Denise Mentzer

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Denise Mentzer
Candidate, Michigan House of Representatives District 61
Michigan House of Representatives District 61
Tenure
2023 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
3
Predecessor: Christine Morse (D)
Compensation
Base salary
$71,685
Elections and appointments
Last election
August 4, 2026
Next election
November 3, 2026
Education
High school
L'Anse Creuse High School
Associates
Macomb Community College, 1999
Bachelor's
Baker College, 2009
Other
Academy of Professional Small Business Consultants, 2011
Other
Grand Valley University, 2011
Personal
Birthplace
Mount Clemens, MI
Profession
Business
Contact

Denise Mentzer (Democratic Party) is a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing District 61. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Mentzer (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 61. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. She advanced from the Democratic primary on August 4, 2026.

Mentzer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Denise Mentzer was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Mentzer earned a high school diploma from L'Anse Creuse High School, an associate degree from Macomb Community College in 1999, a bachelor's degree from Baker College in 2009, and additional education from Grand Valley University and the Academy of Professional Small Business Consultants in 2011. Her career experience includes working as the senior buyer for Macomb County and as a government administrator. Mentzer has served as the vice president of the Mount Clemens Optimist Club and on the board of the Mount Clemens Public Library Board of Friends.[1][2][3][4]

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Committee assignments

2025-2026

Mentzer was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Mentzer was assigned to the following committees:


Elections

2026

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Denise Mentzer (D) and Robert Wojtowicz (R) are running in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Denise Mentzer
Denise Mentzer Candidate Connection (D)
Image of Robert Wojtowicz
Robert Wojtowicz Candidate Connection (R)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Denise Mentzer (D) defeated Mahbube Khan (D) in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on August 4, 2026.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Denise Mentzer
Denise Mentzer Candidate Connection
 
77.3
 
3,176
Image of Mahbube Khan
Mahbube Khan
 
22.7
 
935

Total votes: 4,111
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

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Robert Wojtowicz (R) defeated John Grossenbacher (R) in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on August 4, 2026.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Wojtowicz
Robert Wojtowicz Candidate Connection
 
72.4
 
4,935
Image of John Grossenbacher
John Grossenbacher
 
27.6
 
1,882

Total votes: 6,817
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign finance

Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Denise Mentzer received the following endorsements and voter guide recommendations. To view a full list of Mentzer's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

Pledges

Mentzer signed the following pledges. To send us additional pledges, click here.

  • No Utility Money Challenge

2024

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Denise Mentzer defeated Robert Wojtowicz in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Denise Mentzer
Denise Mentzer (D) Candidate Connection
 
50.7
 
25,449
Image of Robert Wojtowicz
Robert Wojtowicz (R)
 
49.3
 
24,728

Total votes: 50,177
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Incumbent Denise Mentzer advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Denise Mentzer
Denise Mentzer Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
7,930

Total votes: 7,930
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 61

Robert Wojtowicz defeated Russ Cleary and John Grossenbacher in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Wojtowicz
Robert Wojtowicz
 
45.3
 
2,845
Image of Russ Cleary
Russ Cleary Candidate Connection
 
39.8
 
2,496
Image of John Grossenbacher
John Grossenbacher Candidate Connection
 
14.9
 
938

Total votes: 6,279
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

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Denise Mentzer received the following endorsements and voter guide recommendations. To view a full list of Mentzer's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.

2022

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Denise Mentzer defeated Mike Aiello in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Denise Mentzer
Denise Mentzer (D) Candidate Connection
 
52.0
 
20,126
Image of Mike Aiello
Mike Aiello (R) Candidate Connection
 
48.0
 
18,559

Total votes: 38,685
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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Denise Mentzer advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Denise Mentzer
Denise Mentzer Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
7,828

Total votes: 7,828
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61

Mike Aiello defeated Austin Negipe in the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 61 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Mike Aiello
Mike Aiello Candidate Connection
 
84.8
 
6,864
Image of Austin Negipe
Austin Negipe Candidate Connection
 
15.2
 
1,231

Total votes: 8,095
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


Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Denise Mentzer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mentzer's responses.

Expand All
Who are you? Tell us about yourself.
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?
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

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.

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Denise Mentzer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mentzer's responses.

Expand All
Who are you? Tell us about yourself.
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?
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
What legacy would you like to leave?
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
What is your favorite book? Why?
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?
What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
Both sitting legislators 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?
What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?
What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?
What committees interest you?
What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?
Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

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.

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Denise Mentzer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mentzer's responses.

Expand All
Who are you? Tell us about yourself.
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?
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?
Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?
Both sitting legislators 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?
Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?
Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

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.


Denise Mentzer campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024Michigan House of Representatives District 61Won general$1,494,902 $0
2022Michigan House of Representatives District 61Won general$376,472 $0
Grand total$1,871,373 $0
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in Michigan

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Michigan State Legislature in 2025.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Michigan State Legislature in 2024.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Michigan State Legislature in 2023.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 14, 2022
  2. ↑ Denise Mentzer for State Representative, "Meet Denise," accessed May 3, 2023
  3. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024
  4. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 27, 2026

Political offices
Preceded by
Christine Morse (D)
Michigan House of Representatives District 61
2023-Present
Succeeded by
-


Current members of the Michigan House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Matt Hall
Minority Leader:Ranjeev Puri
Representatives
District 1
District 2
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District 4
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District 7
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Mai Xiong (D)
District 14
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District 27
District 28
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District 33
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District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
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District 42
Matt Hall (R)
District 43
District 44
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District 50
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District 61
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Kara Hope (D)
District 75
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District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
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District 93
Tim Kelly (R)
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
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District 100
Tom Kunse (R)
District 101
District 102
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District 104
John Roth (R)
District 105
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District 110
Republican Party (58)
Democratic Party (52)