Rosemary Bayer

Rosemary Bayer

Democratic Party

Michigan State Senate District 13

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Mallory McMorrow

Prior offices

Michigan State Senate District 12

Successor: Kevin Hertel

Predecessor: James Marleau

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Compensation

Base salary

$71,685/year

Per diem

No per diem is paid. Legislators receive an expense allowance of $10,800/year for session and interim.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Central Michigan University, 1986

Graduate

Lawrence Technological University, 2003

Personal

Birthplace

Michigan

Profession

Executive

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Rosemary Bayer (Democratic Party) is a member of the Michigan State Senate, representing District 13. She assumed office on January 1, 2023. Her current term ends on January 1, 2027.

Bayer (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Michigan State Senate to represent District 13. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Bayer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Rosemary Bayer was born in Michigan and lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Bayer earned a B.S. in computer science and math from Central Michigan University in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Lawrence Technological University in 2003. Her career experience includes working as a computer engineer, the chief inspiration officer of ardentCause L3C, and an instructor with Inforum. Bayer co-founded the Michigan Council of Women in Technology and has served as its executive director and on the board of Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW).

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Bayer was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Appropriations Committee
• Energy and Technology Committee (decommissioned)
• Finance Committee
• Health Policy and Human Services
• Local Government Committee
• Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (decommissioned)

2021-2022

Bayer was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Appropriations Committee
• Environmental Quality Committee (decommissioned), Minority vice-chair

2019-2020

Bayer was assigned to the following committees:

• Senate Appropriations Committee
• Environmental Quality Committee (decommissioned)

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2026

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2026

Rosemary Bayer did not file to run for re-election.

2022

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Michigan State Senate District 13

Incumbent Rosemary Bayer defeated Jason Rhines in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 13 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rosemary Bayer (D)	57.2	78,098
		Jason Rhines (R)	42.8	58,513

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 136,611
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 13

Incumbent Rosemary Bayer advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 13 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rosemary Bayer	100.0	34,304

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,304
= 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 13

Jason Rhines defeated Brian Williams in the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 13 on August 2, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jason Rhines	66.4	15,478
	Submit photo	Brian Williams	33.6	7,833

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,311
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Klint Kesto (R)

Endorsements

To view Bayer's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

2018

See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2018

General election

General election for Michigan State Senate District 12

Rosemary Bayer defeated Michael McCready and Jeff Pittel in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 12 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rosemary Bayer (D)	49.4	59,302
		Michael McCready (R)	48.6	58,363
		Jeff Pittel (L)	2.0	2,404
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	2

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 120,071 (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 12

Rosemary Bayer advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 12 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rosemary Bayer	100.0	27,744

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,744
= 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 12

Michael McCready defeated Jim Tedder, Terry Whitney, and Vernon Molnar in the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 12 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael McCready	45.4	12,524
		Jim Tedder	44.3	12,239
	Submit photo	Terry Whitney	7.5	2,073
		Vernon Molnar	2.8	770

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 27,606
= 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.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Michigan State Senate District 12

Jeff Pittel advanced from the Libertarian primary for Michigan State Senate District 12 on August 7, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Pittel	100.0	149

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 149
= 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.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rosemary Bayer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Bayer's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am the state senator currently serving Michigan's 12th District, running for reelection in the newly drawn 13th District. I have lived in Michigan my entire life and I spent my professional career as an engineer in the tech industry before running for office. My engineering background has been an invaluable asset when it comes to my work as a legislator. I am good at examining complex problems and finding practical and effective ways to address those problems. Part of that is having an analytical mind, but it also requires the ability to listen and the willingness to learn. Integrity is a centerpiece of my campaign, just as it was when I first ran in 2018. Integrity is a crucial part of being an elected official and it should be a fundamental requirement for anyone in public service. All of us should care about our fellow citizens, but those who hold public office have a bigger obligation to truly serve the people, not their own hidden self-interests. I am very honest and transparent about my work for the people I represent.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We must have reproductive freedom in Michigan. I have spoken on the Senate floor about the abortion that saved my life when I had an ectopic pregnancy. My heart aches for anyone who has ever had to experience a heart-wrenching decision like the one my husband and I made. The overturning of Roe v Wade is a terrible blow to women’s equality. Abortion is health care and a woman’s choice belongs between her and her doctor. Politicians have no right to decide what’s best for a woman’s life and her family. I will do everything I can to ensure that women in Michigan have reproductive freedom, including safe and legal abortion.
• We must protect the right to vote. Alarmingly, the Republican Party is openly hostile to voting and wants to restrict access to the ballot in the name of completely false election fraud claims. They have proposed frightening curtailments of our voting rights including overturning any election they don’t like the outcome of and stopping vote tallying the day after an election. Democrats must secure a majority in the Michigan Senate in order to prevent this from happening. We will continue our fight for treating voting like the fundamental right it is and expanding access to the ballot box. The people of Michigan have already made it clear that voters, not politicians, should decide elections and we must keep it that way.
• We must address climate change. It is real and ignoring it is reckless. We are seeing more and more severe weather events in Michigan and across the country that are pushing our current infrastructure to the limit. In Michigan many people are all too familiar with water and sewage in their basements and freeways that flood during rain storms. As a Senator, I have a plan for climate resilient infrastructure so that we can adapt to these very real and very serious problems. Investing in infrastructure now can potentially save the state billions of dollars in the long term. I campaigned on and continue to fight for access to clean water for everyone and improving our infrastructure is necessary to make that a reality.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Gun violence prevention - I have personal experience losing people close to me to suicide. Key to suicide prevention is not only increased access to mental health care, but also addressing the easy availability of guns. I have proposed common sense gun safety measures such as safe storage and red flag laws, but Republicans have refused to vote on these issues. I have worked to increase access to mental health care in our schools to help our young people who are under a tremendous amount of stress, especially in Oxford, which I currently represent. Our kids deserve to feel and be safe at school.

Reproductive freedom - The overturning of Roe v Wade is a terrible blow to women’s equality. Abortion is health care and a woman’s choice belongs between her and her doctor. Politicians have no right to decide what’s best for a woman’s life and her family. I will do everything I can to ensure that women in Michigan have reproductive freedom, including safe and legal abortion.

Public education funding - Michigan’s public schools need to be fully and equitably funded so that all students can receive the quality education they deserve.

Environmental protection - I am a lifelong environmentalist. The very first bill I wrote as Senator addressed the human right to water. Michigan’s fresh water is our most precious resource and we must protect it because we literally can’t live without it.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity. If you do not care about and are not working for the people you represent, you do not belong in office. I am proud to be transparent about my work and accessible to my constituents.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

As an engineer, I am focused on problem solving. I am able to identify a problem, craft a solution, calculate how much money will be needed to implement that solution, and identify who will do the work. This ability has made me very successful working across the aisle on multiple appropriations committees.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Stevie Wonder’s “You are the Sunshine of my Life.” My husband and I danced to this song when we participated in a dance competition. A very happy memory.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

We are in the middle of multiple crises right now: the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe, increasing severe weather events due to climate change, a continuing pandemic, gun violence and more. But fundamentally, the biggest issue is voting rights in Michigan. The Republican Party is openly hostile to voting and wants to restrict access to the ballot in the name of completely false election fraud claims. Currently there is a petition circulating that would impose severe restrictions on democracy in Michigan and essentially says that the majority party, which is currently the Republicans, can overturn any election that they don't like the outcome of. There is a loophole in Michigan's constitution that allows the legislature to adopt petitions that meet a threshold of signatures into law rather than putting the issue on the ballot for voters to decide. This means a very small minority of Michigan voters can enshrine their extreme positions into law. Not only that, but such a law would be veto-proof. Democrats must secure a majority in the Michigan Senate in order to prevent this from happening. We will close this loophole and continue our fight for treating voting like the fundamental right it is and expanding access to the ballot box. Unless voting rights are secured, the critical issues facing Michigan will continue to be ignored by the Republican majority.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. I had no experience in this area when I ran in 2018. However, I have found that being an engineer has been an invaluable asset when it comes to my work as a legislator. I am good at examining complex problems and finding practical and effective ways to address those problems. Part of that is having an analytical mind, but it also requires the ability to listen and the willingness to learn. More important than prior experience is integrity, however. It should be a fundamental requirement for anyone in public service. All of us should care about our fellow citizens, but those who hold public office have a bigger obligation to truly serve the people, not their own hidden self-interests. I am very honest and transparent about my work for the people I represent.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. I am currently in the minority party. As a Democrat sitting on multiple appropriation committees, I have to work with my Republican colleagues in order to get anything done. I have been very successful in working across the aisle during my time in office.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

In 2018, voters overwhelmingly chose to have an Independent Redistricting Committee draw new district lines. The result, while not perfect, is the most fairly drawn map in decades.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes, absolutely. And in order for that to happen, the involved parties need to come to the table in good faith and be able to put politics aside in order to make policy that truly addresses the problems and needs of Michigan and our people. I have been fortunate as I am very involved in appropriations where political grandstanding is less common as there is a clear end product that must be completed: a budget. As a member of several appropriation committees, I have helped secure funding for crucial issues like public school funding, mental health care access for students, and infrastructure upgrades.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Rosemary Bayer campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2022	Michigan State Senate District 13	Won general	$759,084	$0
2018	Michigan State Senate District 12	Won general	$640,424	N/A**
Grand total			$1,399,508	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Michigan

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Michigan scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 10 to December 23. Michigan AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan Chamber Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].
In 2023, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 11 to November 14. Michigan AFL-CIO Advocates Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 12 to December 28. Clean Water Action & Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Michigan AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan Chamber Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. MIRS: Senate and House Legislators are scored on a number of bills selected by the editor of MIRS, a state capitol newsletter. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 13 to December 31. Clean Water Action & Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Michigan AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. MIRS: Senate and House Legislators are scored on a number of bills selected by the editor of MIRS, a state capitol newsletter. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].

In 2020, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 8 to December 31. Clean Water Action & Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Michigan AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Michigan State Legislature was in session from January 9 through December 31. Clean Water Action & Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. Michigan AFL-CIO Legislators are scored on labor issues. Michigan Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Michigan League of Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

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Michigan State Senate District 13

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Mallory McMorrow (D)	Michigan State Senate District 13 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by James Marleau (R)	Michigan State Senate District 12 2019-2023	Succeeded by Kevin Hertel (D)

[show]

Current members of the Michigan State Senate

Senators

District 1

Erika Geiss (D)

District 2

Sylvia Santana (D)

District 3

Stephanie Chang (D)

District 4

Darrin Camilleri (D)

District 5

Dayna Polehanki (D)

District 6

Mary Cavanagh (D)

District 7

Jeremy Moss (D)

District 8

Mallory McMorrow (D)

District 9

Michael Webber (R)

District 10

Paul Wojno (D)

District 11

Veronica Klinefelt (D)

District 12

Kevin Hertel (D)

District 13

Rosemary Bayer (D)

District 14

Sue Shink (D)

District 15

Jeff Irwin (D)

District 16

Joseph Bellino (R)

District 17

Jonathan Lindsey (R)

District 18

Thomas Albert (R)

District 19

Sean McCann (D)

District 20

Aric Nesbitt (R)

District 21

Sarah Anthony (D)

District 22

Lana Theis (R)

District 23

Jim Runestad (R)

District 24

Ruth Johnson (R)

District 25

Dan Lauwers (R)

District 26

Kevin Daley (R)

District 27

John Cherry (D)

District 28

Sam Singh (D)

District 29

Winnie Brinks (D)

District 30

Mark Huizenga (R)

District 31

Roger Victory (R)

District 32

Jon Bumstead (R)

District 33

Rick Outman (R)

District 34

Roger Hauck (R)

District 35

Vacant

District 36

Michele Hoitenga (R)

District 37

John Damoose (R)

District 38

Ed McBroom (R)

Democratic Party (19)

Republican Party (18)

Vacancies (1)