable.
The current state ballot initiative process has worked successfully in recent years. At this point, I'd work to support the process; if there were possibilities identified to make it work even better to give citizens voice in our shared future, I'd consider them.

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.

Lois Maassen campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Michigan House of Representatives District 89Lost general$14,119 $0
Grand total$14,119 $0
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also

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External links

Candidate

Michigan House of Representatives District 89
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    Personal

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 14, 2024


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