There will be a third option for voters in the Great Lakes Bay Region for a high-stakes special election this May that could determine the balance of power in the State Senate.
At their annual convention in Midland on Saturday, delegates from the Libertarian Party of Michigan nominated Allie Sledz, a mom of three pursuing a master's degree from Midland. It's the 36 year old's first time running for office, and has a background in working for political campaigns.
Sledz will appear on the May 5 ballot in the 35th District state Senate race along side a to be determined Democrat and Republican.
Much of the attention of this race in the coming weeks will likely be drawn away from the Libertarian Party’s long-shot bid to occupy a seat in Lansing, as a combined ten Republicans and Democrats prepare to duke it out in the upcoming Feb. 3 primary.
According to Michigan election law, if a political party’s candidate receives less than 5% of the total votes in the previous Secretary of State election, the party, in this case the Libertarian Party, can nominate its candidates for general elections via caucuses or a nominating convention as opposed to holding a primary.
A Libertarian since the age of 19, Sledz said she believes in a political middle ground, where two parties don’t have to dominate the scene.
In an interview with WCMU, Sledz said she is a candidate who wants to help people, be available and meet them where they're at.
“That's what I feel like I'm good at,” Sledz said. “We [the district] haven't had a voice in months. The governor refused to call an election, and we haven't had a voice and that's a problem. So, who better to give a voice than me?”
It took Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 238 days to call this special election after U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, resigned the 35th District seat to take her job in Congress on Jan. 3, 2025, making it the longest Whitmer’s waited to call one of these races during her time as governor. Whitmer’s prolonged special election declaration faced opposition from both Republicans and Democrats in the months leading up to the election dates being settled.
What’s at stake?
All eyes will be on the 35th District come May 5 with control of the state Senate on the line. Democrats currently hold a slim 19-18 majority. A GOP victory would make Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist the tie breaking vote on legislation alongside a House of Representatives occupied by Republicans in the final months of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s time in office. Whitmer isn’t seeking reelection due to term limits.
A Libertarian has never been elected in the state legislature, but Sledz could make an impact if the race is a squeaker in the swing district.
In the last election for this seat in 2022, Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet defeated Republican Annette Glenn 53%-47%. But in the 2024 race for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, which encompasses the 35th District, Republican Paul Junge carried Midland and Bay counties while McDonald Rivet won Saginaw.
“I think there is absolutely a group of folks who will come out and put their flag down for a third party, knowing that they could tip the balance,” said David Takitaki, a political science professor at Ferris State University. “Sometimes it’s purely strategic on their part, even though they understand mathematically their chosen candidate third-party style is not going to win.”
Timothy Teagan, the Libertarian Party of Michigan's acting chair, said the party is growing more hopeful as they gain new members who want a change in political leadership. As of November 2025, they had 315 registered members, after gaining 59 new members in the last six months of data tracking, according to the party.
“We have seen the back and forth of the Republican and Democratic Party for decades,” Teagan said. “Having a third party, a more neutral party in between the two, in our government to any degree is only beneficial.”
Teagan said the Libertarians work as mediators, who more often than not represent the same values as those on either side of the party binary.
On the campaign trail
Sledz will campaign on a promise to ease the financial burdens on people in the 35th District. She plans to prioritize lowering taxes, which she said have become increasingly excessive.
“The tax on marijuana, I think, is completely wrong,” she said. “With the taxation that has to happen, it needs to be more succinct. I want very clear direction in where money is going.”
The aftermath of the 2020 floods in mid-Michigan continues to cause people financial stress after two special assessments were placed on property owners to pay for dam repairs. Sledz believes the former private owners of the dams should be funding the repairs, not the residents.
“Those people are now facing assessments that are driving them out of their homes,” she said. “We have to fix that.”
Although winning would be difficult, Sledz is confident that her “above board” approach to politics will inspire voters to try something new.
“We don't have the money that the big parties have,” Sledz said. “We just don't. You're not going to see me running ads on TV, but like you're more likely to see me out at the park chatting with people.”
Scott Boman, first vice chair the Libertarian Party of Michigan, said the nature of a special election will allow the party to focus their support and resources on Sledz, which he thinks will improve her chances of winning.
“It's ultimately the candidate herself who will determine how well she does,” Boman said. “She may actually be able to bring in a lot of local connections from her own district and may surprise people.”
Party officials expressed that even if Sledz doesn’t win the election, getting the Libertarian message and principles into the public view is a win in itself.
When a candidate is elected in the 35th District on May 5, the seat will have been vacant for nearly 500 days.
