Gov. Gretchen Whitmer calls special election for state Senate seat that could split Michigan chamber

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called a special election Friday for a state Senate seat that has been vacant for nearly nine months, setting up a contest that could let Republicans hobble Whitmer’s agenda in the Democrat’s final year in office.

The 35th Senate District has been unrepresented in the Legislature all year after its former lawmaker, Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November. Democrats now hold a slim 19-18 majority in the chamber, and a GOP victory could give Republicans the ability to block Democratic policy in Whitmer’s last months as governor, since she is term limited and cannot run again.

Republicans have repeatedly slammed Whitmer, who has the sole power to call an election to fill the seat, for leaving the district without a state senator. Even some state Democrats had started calling for the governor to set dates on an election in the past month.

Whitmer has largely dodged an explanation for why she hadn’t set dates for an election, and her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

The primary is set for Feb. 3, 2026, and the general election will be held May 5, according to the governor’s office. That means the district will be without representation in the Senate for nearly a year and a half by the time it is filled.

“After months of unrelenting pressure from Republicans Governor Whitmer has come to her senses and realized denying the people of her state the right to vote is not going to help with her Presidential aspirations,” state Senate minority Leader Aric Nesbitt said in a post on X. Nesbitt is running to replace Whitmer in the 2026 gubernatorial election.

The 35th Senate District includes the city of Saginaw and the Bay City region of Michigan on Lake Huron. Republicans and critics of Whitmer’s inaction have said the Democratic governor was avoiding calling an election to keep the Democratic majority in the Senate.

The Legislature is already split, with Republicans winning a majority in the state House of Representatives in November. The result has been extraordinary inaction in the Legislature this year. Only 12 bills have been signed into law and the state is staring down a potential government shutdown if lawmakers and Whitmer do not agree on a budget by Oct. 1.

If the parties are tied for Senate control next year, Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II could act as a tiebreaking vote. But legislation requires a majority of sitting lawmakers, meaning Republicans could block legislation by withholding a vote.

In 2022, McDonald Rivet won the seat by about seven points. Adrian Hemond, a Michigan Democratic strategist, said the area is traditionally a Democratic stronghold but has been shifting to the right in recent years.

“As far as Democrats’ chances in this district, it’s going to come down to candidate quality,” he said.

Pressure ramped up on Whitmer in the past month, with a group of residents suing the governor over the vacancy.

Earlier this week in a highly watched special election for a state Senate seat in Iowa, a Democrat won in a district that had been held by Republicans and had voted heavily for President Donald Trump in 2024. National Democrats hope the victory is a good omen for their chances in 2026 races.