Updates About Elections

On Tuesday, February 3rd, the Special Election Primary was held for the 35th District State Senate seat. Former Marine and current Saginaw fire captain Chadwick Greene won the Democratic primary with approximately 60% of the vote, beating out Michigan Board of Education President Pamela Pugh, who finished with around 28% of the vote, with the four other candidates capturing the remaining votes.

On the Republican side, Saginaw Attorney Jason Tunney won in a tighter race, beating out Engineer and former Dow executive Christian Velasquez 51% to 43%. The other two candidates made up for the remaining 7%.

The 35th district seat was vacated in January 2025, following the swearing-in of former incumbent Kristen McDonald Rivet (D–Bay City) to the U.S. House of Representatives. The special general election between Greene and Tunney is scheduled in May.

Last week, House Majority Floor Leader Byran Posthumus (R-Rockford) unexpectedly announced that he will not be seeking reelection to keep his seat in the next cycle.

In his statement, he wrote that he only planned to serve three terms after deciding to run in 2020. Posthumus was elected by his colleagues twice to serve as the House Floor Leader in his last two terms. By announcing his decision now, he hopes this will give sufficient time for a quality candidate to run in 2026.

Like Posthumus, his successor will represent the 90th House District. This northern Kent County district also encompasses the city of Rockford and the townships of Algoma, Alpine, Cannon, Courtland, Grattan, Plainfield, Sparta, Tyrone, and Vergennes.

Posthumus described his time in office as a privilege, saying it was an honor to serve both Kent County and the people of Michigan. He praised colleagues from both parties for what they were able to accomplish during his tenure. He also emphasized that despite their differences, both sides share a common goal of helping Michigan and its residents.

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II announced recently that he is dropping out from the Gubernatorial race where he has been campaigning for the spot as Michigan’s next Democratic Governor, alongside frontrunner and current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

After bowing out of the race for Governor, Gilchrist announced that he is now seeking his party’s nomination for Secretary of State. His new opponents, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and former Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli, both criticized his decision in statements made on social media. Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie responded by exiting the race and has since endorsed Gilchrist, urging party unity while also admitting that Gilchrist’s entry shrunk his own path to victory.