Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says there will be a special election to fill the open 35th District State Senate Seat. The district — which includes Saginaw, Bay City and Midland — has been without representation in the Michigan Senate for over three months.
The seat was left open after their previous state senator Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2024 November election.
Constituents in the 35th District have called on Governor Gretchen Whitmer to declare a special election to fill the seat. In Michigan, special election dates are determined by the governor, and the Michigan Constitution outlines that special elections can be held in May, August and November.
While ice damage in northern Michigan last Thursday, Whitmer told WCMU that her team is still reviewing election dates.
"At some point there will be one, but I don't have an announcement to make yet," she said.
“I haven't made a determination yet,” she said. “There are a number of times in the year that we could call it for, and I just haven't made a decision yet, but I'll let you know as soon as, as soon as I do.”
The gap between McDonald Rivet’s resignation and a special election declaration is the longest of Whitmer’s tenure.
The Michigan Democratic Party has a one-seat majority in the state Senate. A win for the GOP would give both parties 19 seats, making Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist the tiebreaker vote.
The Democratic party lost the state House to the GOP in 2024. The Republicans hold a 58-52 majority.
The 35th is a swing district that voted for Democratic Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet and Republican President Donald Trump in the November election.
