Updates About Elections

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

Former Democratic House Speaker Joe Tate (Detroit) has announced he will not be seeking reelection to his State House seat in the upcoming election. His upcoming departure adds to the increasing number of 21 total State Representatives that are leaving their current positions.

Tate served as House Speaker during the Democratic trifecta in 2023-2024, when Democrats controlled the State House, Senate, and Governor’s office.

To see the list of departing members Rep. Tate will be joining, see our March 6 newsletter: Nearly 20% of State Representatives Are Relinquishing Their House Seats

On Wednesday, an eight bill package (SB 691 - 698) that would make significant changes to the state’s current election and campaign finance laws passed out of the Senate with support from Senate Democrats and Republicans. The bill that would have the most impact is SB 691 introduced by Senator Sam Singh (D-East Lansing), which would move the current August primary up to May and would allow for February primaries.

Also included in the bill package is SB 697, sponsored by Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), which lowers the number of petition signatures needed for statewide candidates. Singh bill SB 698 creates a single, set schedule for campaign finance reports with four filings each year. The remaining bills make updates to align the law with the changes proposed in SB 691.

If passed by the House, the changes would take effect in 2028. Currently, Michigan is one of nineteen states that hold their primary election in August or later. The bills still have a long journey ahead, including testimony and votes in the House Election Integrity Committee, final passage from the House, and signing off by the Governor before becoming law.