ESCANABA — Kelli van Ginhoven, D-Escanaba, has declared her intent and filed to run for District 38 Michigan Senate in 2026.

A near life long resident of Delta County, Kelli van Ginhoven is currently the vice chair of the Delta County Board of Commissioners. She assumed office in a successful recall election in May 2024 and was re-elected in November 2024 to a 4 year term.

Commissioner van Ginhoven currently serves on the Airport Advisory Board, Opioid Task Force, Central Upper Peninsula Materials Management Planning Committee, Delta Solid Waste Management Authority, Delta County Emergency Operations Coordination Committee and is chairperson of the Personnel Committee.

A 1998 graduate of Escanaba High School and a 2005 graduate of Bay College, van Ginhoven spent her 20s and 30s raising her family and working full time as a preschool teacher before moving on to work many years at a local credit union. In 2016, she became a small business owner, opening her bakery, For The Love of Cupcakes, in downtown Escanaba.

Ms. van Ginhoven has also served on several city and organization boards including Escanaba City Planning Commission, Escanaba Downtown Development Authority and Community Foundation of Delta County.