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Michigan State Senate

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Michigan State Senate
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General Information
Party control:  Republican
Session start:  January 8, 2025
Session end:  December 31, 2025
Term length:  4 years
Term limits:  2 terms (8 years)
Redistricting:  Legislative control
Salary:  $71,685/year + expenses
Members
Total:  38
Democrats:  19
Republicans:  18
Other:  0
Vacancies:  0
Leadership
President:  Garlin Gilchrist II (D)
Maj. Leader:  Winnie Brinks (D)
Min. Leader:  Aric Nesbitt (R)
Elections
Last election:  November 4, 2014
Next election:  November 6, 2018

The Michigan State Senate is the upper chamber of the Michigan State Legislature. Alongside the Michigan House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Michigan state government and works alongside the governor of Michigan to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Michigan State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

  • All 38 seats in the Michigan State Senate were up for election in 2018. Click to read more »
  • In the November 2014 elections, Republicans gained one seat and maintained control of the chamber. Republicans went from a 26-12 majority to a 27-11 majority.
  • Michigan currently operates under a Republican trifecta. Throughout the country, there are 21 states with a Republican trifecta. A total of 15 states have Democratic trifectas and 14 states are under divided government. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe a single-party government where one political party holds the governor's office and a majority in both chambers of the state legislature.

    • What you will find on this page

    This page contains information on the Michigan State Senate that is curated and updated by Ballotpedia staff. Click on the arrows (▼) below for information and research on party control, elections, members, legislation, sessions, procedures, committees, and districts.

    Party Control: current and historical information on party control of the Michigan State Senate

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Michigan State Senate as of November 2025:

    Party As of November 2025
         Democratic Party 19
         Republican Party 18
         Other 0
         Vacancies 1
    Total 38

    History of partisan control

    Democrats won a 20-18 majority in the Michigan State Senate in 2022, gaining control of the chamber for the first time since 1984.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Michigan Senate following every general election from 1990 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Michigan State Senate election results: 1990-2022

    Year '90 '94 '98 '02 '06 '10 '14 '18 '22
    Democrats 18 16 15 16 17 12 11 16 20
    Republicans 20 22 23 22 21 26 27 22 18

    Trifecta history

    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. Republicans in Michigan held a state government trifecta for 13 years between 1992 and 2017. The table below shows state government trifectas in Michigan from 1992 to 2017.

    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

    Elections: election data from 2000 to the present

    Elections

    Elections by year

    Michigan state senators serve four-year terms, with all seats up for election every four years. Michigan holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2026

    See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2026

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

    2022

    See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2022

    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.

    In the 2022 elections, Democrats gained the majority in the Michigan State Senate with 20-18.

    Michigan State Senate
    Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
         Democratic Party 16 20
         Republican Party 22 18
    Total 38 38

    2018

    See also: Michigan State Senate elections, 2018

    Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2018. The open primary election took place on August 7, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was April 24, 2018.[1]

    In the 2018 elections, the Republican majority in the Michigan State Senate was reduced from 27-10 to 22-16.

    Michigan State Senate
    Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
         Democratic Party 10 16
         Republican Party 27 22
         Vacancy 1 0
    Total 38 38

    Members: current leadership and membership list and information on salaries and qualifications

    Members

    Leadership

    The Lieutenant Governor serves as the presiding officer of the Senate, known as the President of the Senate. The president can only vote when there is a tie. In the absence of the President, the President Pro Tempore presides. The President Pro Tempore, Assistant President Pro Tempore, and Associate President Pro Tempore are elected by a vote of a majority of the Senators.[5][6]

    Current leadership and members

    Current members, Michigan State Senate (38)
    District Senator Party Assumed office
    1 Coleman Young II Democratic 2011
    2 Bert Johnson Democratic 2011
    3 Morris Hood Democratic 2011
    4 Ian Conyers Democratic 2016
    5 David Knezek Democratic 2015
    6 Hoon-Yung Hopgood Democratic 2011
    7 Patrick Colbeck Republican 2011
    8 Jack Brandenburg Republican 2011
    9 Steven Bieda Democratic 2011
    10 Tory Rocca Republican 2011
    11 Vincent Gregory Democratic 2011
    12 Jim Marleau Republican 2011
    13 Marty Knollenberg Republican 2015
    14 David Robertson Republican 2011
    15 Mike Kowall Republican 2011
    16 Mike Shirkey Republican 2015
    17 Dale Zorn Republican 2015
    18 Rebekah Warren Democratic 2011
    19 Mike Nofs Republican 2009
    20 Margaret O'Brien Republican 2015
    21 John Proos Republican 2011
    22 Joe Hune Republican 2011
    23 Curtis Hertel Democratic 2015
    24 Rick Jones Republican 2011
    25 Phil Pavlov Republican 2011
    26 Tonya Schuitmaker Republican 2011
    27 Jim Ananich Democratic 2013
    28 Peter MacGregor Republican 2015
    29 Dave Hildenbrand Republican 2011
    30 Arlan Meekhof Republican 2011
    31 Mike Green Republican 2011
    32 Ken Horn Republican 2015
    33 Judy Emmons Republican 2011
    34 Goeff Hansen Republican 2011
    35 Darwin Booher Republican 2011
    36 Jim Stamas Republican 2015
    37 Wayne Schmidt Republican 2015
    38 Tom Casperson Republican 2011

    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2024[7]
    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.

    Membership 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."

    Legislation: all legislation passed by the chamber in the current or most recent legislative session

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Michigan State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. Information on legislation provided below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. The tracker is fully interactive. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read its text in full and see its voting history. You can click the headings to sort the content in the column. You can also rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Finally, in the bottom-left corner of the tracker is a magnifying glass, which, when clicked, will allow you to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Sessions: legislative sessions dates, special sessions, and key events

    Sessions

    About legislative sessions in Michigan

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[8] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article IV of the Michigan Constitution establishes when the Michigan Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 13 of Article IV states that the legislature is to convene on the second Wednesday in January of each year. Section 13 gives the Legislature the power to determine its date of adjournment through concurrent resolution.

    Dates of legislative sessions in Michigan by year

    2025

    See also: 2025 Michigan legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

    In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2025, and adjourn on December 31, 2025.


    Procedures: rules and procedures for veto overrides, the budget, term limits, and vacancies

    Procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features it own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Michigan are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 74 of the 110 members in the Michigan House of Representatives and 26 of the 38 members in the Michigan State Senate. Michigan is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    Authority: Article IV, Section 33 of the Michigan Constitution.

    "Every bill passed by the legislature shall be presented to the governor before it becomes law, and the governor shall have 14 days measured in hours and minutes from the time of presentation in which to consider it. If he approves, he shall within that time sign and file it with the secretary of state and it shall become law. If he does not approve, and the legislature has within that time finally adjourned the session at which the bill was passed, it shall not become law. If he disapproves, and the legislature continues the session at which the bill was passed, he shall return it within such 14-day period with his objections, to the house in which it originated. That house shall enter such objections in full in its journal and reconsider the bill. If two-thirds of the members elected to and serving in that house pass the bill notwithstanding the objections of the governor, it shall be sent with the objections to the other house for reconsideration. The bill shall become law if passed by two-thirds of the members elected to and serving in that house."

    Role in state budget

    See also: Michigan state budget and finances
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    The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[20]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in August of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
    2. State agencies submit their requests to the governor in October.
    3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in February. Newly elected governors are allowed an additional 30 to 60 days after the legislature convenes.
    4. The legislature typically adopts a budget in June. The fiscal year begins October 1.

    Michigan is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[20][21]

    The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the state legislature is required to pass a balanced budget.[20]

    Term limits

    See also: State legislatures with term limits

    The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years.enators who have not served more than half of someone else's Senate term are eligible for two full terms (i.e. - eight years). Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.[22]

    The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    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.[23][24]

    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.[25]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Michigan Const. Art. 5, § 13

    Committees: role and list of current committees

    Committees

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Michigan State Senate has 22 standing committees:

    Districts: map of legislative districts and information on redistricting

    Districts

    See also: Michigan state legislative districts

    The state of Michigan has 148 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 38 districts and the state House has 110 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district. *The map below may be malfunctioning.*

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Michigan

    The state legislature has the power to redraw district boundaries. Changes to the boundaries are made in the form of regular legislation, which means the maps are subject to the Governor's veto. In 2010, the House and the Senate organized redistricting committees to handle drafting the maps. As a result of the 2010 elections, both chamber's of Michigan's legislature and Michigan's governorship were controlled by Republicans.

    2010

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Michigan's population fell from 9.94 million to 9.88 million between 2000 and 2010.[26] Michigan's U.S. Congressional delegation decreased in size from 15 to 14 seats.[27] A substantial population shift occurred from Detroit proper into the suburban areas.[28]

    The state legislature undertook a relatively private redistricting process.[29] A Republican-proposed plan passed with bipartisan support after the House made some changes to the Senate plan. Governor Rick Snyder signed the plan, Senate Bill 498, into law on August 9, 2011.

    Notably, the original Republican maps did not include a state senate district entirely within Detroit proper. Senate Democrats suggested some changes to the Detroit-area districts, which were then incorporated and sent to the House.

    See also

    Elections Michigan State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Michigan.gov, "2018 Michigan election dates," accessed November 9, 2017
    2. ↑ Follow the Money, "Michigan 2010 - Candidates," accessed September 3, 2014
    3. ↑ Follow the Money, "Michigan 2006 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    4. ↑ Follow the Money, "Michigan 2002 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
    5. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Senate Rules," accessed September 3, 2014 (Referenced Ch. 1, Sec. 1)
    6. ↑ Michigan Senate, "Michigan State Senate Officers," accessed September 3, 2014
    7. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
    8. ↑ Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    9. ↑ Michigan Radio, "Lawmakers return to Lansing Friday for special session," accessed April 25, 2020
    10. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Michigan Senate approves more tax breaks for businesses," March 29, 2017
    11. ↑ Michigan.gov, "Gov. Rick Snyder's statement regarding passage of Good Jobs legislation," July 12, 2017
    12. ↑ Fox2Detroit, "Snyder signs bill to give tax breaks for Michigan jobs," July 26, 2017
    13. ↑ MLive.com, "'Good Jobs' bills for new business tax incentives heads to governor," July 12, 2017
    14. ↑ MLive, "Q&A with Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof: Energy policy, prevailing wage repeal on agenda," January 20, 2015
    15. ↑ MLive, "Michigan Republicans making new push for prevailing wage repeal in state Legislature," January 15, 2015
    16. ↑ Crain's Detroit Business, "Mich. has nearly $1B more than expected for budget," January 10, 2014
    17. ↑ Detroit Free Press, "Michigan GOP puts tax break atop 2014 agenda, Bolger says," January 9, 2014
    18. ↑ South Bend Tribune, "Michigan Legislature starts tamer two-year session today," January 9, 2013
    19. ↑ MLive, "Gov. Rick Snyder signs Michigan business/income tax overhaul into law," May 25, 2011
    20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
    21. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
    22. ↑ michiganinbrief.org, "Term limits," accessed December 17, 2013
    23. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.178, Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed February 12, 2021
    24. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article 5, Section 13," accessed February 12, 2021
    25. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.634 (1)-(2), Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed May 22, 2014
    26. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "2010 Census: Michigan Profile," 2011
    27. ↑ The Hill, "Longtime Dem Reps. Levin and Dingell could face redistricting danger", December 22, 2010
    28. ↑ The Detroit News, "Black caucus preps for Michigan redistricting," March 25, 2011 (dead link)
    29. ↑ Livingston Daily, "Public could get early peek at district lines," May 18, 2011 (dead link)
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