Candidates were hitting the campaign trail early Monday morning, with U.S. Senate hopeful Pete Hoekstra visiting the breakfast crowd at Birmingham's Original Pankcake House ahead of Tuesday's primary election.

Hoekstra is one of three Republicans looking to unseat Sen. Debbie Stabenow (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.

Birmingham was Hoekstra's only campaign stop in Oakland County Monday, and one of two in Metro Detroit. At 10 a.m., Hoekstra stopped by the Leo's Coney Island in Shelby Township, 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 in Oakland County and throughout Metro Detroit, Hoekstra said voting for him means taking a step toward bringing more jobs to Michigan.

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

Hoekstra's Republican challengers meanwhile continued their campaigns across Michigan. Durant began the day in Grand Rapids and will finish at a Tigers game in downtown Detroit.

His 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," he told the Shelby-Utica Patch.

Potts says he's 'cautiously optimistic' about primary

Hoesktra was joined Monday by Oakland County Commissioner Dave Potts, who has his own primary campaign to run.

Potts, a Republican and Bloomfield Township resident with a law firm in Birmingham, is running for the Republican nomination for the 40th District's seat in the Michigan House of Representatives.

Potts said he plans to be out all day Monday and Tuesday talking to voters in the 40th District, which encompasses Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township and parts of West Bloomfield.

He faces Birmingham Board of Education Trustee Robert Lawrence, Bloomfield Hills City Commissioner Mike McCready, and West Bloomfield attorney David Wolkinson on the GOP side of the ticket. On the ballot for Democrats is West Bloomfield's Dorian Coston. All seek the open seat left by term-limited Rep. Chuck Moss (R-Birmingham).

"I'm cautiously optimistic," Potts said about Tuesday's primary.

Shelby-Utica Patch Editor Marina Cracchiolo contributed to this report.