Political analyst Bill Ballenger said "I didn't think there's any question that he would love to seek revenge on behalf of his father if the circumstances are right — especially if it's against Peters.
[6] Knollenberg was a candidate for election in the 2004 Republican primary for the 41st District House seat, being vacated by term-limited representative John Pappageorge.
[citation needed] In the August 2006 primary, Knollenberg faced Clawson School Board Trustee and attorney Mike Bosnic.
[8] Knollenberg defeated Democratic college student Eric Gregory in the November general election by a 58-42% margin.
Knollenberg was re-elected with 57.46% of the vote for his second-term in November 2008, defeating opponent Evan Treharne (41.98%), a 24-year-old school teacher.
[10] Knollenberg was term-limited in 2012 and in 2011 formed a congressional campaign committee in anticipation of running for a seat in the US House of Representatives.
[12] Knollenberg ran in the special election to replace Janice Daniels as the Mayor of Troy, Michigan.
[13] Knollenberg was elected to the Michigan Senate in 2014 after the Troy Republican survived a crowded primary GOP field of candidates that included former Reps. Chuck Moss and Andrew Raczkowski.
After running unopposed in the Republican primary, he was defeated in the general election by Democrat Mallory McMorrow 48 to 52 percent.