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Democrats in Michigan keep state Senate majority with special election win

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by Sarah Fortinsky - 05/05/26 10:35 PM ET

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by Sarah Fortinsky - 05/05/26 10:35 PM ET

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Democrat Chedrick Greene is projected to win the special state Senate race in Michigan, according to Decision Desk HQ, preserving his party’s narrow majority in the chamber.

With Greene’s projected victory in the 35th District, Democrats’ advantage expands from 19-18 to 20-18, easing their path to advance legislation.

Democrats won a governing trifecta in 2022, taking control of the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. But the party lost the state House in 2024 and has held a one-seat majority in the Senate since.

The district traditionally leans Democratic, but Republicans eyed the vacant seat in hopes of tying control in the Senate. While the Democratic lieutenant governor could break a 19-19 tie, Republicans would have been able to withhold votes to prevent Democrats from reaching the 20-vote threshold required to pass legislation.

The district — which includes parts of Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties — has been vacant for 16 months, since Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet was sworn into office as a U.S. congresswoman in January 2025 after her election in November 2024.

Greene, a firefighter from Saginaw and former state Senate aide to McDonald Rivet, is expected to serve the final eight months of his predecessor’s term before running as the incumbent in the regular August primary.

Greene faced Republican Jason Tunney, an attorney from Saginaw and former executive of his family’s roofing company, and Libertarian Ali Sledz, who described herself as an Army wife and mother of three from Midland, pursuing a master’s in clinical counseling.

While President Trump carried all three counties the district spans, the portions within the district are more competitive. McDonald Rivet won the seat with 53 percent of the vote in 2022, while former Vice President Harris edged out Trump in 2024, 49.7 percent to 48.9 percent.

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