Lorence Wenke

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Lorence Wenke

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Western Michigan University, 1967

Personal

Birthplace

Kalamazoo, Mich.

Religion

Christian: Methodist

Profession

Business owner and president

Contact

Campaign website

Personal Twitter

Lorence Wenke (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Michigan's 4th Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Wenke completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Lorence Wenke was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He attended Calvin University. He earned a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University in 1967. Wenke's career experience includes working as a business owner and president. He has served as a Kalamazoo County Commissioner. Wenke has been affiliated with Rotary International, Galesburg Downtown Authority, Horticultural Institution, Gull Lake United Methodist Church, and with nonprofit service organizations as a volunteer and donor.

Elections

2022

See also: Michigan's 4th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Michigan District 4

Incumbent Bill Huizenga defeated Joseph Alfonso, Lorence Wenke, and Curtis Clark in the general election for U.S. House Michigan District 4 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Huizenga (R)	54.4	183,936
		Joseph Alfonso (D)	42.5	143,690
		Lorence Wenke (L)	2.5	8,478
		Curtis Clark (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.7	2,244

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 338,348
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 4

Joseph Alfonso advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Michigan District 4 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Joseph Alfonso (Write-in)	100.0	10,992

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,992
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chris Glasser (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 4

Incumbent Bill Huizenga advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Michigan District 4 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bill Huizenga	100.0	88,851

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 88,851
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Steve Carra (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 4

Lorence Wenke advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. House Michigan District 4 on July 10, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Lorence Wenke (L)

---

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

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 4

Curtis Clark advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for U.S. House Michigan District 4 on July 23, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Curtis Clark (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

---

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

2018

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Michigan State Senate District 20

Sean McCann defeated incumbent Margaret O'Brien and Lorence Wenke in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 20 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sean McCann (D)	53.1	60,528
		Margaret O'Brien (R)	42.3	48,195
		Lorence Wenke (L)	4.6	5,274

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 113,997 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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 State Senate District 20

Sean McCann advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 20 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sean McCann	100.0	29,026

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,026
= 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 State Senate District 20

Incumbent Margaret O'Brien advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 20 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Margaret O'Brien	100.0	20,009

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,009
= 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.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Michigan State Senate District 20

Lorence Wenke advanced from the Libertarian primary for Michigan State Senate District 20 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lorence Wenke	100.0	202

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 202
= 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.

2016

See also: Michigan's 6th Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Fred Upton (R) defeated Paul Clements (D) and Lorence Wenke (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent in August.

U.S. House, Michigan District 6 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Fred Upton Incumbent	58.6%	193,259
	Democratic	Paul Clements	36.4%	119,980
	Libertarian	Lorence Wenke	4.9%	16,248
	N/A	Write-in	0%	78
Total Votes				329,565
Source: Michigan Secretary of State

2014

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2014

Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Sean McCann was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Margaret O'Brien defeated Ron Zuiderveen in the Republican primary. O'Brien defeated McCann and Lorence Wenke (L) in the general election.

Michigan State Senate, District 20 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Margaret O'Brien	45.5%	36,630
	Democratic	Sean McCann	45.5%	36,571
	Libertarian	Lorence Wenke	9%	7,263
Total Votes				80,464

Michigan State Senate, District 20 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Margaret O'Brien	77.4%	11,342
Ron Zuiderveen	22.6%	3,308
Total Votes		14,650

2010

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2010

Wenke was a Republican candidate for District 20 in the Michigan State Senate in the November 2, 2010, state legislative elections. Wenke was defeated by Tonya Schuitmaker in the August 3 Republican primary.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Lorence Wenke completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wenke's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I live in Kalamazoo MI, married to Nancy for 56 years and we have two children. Retired owner of family greenhouse business which is in Michigan and Georgia and employs 150 people full time and 200 seasonal people. I served as a Kalamazoo County Commissioner for eight year (3 as chairman) and as a Michigan State Representative for six years. I am active in politics and government issues. I left the Republican Party in 2014 because of the party's position against LGBTQ rights and support of hypocrisy in spending of tax dollars. I support a balanced budget with no deficit spending in Washington. My website (wenkeforcongress.com) provides more detail on my priorities and why I am running.

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?

• The polarization of our nation by former President Trump with his dishonest criticism of the 2020 election has resulted in an attack on our democracy with far reaching negative consequences for all of us.
• The Federal Government must stop printing money that causes our nation to have debt for years to come.
• Our nation needs to focus on reducing crime, economic losses to China, climate change and the cost of medical care.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I was chair of the House Tax Policy Committee for Michigan. I support control of our borders to eliminate illegal immigration. I support requiring work for receipt of tax dollars. I support competition in education. I support a strong military. I support a response to climate change. I support increased production of energy. I support electric cars.

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

I look up to Congressman Fred Upton, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, Military Personnel, Pastors of churches.
I would like to be a Congressman who votes for what is right based on the constitution and not vote to help myself re-elected at the expense of honesty and the law.

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

The Bible is my base.

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

Honesty, integrity, truthfulness. Loyalty to the Constitution, willingness to work hard, willingness to listen. Elected official should be available to the citizens who elected him or her. An elected official should treat everyone equally. An elected official should be willing to fight for better laws and better life for citizens.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a small business owner employing 300 people in two states. My company sells products in ten states. I have learned to comply with state laws and Federal laws. I have learned how to work with people, for people and have people work for me. I have government experience as a Kalamazoo County Commissioner for eight years and a State of Michigan Representative for six years. I have a unique combination of business and government experience. I have worked closely with many non-profit agencies which help our communities. I am financially independent and can devote most of my life to government.

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

Decisions on raising revenue and spending revenue. Legislation must be based on the Constitution. Equal treatment of all citizens. Involvement in wartime activities.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be like my hero, Congressman Fred Upton. I would like to work hard, work across the aisle and do the right thing when the tough votes come across my desk.

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

When Dwight Eisenhower became President. I was about 10 years old

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

Working on father's celery farm for eight years

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible because it is a guide for my life.

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

Superman

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

Amazing Grace

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

Devoting the right amount of time to family, work and worship.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The number of representatives from each state is based on population which allows states with the largest population to have more power through voting. The House of Representatives does not require a super majority like the Senate has imposed upon itself to pass legislation. Increases in revenue laws must be begin in the House of Representatives and not in the Senate or in the Oval Office.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, it is very beneficial to have previous experience in government or politics. The House of Representatives is a difficult place to begin learning how government works.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The deficit spending of the United States government. Loosing the manufacturing of product competition with China. Effective changes to stop climate change. Abortion issues will divide us. Healing of our nation from the polarization caused by Donald Trump. Energy issues.

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

Yes, I was chair of the House Tax Policy Committee in Michigan as a representative. I would like to continue in the House of Representatives focusing on House Tax Policy.

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

I am not currently a representative.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes. It is a term length that seems to be working for the USA.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I support term limits for all elected citizens except those elected to Federal Offices. The Federal Government is massive and requires almost a life time of experience to understand and be effective in developing laws that affect the entire nation. Federal employees make decisions on war which is a huge responsibility and should be done by people with experience.

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

Yes. Congressman Fred Upton.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Congressman Fred Upton has helped many people with issues of becoming a citizen of the United States.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Money makes you happy!

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

Yes

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

The budget needs to be balanced, deficit spending must be stopped except in cases of war or emergency.

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.

See also

2022 Elections

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External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Michigan District 4

Website

Personal

Twitter

Footnotes

[show]

Michigan's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Gary Peters (D)

Elissa Slotkin (D)

Representatives

District 1

Jack Bergman (R)

District 2

John Moolenaar (R)

District 3

Hillary Scholten (D)

District 4

Bill Huizenga (R)

District 5

Tim Walberg (R)

District 6

Debbie Dingell (D)

District 7

Tom Barrett (R)

District 8

Kristen Rivet (D)

District 9

Lisa McClain (R)

District 10

John James (R)

District 11

Haley Stevens (D)

District 12

Rashida Tlaib (D)

District 13

Shri Thanedar (D)

Democratic Party (8)

Republican Party (7)