Updates About Elections

On May 5th, Saginaw area voters will decide who represents them in the State Senate in the 35th district special election. The seat has been vacant since January of last year when the former incumbent, Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City), resigned when she was sworn into the U.S. House. The district encompasses parts of Bay, Saginaw, and Midland counties. The Democratic candidate is Chedrick Greene, a former Marine and the current Saginaw Fire Captain. The Republican is Attorney and Businessperson Jason Tunney from Saginaw. The winner of the race will serve for the remainder of the year and face re-election in the November 3rd general election.

The race is of particular interest given the current composition of the Michigan Senate. Currently, Democrats have a slim 19-18 majority in the Senate. A Greene victory would strengthen their lead, but if Tunney comes out ahead, the chamber would have 19 Democrats and 19 Republicans. In such a case, tie-breaker votes would need to be cast by Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist.

In 2022, McDonald Rivet won the seat with 53% of the vote.

Recently, former Democratic State Representative Sara Cambensy announced she will be seeking election in Senate district 38, which covers most of the Upper Peninsula, as an independent.

In her announcement, Cambensy cited increasing polarization leading to political fighting and the need for the U.P. to have an independent voice as reasons for running as an independent. Cambensy was most recently employed as a legislative policy analyst for the Republican controlled House.

In the last State Senate election in 2022, the now term-limited incumbent Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) won with 62.2% of the vote.

At the Michigan Republican Party’s convention in Novi, delegates endorsed Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd for attorney general and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini for secretary of state. Lloyd defeated Birmingham attorney Kevin Kijewski by a wide margin, while Forlini secured over 55% of the vote against two opponents, avoiding a second ballot. The endorsement will allow the candidate to consolidate party support before being formally nominated after the August primary.

The Michigan Democratic Party will endorse their candidates at their convention on April 19th. The current candidates for those primary races are as follows.

Secretary of State

• Current Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II
• Ingham County Clerk, Barb Byrum
• Former Lottery Commissioner, Suzanna Shkreli

Attorney General

• Oakland County Prosecutor, Karen McDonald
• Washtenaw County Prosecutor, Eli Savit