State Sen. Wayne Kuipers (R) formally launched his bid for the open 2nd district seat Saturday, where a competitive GOP primary is expected to determine the next Congressman in the heavily Republican Western Michigan district.

Kuipers, who is serving his second term in the state Senate after two terms in the Michigan House, joins three other GOP candidates in the race: former three-term state Rep. Bill Huizenga, former NFL player and University of Michigan tight end Jay Riemersma and businessman Bill Cooper.

Nine-term Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R) is leaving the seat open to run for governor in 2010.

Riemersma posted an early fundraising lead in the race through Sept. 30, though half of his receipts came from a personal loan.

In his announcement in Holland, Mich., Kuipers acknowledged that “each of the Republican candidates for Congress has similar positions on the issues.— But, he said, “The key question primary voters will have to answer is who can take our conservative message and get it enacted into law. I’m the only candidate with a record of turning rhetoric and bedrock conservative values into real results.—