Michigan House of Representatives District 100 candidate surveys, 2022

Elections in Michigan, 2022

---

On the ballot:  • U.S. House • Governor • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls

This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for Michigan House of Representatives District 100 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

• Click here to see candidates and election results.
• Click here to see Candidate Connection survey responses.

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 100

Tom Kunse defeated Nate Bailey in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 100 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tom Kunse (R)	68.4	26,911
		Nate Bailey (D)	31.6	12,452

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 39,363
= 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.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Tom Kunse (R)

Education is the key to changing the world. We need more skilled trades training in our high schools.

Small Local governement is what is most responsive and best for our society.

Mask mandates and shutting businesses down were imoral and unlawful.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Tom Kunse (R)

Education: If you want to change the world, it will start with education.

Governmental overreach: Government is usually the source of the problem and rarely the solution. Our society would be better off with less governmental burden.

Energy independence: we should do whatever we can to be self sufficient with our energy needs.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Tom Kunse (R)

I admire those quiet leaders that are examples of their beliefs. I am not impressed with the loud "look at me" type people. They are more for show. I admire the leaders who do not seek recognition - they just want to get the job done.

Ronald Regan did a great job communicating with the American people. I'd love to be able to relate to people as well as he did.

George Washington - what I admire most about him is not his leadership during a very difficult time, but the fact that he turned down the opportunity to run for another term. He declined becuase he knew our country should not have power concentrated in one person / office. I wish all our leaders were so selfless.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Tom Kunse (R)

I enjoy listening to Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro.

Reading: Atlas Shrugged Anything by De Tocqueville The Road to Serfdom, FA Hayek

Free to Choose, Milton and Rose Friedman

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Tom Kunse (R)

Honesty. It all starts with being honest. Even if you disagree with a person, you have to be honest.

Hard working - they cannot take their responsibility lightly.

Open minded - you cannot possibly know everything. Be willing to listen to others before making a decision.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Tom Kunse (R)

Fiscal responsibility. We are spending other people's money and have to be very frugal with it.

Remember that we work for the people. Don't run for office if you are looking for a position to display your authority.

Effort - it is guaranteed that there will be issues and events you disagree with. That setback cannot stop you from continuing to work towards your goals. Be relentless in your effort.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Tom Kunse (R)

When I leave office, I would like people to remember my honesty.

Even when we disagree, I want to be professional. It is never the wrong time to be kind. I would love for people to understand that I did my best and when I made a mistake, I owned it.

The best I could hope for is that when I leave, even my opponents remember me as honorable.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Tom Kunse (R)

I remember President Regan getting shot and of course the Miracle on Ice (1980 Olympics) - I was 10 and remember watching the game. It still gives me goosebumps.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Tom Kunse (R)

When I was 15 I started working for a company that put on Demolition Derbies - mainly at County fairs all over the midwest. I worked there three summers. It was a great way to see the local areas and I loved the traveling. Everyday was different and I got to work with all kinds of people. It was very interesting.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Tom Kunse (R)

The Book of Virtues William J Bennett

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Tom Kunse (R)

Superman.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Tom Kunse (R)

Love Song by Tesla

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Tom Kunse (R)

I need to have more patience.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Tom Kunse (R)

Open communication.

We can disagree without being disagreeable. It is not productive to call each other names. Be professional. Be able to listen as well as speak.

Personal attacks are unproductive.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Tom Kunse (R)

The mass exodus. We need to show our younger generations that this is a great State to raise a family. We need to help them with having a productive life.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

Tom Kunse (R)

The pendulum should be dampered. We should not swing wildly from one end of the spectrum to the other, depending on who controls the only body of legislature. Unicameral is a way to get things done quickly, but I fear that it would overreact in certain situations. I think it is not a desirable format for our government.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Tom Kunse (R)

Possibly a local board, so they are at least familiar with basic meeting procedures. FOIA, Open meetings act, etc.

Otherwise, honest hard working people will be fine without that experience.

I think it is more important for people to have small business experience.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Tom Kunse (R)

Yes, of course. Even if we disagree, it is best if we understand how people like to communicate. I find that if you know people, they are more open to share their input.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Tom Kunse (R)

I like have public input - having citizens on the committee, but they needed help with the process. This was the first time for Michigan and it was a mess. If the Citizens committee cannot get it done by a specific deadline (no exceptions) then the Legislature should take it over.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Tom Kunse (R)

Education - if we are going to change the world, it starts with education.

Transportation - I've been in Logistics for nearly 30 years and can help with real world experience.

Finance - we need more fiscal responsibility in government.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

Tom Kunse (R)

I am not currently a legislator.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Tom Kunse (R)

Ronald Regan can communicate amazingly well.

George Washington was able to eschew power and leave it with the people.

Lincoln was amazing under pressure. His speeches are enjoyable to read even today.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Tom Kunse (R)

Not at this time. I am focused on State Representative.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Tom Kunse (R)

How can you tell when a cow is laughing? Milk comes out it's nose.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Tom Kunse (R)

Yes. Without a doubt.

I can see a very brief window (possibly 5 days) where the Governor can declare a state of emergency for a specific reason. After that, the Legislators should be back in session to oversee the situation.

That power should not be held by one person / office.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Tom Kunse (R)

There are absoultes - certain things that people hold dearly that should not be compromised under any circumstances.

We should not be above learning about a situation - and it is a good thing when we process new information and our position evolves.

Basically, we can work together on issues, but at the end of the day, we have to stand fast on issues that are paramount to ourselves.

See also

More about these elections:

• Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2022

Select a district below to read responses from candidates in those races:

District 1District 2District 3District 4District 5District 6District 7District 8District 9District 10District 11District 12District 13District 14District 15District 16District 17District 18District 19District 20District 21District 22District 23District 24District 25District 26District 27District 28District 29District 30District 31District 32District 33District 34District 35District 36District 37District 38District 39District 40District 41District 42District 43District 44District 45District 46District 47District 48District 49District 50District 51District 52District 53District 54District 55District 56District 57District 58District 59District 60District 61District 62District 63District 64District 65District 66District 67District 68District 69District 70District 71District 72District 73District 74District 75District 76District 77District 78District 79District 80District 81District 82District 83District 84District 85District 86District 87District 88District 89District 90District 91District 92District 93District 94District 95District 96District 97District 98District 99District 100District 101District 102District 103District 104District 105District 106District 107District 108District 109District 110Submit