Updates About Legislature

As Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) reaches her term limit in District 29, three Grand Rapids Democrats are emerging as frontrunners for the upcoming primary:

• Ivan Diaz: Former progressive Kent County Commissioner
• Rep. Phil Skaggs: Current Representative for House District 80 and former legislative director to then-Rep. David LaGrand (now Mayor of Grand Rapids)
• Rep. Kristian Grant: Current Representative for House District 82 and Grand Rapids-based real estate developer

In neighboring District 30, incumbent Sen. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) is preparing to defend one of West Michigan’s last Republican-held Senate seats in a district that leaned narrowly Democratic in 2024. While Rep. Carol Glanville (D-Grand Rapids) is frequently mentioned as a potential challenger, she has not filed. The only declared Democrat so far is Richard Kreuzer, a former member of the State Board of Nursing.

Tensions reached a boiling point in the Michigan House last week after Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) was abruptly removed from his post as minority vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee by Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp). The move followed Farhat’s no vote on HB 4506, a Republican-backed bill that would allow life without parole for 19- and 20-year-olds convicted of particularly violent crimes, and HB 4141, which proposed banning cell phone use by students in schools.

Farhat defended his vote, arguing the policy deserved further debate and that Democrats were given little time to review final language. Speaker Hall, however, claimed Farhat failed to uphold a commitment and pointed to his resistance during budget talks as further justification. The session, which lasted more than seven hours, ended with no bills passed and deepened uncertainty over who will now represent House Democrats in ongoing—and already strained—budget negotiations.

Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield and his wife, Stephanie Chatfield, have been ordered to stand trial on numerous felony charges related to misuse of public, campaign, and nonprofit funds. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that the charges stem from a lengthy investigation revealing what her office describes as a series of elaborate financial ploys intended to personally benefit Chatfield during his time in office.

Lee Chatfield faces a total of 13 felony counts, including charges of conducting a criminal enterprise, embezzlement from nonprofit and public funds, conspiracy to embezzle, and violations of the Charitable Trust Act. The allegations include false reimbursement claims, personal credit card payments made with nonprofit funds, and the misuse of political action committee contributions through a check kickback scam.

Stephanie Chatfield is charged with one count of embezzlement from a nonprofit organization and one count of conspiracy to commit embezzlement. Follow along to find out when a pretrial date has been set.