Brandell Adams, chair of the Saginaw County Democratic Party is officially running for state Senate, but his district is still awaiting a special election date from the governor.
Adams, a former Bridgeport Township trustee, announced his candidacy for Michigan’s 35th state Senate District, which includes portions of Saginaw, Bay and Midland counties. The seat has been vacant since early January, when then state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet stepped down to join Congress.
“I’m running to make sure Mid-Michigan’s concerns are finally heard in the state Senate,” Adams said in a statement.
Adams is the second Democrat to launch a campaign, joining a growing field of candidates from both parties. Democrat and current president of the Michigan State Board of Education Pamela Pugh and Republican Chadwick Twillman have announced runs for the seat.
Adams said his campaign will focus on empowering the working class, from union members to family farmers, and bringing back investment to what was once a key manufacturing region. Adams cites his experience in local government, where he said he backed balanced budgets and supported growth in Bridgeport Township.
“It’s time to send a fighter to Lansing – someone who won’t settle for business as usual, but will deliver real results for working families and build a future our children can thrive in,” he said.
Adams said the months-long vacancy helped motivate his campaign. It’s now been over 200 days since McDonald Rivet’s resignation, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has not yet called a special election, a delay that has prompted calls for action from both Democratic and Republican leaders.
Whitmer has said a special election will happen but has not provided a date.
“There are a number of times in the year that we could call it for, and I just haven’t made a decision yet,” she told WCMU in April. Michigan law allows special elections to be held in May, August or November.
The governor’s office has faced increasing pressure to act. In June, Attorney General Dana Nessel said she believes Whitmer should move forward with a special election.
“I think that the people of that Senate district deserve to be represented,” Nessel told WCMU.
The 35th is considered a swing district and the result could shift the balance of power in the state Senate, where Democrats currently hold a narrow 19-18 majority.
In February, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) said the governor was delaying the election.
“The Republicans can win, and the governor, for purely political reasons, is trying to prevent us from having representation in this district,” he said.
The governor's office didn't respond to our request for comment.
