Michigan State Senate District 37
Michigan State Senate District 37 is represented by John Damoose (R).
As of the 2020 Census, Michigan state senators represented an average of 265,380 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 260,832 residents.
About the office
Members of the Michigan State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits.[1] Senators are elected at the same time as the governor and serve four-year terms concurrent with the governor's term of office. Senate elections are offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 2000 and 2004, senate elections were in 2002 and 2006). Michigan legislators assume office at noon on the first day of January.[2]
Qualifications
Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."[3]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $71,685/year | No per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense allowance of $10,800/year for session and interim. |
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Michigan legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. The legislature has been term-limited since Michigan voters approved the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was 2002.
In 2022, Michigan voters modified the term limits for Michigan state legislative members. Voters passed Michigan Proposal 1 in November 2022 which changed the term limits for state legislators from three two-year terms in the state House and two four-year terms in the state Senate to 12 combined years in the Legislature.
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Michigan State Legislature, the governor must call for a special election to fill the vacancy or direct that the vacancy be filled at the next general election.[5][6]
If the vacancy happens after the statewide primary election, the party organizations in the district select the party's nominee. The nominee must be voted on no later than 21 days after the vacancy occurred and at least 10 days before the general election.[7]
See sources: Michigan Const. Art. 5, § 13
District map
Redistricting
2020-2024
On July 26, 2024, a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan approved state Senate district boundaries submitted by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) on June 27, 2024, and authorized Michigan's secretary of state to implement the plan for the 2026 elections:[8]
| “ | On December 21, 2023, we unanimously held that the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution when it drew the boundaries of thirteen state-legislative districts—seven House districts, and six Senate—predominantly on the basis of race. We therefore enjoined the Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, from holding further elections in those districts as they were drawn. ... The Commission has now submitted a revised Senate map, which Plaintiffs agree 'eliminates the predominate use of race that characterized' the previous plan. ... We have reviewed the record before us and agree that the new Senate map complies with this court’s December 21, 2023, opinion and order. ... Federal law provides us no basis to reject the Commission’s remedial Senate plan. The Secretary of State may proceed to implement the Commission’s remedial Senate plan for the next election cycle.[9] | ” |
The MICRC voted on June 26 to approve the state Senate map called Crane A1.[10]
On March 27, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan approved new state House district boundaries drawn by the MICRC for use in the 2024 elections. According to the court order:[11]
| “ | On December 21, 2023, we unanimously held that the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution when it drew the boundaries of thirteen state-legislative districts—seven House districts, and six Senate—predominantly on the basis of race. We therefore enjoined the Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, from holding further elections in those districts as they are currently drawn. ... The Commission has now submitted a revised House plan, to which the plaintiffs have submitted several objections. We have reviewed the record before us and now overrule those objections.[9] | ” |
The MICRC voted 10-3 on February 28, 2024, to adopt the new state House map known as “Motown Sound FC E1."
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan struck down the state House and Senate maps on December 21, 2023.[12]
District map after 2020 redistricting
Michigan State Senate District 37
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Michigan State Senate District 37
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2022
- See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Michigan State Senate District 37
John Damoose defeated Barbara Conley and Zachary Dean in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 37 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Damoose (R) | 55.5 | 79,125 |
 | Barbara Conley (D)  | 42.8 | 61,069 | |
| Zachary Dean (L) | 1.7 | 2,468 | ||
| Total votes: 142,662 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 37
Barbara Conley defeated Jim Schmidt and Randy Bishop in the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 37 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Barbara Conley | 86.4 | 25,466 |
| Jim Schmidt | 7.8 | 2,304 | ||
| Randy Bishop | 5.8 | 1,702 | ||
| Total votes: 29,472 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 37
John Damoose defeated Triston Cole, George Ranville, and William Hindle in the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 37 on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Damoose | 41.0 | 18,286 |
 | Triston Cole | 30.3 | 13,520 | |
 | George Ranville | 17.0 | 7,596 | |
 | William Hindle | 11.7 | 5,245 | |
| Total votes: 44,647 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Michigan State Senate District 37
Zachary Dean advanced from the Libertarian convention for Michigan State Senate District 37 on July 10, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Zachary Dean (L) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Michigan State Senate District 37
Incumbent Wayne Schmidt defeated Jim Page in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 37 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Wayne Schmidt (R) | 58.9 | 73,338 |
 | Jim Page (D) | 41.1 | 51,076 | |
| Total votes: 124,414 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 37
Jim Page advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 37 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Page | 100.0 | 24,109 |
| Total votes: 24,109 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 37
Incumbent Wayne Schmidt defeated Jim Gurr in the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 37 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Wayne Schmidt | 80.0 | 27,693 |
| Jim Gurr | 20.0 | 6,924 | ||
| Total votes: 34,617 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
- See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Phil Bellfy defeated Jimmy Schmidt in the Democratic primary. Wayne Schmidt defeated Greg MacMaster in the Republican primary. Schmidt defeated Bellfy in the general election.[13][14][15][16]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Wayne Schmidt |
61.1% | 54,981 | |
| Democratic | Phil Bellfy | 38.9% | 35,037 | |
| Total Votes | 90,018 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Phil Bellfy |
51.5% | 4,620 |
| Jimmy Schmidt | 48.5% | 4,346 |
| Total Votes | 8,966 | |
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Wayne Schmidt |
55.5% | 19,107 |
| Greg MacMaster | 44.5% | 15,312 |
| Total Votes | 34,419 | |
2010
- See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of Michigan State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 3, 2010 and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 11, 2010. The deadline for independent candidates was July 15, 2010.[17] Howard Walker (R) defeated Bob Carr (D) in the general election. Walker defeated Randy Bishop in the Republican primary. Carr was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[18][19]
| Michigan State Senate, District 37, General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Howard Walker |
64.8% | 62,697 | |
| Democratic | Bob Carr | 35.2% | 34,122 | |
| Total Votes | 96,819 | |||
| Michigan State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2010 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Howard Walker |
63.8% | 23,129 |
| Randy Bishop | 36.2% | 13,131 |
| Total Votes | 36,260 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2022, candidates for Michigan State Senate District 37 raised a total of $2,833,267. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $128,785 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Michigan State Senate District 37 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2022 | $907,461 | 8 | $113,433 |
| 2018 | $437,717 | 3 | $145,906 |
| 2014 | $542,138 | 4 | $135,535 |
| 2010 | $231,861 | 3 | $77,287 |
| 2006 | $235,855 | 2 | $117,928 |
| 2002 | $478,235 | 2 | $239,118 |
| Total | $2,833,267 | 22 | $128,785 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ michiganinbrief.org, "Term limits," accessed December 17, 2013
- ↑ Michigan Constitution, "Article XI, Section 2," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ Michigan Constitution, "Article IV, Section 7," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.178, Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article 5, Section 13," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.634 (1)-(2), Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed May 22, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Advance, "Federal court grants final approval to new Michigan Senate districts," July 26, 2024
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Michigan Advance, "Redistricting commission selects a proposed Senate map on 6th round of voting," June 27, 2024
- ↑ PacerMonitor, "Opinion and order," March 27, 2024
- ↑ Michigan Public, "Federal court finds Detroit-area legislative districts unconstitutional, orders them redrawn," December 21, 2023
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "State Senator," accessed August 6, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "State Senator," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2014 Official Michigan Primary Candidate Listing," accessed May 27, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "2014 Official Michigan General Candidate Listing," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, "Filing Requirements: Office of State Senator – 2010 Election Cycle." Retrieved October 26, 2013
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, 2010 primary election results. Retrieved October 26, 2013
- ↑ Michigan Secretary of State, 2010 general election results. Retrieved October 26, 2013
