U.S. Senate Hopeful Pete Hoekstra Stops in Shelby Township Ahead of Tuesday's Primary

Candidates were hitting the campaign trail early Monday morning, with U.S. Senate hopeful Pete Hoekstra visiting the breakfast crowd at Leo's Coney Island in Shelby Township ahead of Tuesday's primary election.

(D-MI) in November's general election. On Tuesday, he'll face off against Holland's Clark Durant and Grand Rapids' Randy Hekman as he seeks the Republican nomination.

Shelby Township was Hoekstra's only campaign stop in Macomb County Monday, one of two in Metro Detroit. At 8 a.m. Hoekstra greeted breakfast-goers at the Original Pancake House in Birmingham, with other stops planned for Grand Blanc, Lansing, Muskegon, Jenison and Wyoming.

Hoekstra had one message for Michigan voters leading into Tuesday's primary: "We can do better."

For voters throughout Metro Detroit, Hoekstra said voting for him means taking a step toward bringing more jobs to Michigan and boosting the economy.

"People make things in Oakland and Macomb counties," he said. "For people in southeast Michigan, this would mean putting people back to work."

"That's where you start connecting DC policies to the impact it has on families on the local level. We're going to make that connection," he told Shelby-Utica Patch.

Hoekstra said he believes he's the right person for the job.

"I have a tremendous amount of experience in the private sector ... 50 percent of my experience is in private sector and 50 percent of my career has been in the public sector."

Durant's campaign manager Andy Anuzis trailed Hoekstra Monday and appeared at Leo's Coney Island. Anuzis said Hoekstra has been unwilling to have a wide open debate with the other candidates and he's afraid to speak about this voting record.

"We want to get the message out that Clark Durant is a better alternative to get Debbie Stabenow out."