Michigan State Senate elections, 2022
|
2026 →
← 2018
|
|
| 2022 Michigan Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | August 2, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2018・2014・2010 |
| 2022 Elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose a chamber below: | |
Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 2, 2022. The filing deadline was April 19, 2022.
The Michigan State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. At the time of the 2022 elections, Republicans held a majority in more chambers than Democrats. There was a Republican majority in 62 chambers and a Democratic majority in 36 chambers. In the Alaska House, there was a power-sharing agreement between the parties as part of a coalition.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified 10 battleground races in the Michigan 2022 elections, four of which were Democratic-held districts while the other six were Republican-held districts. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
All 38 seats were up for election in 2022. As of the 2022 election, the Republican Party controlled 22 seats and the Democratic Party controlled 16 seats. Democrats gained control of the chamber with a 20-18 majority.
As a result of the 2022 election, Democrats maintained control of the governorship and gained majorities in both state legislative chambers, meaning the state became a Democratic trifecta. Previously, Michigan had divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and Republicans controlling both chambers of the state legislature.
These elections were the first to take place following redistricting after the 2020 census. To learn how redistricting affected these elections, click here.
This was one of 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as a battleground chamber in 2022. Click here for more on why this chamber was identified as a battleground.
Party control
| Michigan State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 16 | 20 | |
| Republican Party | 22 | 18 | |
| Total | 38 | 38 | |
Candidates
General
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection
Primary
2022 battleground chamber
The Michigan State Senate was among 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as battleground chambers for the 2022 cycle.
What was at stake?
- The Democratic Party needed to gain four or more seats to take control of the chamber in 2022. The Republican Party needed to lose two or fewer seats to maintain control.
- At the time of the 2022 election, Michigan had divided government. Democrats needed to win control of the state Senate and state House while maintaining control of the governorship in order to win a trifecta. Republicans needed to win control of the governorship while maintaining control of the state Senate and state House in order to win a trifecta.
Why was it a battleground?
- Seats needed to flip: The Republican Party needed to flip four seats (11% of seats up) in order to win control of the chamber.
- Seats decided by less than 10% in the last election: Six of the seats up for election (16% of seats up) in 2022 were decided by margins of 10 percentage points or smaller the last time they were up.
- Seats flipped in the last election: Five of the seats up for election (13% of seats up) flipped to a different party the last time they were up.
- More seats flipped in the last election than needed to flip in 2022: The number of seats that flipped the last time they were up for election (five, or 13% of seats up) is larger than the number that would need to flip in 2022 in order to change control of the chamber (four, or 11% of seats up).
- Other 2022 battleground election: The 2022 elections for governor, attorney general, and secretary of state were also battleground races.
Battleground races
District 4
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district where the Democratic Party maintains a partisan lean of less than 55% according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2020, Democratic candidate Marshall Bullock was elected with 78.3% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Angela Savino’s 21.7% of the vote. |
District 9
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district where the partisan lean is almost evenly divided according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Democratic candidate Paul Wojno’s was elected with 65.9% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Jeff Bonnell’s 34.1% of the vote. |
District 11
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
|
|
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district where the Democratic Party maintains a partisan lean of almost 55% according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Democratic candidate Jeremy Moss was elected with 76.7% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Boris Tuman’s 20.8% of the vote. |
District 12
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Democratic Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district with a Democratic partisan lean of less than 55% according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Democratic candidate Rosemary Bayer was elected with 49.4% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Michael McCready’s 48.6% of the vote. |
District 14
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a race CNalysis rated Leans Democratic in a district whose partisan lean on Dave's Redistricting was below 55% for both Democrats and Republicans. In 2018, Ruth Johnson (R) defeated Renee Watson (D) 56% to 42% in the old 14th district. Johnson was running for re-election in the new 24th district in 2022. |
District 28
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district with a Democratic partisan lean of less than 55% according to Dave's Redistricting. In a 2021 Special Election, Republican candidate Mark Huizenga was elected with 60.6% of the vote against Democratic candidate Keith Courtade’s 36.9% of the vote. |
District 30
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
|
|
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district with a Republican incumbent where the Republican Party maintains a slight partisan lean of less than 50% according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Republican candidate Roger Vance was elected with 63.2% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Jeanette Schipper’s 34.2% of the vote. |
District 32
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
|
|
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district with a Republican incumbent where the Republican Party maintains a slight partisan lean of less than 50% according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Republican incumbent Ken Horn was re-elected with 55.5% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Phil Phelps’s 44.5% of the vote. |
District 35
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
What made this a battleground race?
| This was an open district where the Democratic Party maintains a partisan lean of less than 55% according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Republican candidate Curt VanderWall’s 63.2% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Mike Taillard’s 34.2% of the vote. |
District 38
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
| The Republican Party |
Who were the candidates running?
|
|
What made this a battleground race?
| This was a district with a Republican incumbent where the Democratic Party maintains a partisan lean of less than 55% according to Dave's Redistricting. In 2018, Republican Party Ed McBroom was elected with 54.6% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Scott Dianda’s 43.6% of the vote. |
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:
- District 1
- District 2
- District 3
- District 4
- District 5
- District 6
- District 7
- District 8
- District 9
- District 10
- District 11
- District 12
- District 13
- District 14
- District 15
- District 16
- District 17
- District 18
- District 19
- District 20
- District 21
- District 22
- District 23
- District 24
- District 25
- District 26
- District 27
- District 28
- District 29
- District 30
- District 31
- District 32
- District 33
- District 34
- District 35
- District 36
- District 37
- District 38
Campaign finance
The campaign finance data analyzed and displayed below is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Campaign finance by district
The section below contains data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. Districts and elections are grouped in sections of 10. To view data for a district, click on the appropriate bar below to expand it. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
One incumbent lost in the Nov. 8 general election.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Michael MacDonald |  Republican |
Senate District 11 |
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
Two incumbents lost in the Aug. 2 primaries.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall Bullock |  Democratic |
Senate District 8 |
| Kim LaSata | Republican |
Senate District 17 |
Retiring incumbents
Thirteen incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Hollier | Democratic |
Senate District 2 | Other office |
| Betty Jean Alexander | Democratic |
Senate District 5 | Disqualified |
| Douglas Wozniak | Republican |
Senate District 8 | Other office |
| Mike Shirkey | Republican |
Senate District 16 | Term limited |
| Dale Zorn | Republican |
Senate District 17 | Term limited/ other office |
| John Bizon | Republican |
Senate District 19 | Retired |
| Curtis Hertel | Democratic |
Senate District 23 | Term limited |
| Tom Barrett | Republican |
Senate District 24 | Other office |
| Jim Ananich | Democratic |
Senate District 27 | Term limited |
| Ken Horn | Republican |
Senate District 32 | Term limited |
| Curt VanderWall | Republican |
Senate District 35 | Other office |
| Jim Stamas | Republican |
Senate District 36 | Term limited |
| Wayne Schmidt | Republican |
Senate District 37 | Term limited |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Michigan. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Michigan in 2022. Information below was calculated on July 12, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
There were 139 contested state legislative primaries in Michigan in 2022, 47% of the total number of possible primaries, the highest rate of contested primaries in the state over the preceding five election cycles.
A primary is contested when more candidates file to run than there are nominations available, meaning at least one candidate must lose.
Of the 139 contested primaries, there were 58 for Democrats and 81 for Republicans. For Democrats, this was down from 67 in 2018—the last time both chambers held elections—marking a 13% decrease. For Republicans, the number increased 37% from 59 in 2018.
Of the 139 contested primaries, 43 featured an incumbent: 18 Democrats and 25 Republicans. This represented 52% of all incumbents who filed for re-election, another highest rate compared to the preceding five election cycles.
Overall, 548 major party candidates—256 Democrats and 292 Republicans—filed to run for the state's 110 House and 38 Senate districts. The Michigan House holds elections every two years while the Senate holds elections every four years during midterm election cycles.
Sixty-seven of those districts were open, guaranteeing that at least 45% of the legislature would be represented by newcomers in 2023.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Michigan State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[2] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open seats in Michigan State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 38 | 14 (37%) | 24 (63%) |
| 2018 | 38 | 27 (71%) | 11 (29%) |
| 2014 | 38 | 10 (26%) | 28 (74%) |
| 2010 | 38 | 29 (76%) | 9 (24%) |
Incumbents running in new districts
When an incumbent files to run for re-election in the same chamber but a new district, it leaves his or her original seat open. This may happen for a variety of reasons ranging from redistricting to a change in residences. This may result in instances where multiple incumbents face each other in contested primaries or general elections if the incumbent in the new district also seeks re-election.
Michigan rearranged its Senate districts during the redistricting process after the 2020 census. Click [show] on the header below to view a table showing all 38 districts in the leftmost column along with all legislators representing those districts at the time of the 2022 filing deadline. The "Filed in 2022 in ..." column lists the districts, in which incumbents filed to run. The "New district open?" column indicates whether the incumbent running was the only incumbent seeking re-election in that district.
News and conflicts in this primary
This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. Click here to read more about conflict in this and other 2022 Republican state legislative primaries. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.
Process to become a candidate
For major party candidates
See statutes: Michigan Election Law, "Preparation and Filing of Nominating Petitions; Fees"
Political parties whose principal candidate received at least 5 percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Michigan Secretary of State at the most recent general election are considered major parties and must generally nominate their candidates by primary election.[3]
A major party candidate for governor, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, or the state legislature must file an affidavit of identity and nominating petition by 4:00 p.m. on the 15th Tuesday preceding the primary election. Candidates for secretary of state and attorney general are not nominated by primary, but by convention.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag[4][5]
The affidavit of identity requires the candidate to provide basic identifying information (such as name, residential and mailing address, the office being sought, etc.). The affidavit also includes a campaign finance compliance statement, which the candidate must sign before a notary public.[4]
Nominating petition signature requirements vary according to the population of the electoral division (e.g., entire state, congressional district, state legislative district, etc.) and are summarized in the table below.[6]
| Statutory signature requirements for major party candidates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Population of electoral division | Minimum signatures | Maximum signatures |
| 0 - 9,999 | 3 | 10 |
| 10,000 - 24,999 | 20 | 50 |
| 25,000 - 49,999 | 50 | 100 |
| 50,000 - 74,999 | 100 | 200 |
| 75,000 - 99,999 | 200 | 400 |
| 100,000 - 199,999 | 300 | 500 |
| 200,000 - 499,999 | 500 | 1,000 |
| 500,000 - 999,999 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| 1,000,000 - 1,999,999 | 2,000 | 4,000 |
| 2,000,000 - 4,999,999 | 4,000 | 8,000 |
| Over 5 million (statewide) | 15,000 | 30,000 |
A major party state legislative candidate may pay a filing fee of $100 in lieu of filing a nominating petition.[7]
Filing paperwork for federal, statewide, and multi-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Filing paperwork for single-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the appropriate county clerk.[5]
For minor party candidates
See statutes: Michigan Election Law, Section 168.686a
Political parties whose principal candidate received less than 5 percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Michigan Secretary of State at the most recent general election are considered non-major parties and cannot nominate their candidates by primary election. Instead, such parties must nominate their candidates by county caucuses and state conventions. Candidates for the United States House of Representatives or the state legislature may be nominated by county caucuses, provided that the applicable electoral district lies entirely within the boundaries of a single county. Candidates for statewide office must be nominated by state conventions. District candidates (e.g., state legislative or congressional candidates whose districts encompass parts of more than one county) may be nominated at district caucuses held in conjunction with state conventions, provided that delegates from the district are in attendance.[3][8]
No more than one day following the conclusion of a caucus or convention, the chairperson and secretary of the caucus or convention must certify the names and mailing addresses of the selected candidates to the county clerk (if nominated by county caucus) or Michigan Secretary of State (if nominated by state convention). This certification must be accompanied by an affidavit of identity (the same as that filed by major party candidates) and a signed certificate of acceptance of the nomination for each candidate.[8]
Caucuses and conventions must be held by the date of the state primary election.[8]
For independent candidates
See statutes: Michigan Election Law, "Candidates Without Political Party Affiliation"
An independent candidate seeking placement on the general election ballot must file an affidavit of identity (the same as that filed by party candidates) and a qualifying petition. All filing materials must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. on the 110th day preceding the general election.[9]
Qualifying petition signature requirements vary according to the population of the electoral division (e.g., entire state, congressional district, state legislative district, etc.) and are summarized in the table below.[6]
| Statutory signature requirements for independent candidates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Population of electoral division | Minimum signatures | Maximum signatures |
| 0 - 9,999 | 9 | 30 |
| 10,000 - 24,999 | 60 | 150 |
| 25,000 - 49,999 | 150 | 300 |
| 50,000 - 74,999 | 300 | 600 |
| 75,000 - 99,999 | 600 | 1,200 |
| 100,000 - 199,999 | 900 | 1,500 |
| 200,000 - 499,999 | 1,500 | 3,000 |
| 500,000 - 999,999 | 3,000 | 6,000 |
| 1,000,000 - 1,999,999 | 6,000 | 12,000 |
| 2,000,000 - 4,999,999 | 12,000 | 24,000 |
| Over 5 million (statewide) | 30,000 | 60,000 |
Signatures on qualifying petitions must be collected in the 180 days prior to the date the petition is filed. Any signatures collected prior to that will not be counted.[6]
Filing paperwork for federal, statewide, and multi-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Filing paperwork for single-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the appropriate county clerk.[5]
For write-in candidates
In order to have his or her votes tallied, a write-in candidate must submit a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate to the appropriate filing official by 4:00 p.m. on the second Friday immediately preceding an election.[10]
Filing paperwork for federal, statewide, and multi-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Filing paperwork for single-county state legislative district offices must be submitted to the appropriate county clerk.[5]
Candidate name conventions
Michigan law establishes the following conventions to govern how a candidate's name can be rendered on an election ballot:[11]
| “ | If you are using a name that was not provided to you at birth, you must check the box and provide your former name. However, you do not need to provide a former name if your name changed because of marriage or divorce, is a nickname that you have been known as for at least 6 months, or was formally changed for any reason more than 10 years ago.[11][12] | ” |
Vacancies
Upon the death, resignation, or removal of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the governor must issue a call for a special election to fill the vacancy. A special primary must be held at least 20 days prior to the date of the special election. The proclamation must establish all election dates and candidate filing deadlines.[13]
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."[14]
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[15] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $71,685/year | No per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense allowance of $10,800/year for session and interim. |
When sworn in
Michigan legislators assume office at noon on the first day of January.[16]
Michigan political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Michigan Party Control: 1992-2025
Two years of Democratic trifectas • Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D |
| House | D | S | S | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R |
Presidential politics in Michigan
2020 Presidential election results
Presidential election in Michigan, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
50.6
|
2,804,040 | 16 |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
47.8
|
2,649,852 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.1
|
60,381 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.2
|
13,718 | 0 | |
 
| Don Blankenship/William Mohr (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan) |
0.1
|
7,235 | 0 | |
 
| Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Natural Law Party of Michigan) |
0.1
|
2,986 | 0 | |
 | Brian T. Carroll (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
963 | 0 | |
 | Jade Simmons (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
89 | 0 | |
 | Tom Hoefling (no running mate) (Independent) |
0.0
|
32 | 0 | |
 | Kasey Wells (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
5 | 0 | |
|
| Tara Hunter (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
1 | 0 | |
 |
Total votes: 5,539,302 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Michigan
Redistricting following the 2020 census
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:[17]
| “ | 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.[12] | ” |
The MICRC voted on June 26 to approve the state Senate map called Crane A1.[18]
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:[19]
| “ | 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.[12] | ” |
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.[20]
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Michigan State Senate Districts
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Michigan State Senate Districts
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Aftermath of redistricting
In 2018, Michigan voters approved a ballot measure creating an independent redistricting commission to draw the state's congressional and legislative maps. The commission was first used in the 2020 redistricting cycle.[21] Before this, the state legislature drew Michigan's maps. Four Republicans, four Democrats, and five independents made up the new commission, which took public comments on the maps into consideration.[22] The commission drew new legislative maps and approved them on December 28, 2021.[23]
In describing the old maps, Michigan Advance said: "In the past, the Legislature was in charge of drawing new districts every decade, with the governor’s sign off, which typically resulted in maps that protected incumbents and the party in charge."[24] A 2016 analysis by the Associated Press found: "Traditional battlegrounds such as Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida and Virginia were among those with significant Republican advantages in their U.S. or state House races."[25]
Political officials from both parties expected the new maps to create more competitive elections. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Jessica Post, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said: "We see Michigan as a huge opportunity because of the newly drawn fair maps.”[26] State Senate President Mike Shirkey (R) said he had: "100 percent confidence we’re going to retain the majority... But I have an equal level of confidence that we’re having to work harder this time than we have in probably 35 years.”[27] The two parties combined to spend $30 million in ads, which was among the highest for state legislative races in the country.[28]
Heading into the elections, the state legislature was controlled by Republicans, with Democrats last controlling the state House in 2010 and the state Senate in 1984.[29]
In the 2022 elections, Democrats won a 56-54 majority in the state House and a 20-18 majority in the state Senate.[30] This resulted in a Democratic trifecta, giving them control of state government. In discussing the results, Professor Matt Grossman said: "Under the new maps, the parties have to compete over districts with minimal partisan lanes as well as those that have more normally Republican voters and those that have more normally Democratic voters. This produced a real change. If you add up all the votes statewide for the House and the Senate Democrats got more votes by one and 1.5% in the two chambers, and they will end up with similarly small advantages in seats."[31] Douglas Clark, a Republican who served on the redistricting commission, said: “Depending on the issues of the election and depending on the candidates, some of these districts can go either way -- they can go Republican or they can go Democrat... In this instance in this election, more of them went Democrat."[32]
See also
| Michigan | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.532," accessed March 18, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "Affidavit of Identity and Receipt of Filing," accessed March 18, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Michigan Department of State, "Preparing, Ciculating, and Filing Petitions for Public Office," accessed March 18, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Michigan Secretary of State, "Petition Signature Requirement Chart," accessed May 19, 2023
- ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.163," accessed March 18, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.686a," accessed March 18, 2025
- ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.590c," accessed March 18, 2025
- ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.737a," accessed March 18, 2025
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "Affidavit of Identity and Receipt of Filing," accessed March 25, 2025
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.145," accessed March 18, 2025
- ↑ Michigan Constitution, "Article IV, Section 7," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Michigan Constitution, "Article XI, Section 2," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ Michigan Advance, "Federal court grants final approval to new Michigan Senate districts," July 26, 2024
- ↑ 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
- ↑ All About Redistricting, "Michigan" accessed June 5, 2024
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Your questions about Michigan's new redistricting process answered" accessed May 22, 2024
- ↑ WILX, "Michigan redistricting commission approves US House map" accessed May 22, 2024
- ↑ Michigan Advance, "Michigan redistricting advocates tout new process after first election under new maps" accessed June 5, 2024
- ↑ M Live, "AP analysis shows how gerrymandering benefited GOP in 2016" accessed June 5, 2024
- ↑ Huffington Post, "How Michigan Became The Biggest State Legislative Battleground Of 2022 accessed May 23, 2024
- ↑ Bridge Michigan, "Big money donors shunning Tudor Dixon, Michigan Republican ticket" accessed June 5, 2024
- ↑ Michigan Public, "Michigan is top in the nation for ad spending in state legislature races" accessed May 24, 2024
- ↑ Bridge Michigan, "Who will control the Michigan Legislature? This year, Democrats have a shot" accessed May 24, 2024
- ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Redistricting experts weigh in on results of first general election under new maps" accessed May 23, 2024
- ↑ University of Michigan, "An assessment of Michigan's redistricting process" accessed June 14, 2024
- ↑ Associated Press, "Flip of Michigan Legislature highlights role of fair maps" accessed May 29, 2024
