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Michigan State Senate elections, 2026

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2026 Michigan Senate Election
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Election info

Seats up: 38
Primary: August 4, 2026
General: November 3, 2026

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Elections for the Michigan State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

The Michigan State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas
Party As of September 2025
     Democratic Party 19
     Republican Party 18
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 38

Candidates

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Primary

General election

Michigan State Senate general election 2026
  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
  • Please contact Ballotpedia about candidate additions, withdrawals, or disqualifications.
  • Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5

Matt Koleszar

District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15

Felicia Brabec

District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19

Julie Rogers

District 20
District 21
District 22

Mike Murphy

District 23

Donni Steele

District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35

Brandell Adams
Pamela Pugh

District 36
District 37
District 38

Kelli van Ginhoven

Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.


Competitiveness

This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Michigan. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Michigan

For major party candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg 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.[1]

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[2][3]

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.[2]

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[3]

For minor party candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg 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.[1][6]

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.[6]

Caucuses and conventions must be held by the date of the state primary election.[6]

For independent candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg 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.[7]

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.[4]

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.[4]

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.[3]

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.[8]

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.[3]

Candidate name conventions

Michigan law establishes the following conventions to govern how a candidate's name can be rendered on an election ballot:[9]

“ 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.[9][10] ”

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.[11]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

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."[12]

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[13]
SalaryPer diem
$71,685/yearNo per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense allowance of $10,800/year for session and interim.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Michigan legislators assume office at noon on the first day of January.[14]

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

2024

See also: Presidential election, 2024


Presidential election in Michigan, 2024
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R)
 
49.7
 
2,816,636 15
Image of
Image of
Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D)
 
48.3
 
2,736,533 0
Image of
Image of
Jill Stein/Butch Ware (G)
 
0.8
 
44,607 0
Image of
Image of
Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Natural Law Party of Michigan)
 
0.5
 
26,785 0
Image of
Image of
Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L)
 
0.4
 
22,440 0
Image of
Image of
Cornel West/Melina Abdullah (Independent)
 
0.1
 
6,664 0
Image of
Image of
Randall Terry/Stephen E. Broden (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan)
 
0.1
 
6,509 0
Image of
Image of
Joseph Kishore/Jerry White (Independent)
 
0.0
 
2,330 0
  Other write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1,682 0

There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified.

Total votes: 5,664,186


2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020


Presidential election in Michigan, 2020
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)
 
50.6
 
2,804,040 16
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)
 
47.8
 
2,649,852 0
Image of
Image of
Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)
 
1.1
 
60,381 0
Image of
Image of
Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G)
 
0.2
 
13,718 0
Image of
Image of
Don Blankenship/William Mohr (U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan)
 
0.1
 
7,235 0
Image of
Image of
Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Natural Law Party of Michigan)
 
0.1
 
2,986 0
Image of
Brian T. Carroll (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
963 0
Image of
Jade Simmons (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
89 0
Image of
Tom Hoefling (no running mate) (Independent)
 
0.0
 
32 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Kasey Wells (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
5 0
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Tara Hunter (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
1 0

Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified.

Total votes: 5,539,302


2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016
U.S. presidential election, Michigan, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 47.3% 2,268,839 0
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump/Mike Pence 47.5% 2,279,543 16
     Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 3.6% 172,136 0
     Green Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka 1.1% 51,463 0
     U.S. Taxpayers Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley 0.3% 16,139 0
     Natural Law Emidio Soltysik/Angela Nicole Walker 0% 2,209 0
     Other Write-in votes 0.2% 8,955 0
Total Votes 4,799,284 16
Election results via: Michigan Department of State


Michigan presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 13 Democratic wins
  • 18 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R P[15] R R R R D D R D R R R D D D R R R R R D D D D D D R D R


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:[16]

“ 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.[10] ”


The MICRC voted on June 26 to approve the state Senate map called Crane A1.[17]

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:[18]

“ 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.[10] ”


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.[19]


See also

Michigan State Legislative Elections News and Analysis
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Michigan State Executive Offices
Michigan State Legislature
Michigan Courts
State legislative elections:
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Michigan elections:
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015
Primary elections in Michigan
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
Partisan composition of state legislatures
Partisan composition of state senates
Partisan composition of state houses

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.532," accessed March 18, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "Affidavit of Identity and Receipt of Filing," accessed March 18, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Michigan Department of State, "Preparing, Ciculating, and Filing Petitions for Public Office," accessed March 18, 2025
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Michigan Secretary of State, "Petition Signature Requirement Chart," accessed May 19, 2023
  5. ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.163," accessed March 18, 2025
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.686a," accessed March 18, 2025
  7. ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.590c," accessed March 18, 2025
  8. ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.737a," accessed March 18, 2025
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Michigan Secretary of State, "Affidavit of Identity and Receipt of Filing," accessed March 25, 2025
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  11. ↑ Michigan Election Law, "Section 168.145," accessed March 18, 2025
  12. ↑ Michigan Constitution, "Article IV, Section 7," accessed February 12, 2021
  13. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  14. ↑ Michigan Constitution, "Article XI, Section 2," accessed February 12, 2021
  15. ↑ Progressive Party
  16. ↑ Michigan Advance, "Federal court grants final approval to new Michigan Senate districts," July 26, 2024
  17. ↑ Michigan Advance, "Redistricting commission selects a proposed Senate map on 6th round of voting," June 27, 2024
  18. ↑ PacerMonitor, "Opinion and order," March 27, 2024
  19. ↑ Michigan Public, "Federal court finds Detroit-area legislative districts unconstitutional, orders them redrawn," December 21, 2023


Current members of the Michigan State Senate
Senators
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
Sue Shink (D)
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
Sam Singh (D)
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
Vacant
District 36
District 37
District 38
Democratic Party (19)
Republican Party (18)
Vacancies (1)


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