Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sets dates for key state Senate special election

Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Aug 29, 2025

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LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced dates Friday for a special election for a long vacant seat in the state Senate, setting the stage for a battleground race next year that could shift power within the halls of the state Capitol.

Former state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, was sworn in as a member of the U.S. House on Jan. 3, leaving the 35th District seat in the state Senate empty. It's been vacant for 238 days, drawing criticism from Republicans who've contended that Whitmer was attempting to protect Democrats' 19-18 majority in the Senate.

Under Michigan law, it's up to the governor to decide when to call a special election when a vacancy in the Legislature occurs.

Whitmer said Friday the primary election will take place Feb. 3 and the general election will occur May 5. Major party candidates will have until Sept. 30 to file to run for the seat.

"Please initiate the procedures required under Michigan law to accomplish this call for a special election," Whitmer wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

The announcement came three days after a Democratic won a special election for a state Senate in Iowa, flipping a seat there that had been held by Republicans. Meanwhile, Whitmer was also facing a lawsuit from voters who had argued that the governor had a constitutional duty to call the election for the Senate seat in Michigan.

Over the last nine months, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, who's running to be Michigan's next governor, repeatedly criticized Whitmer for delaying the setting of election days to fill the vacancy.

"After months of unrelenting pressure from Republicans, Gov. 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," Nesbitt wrote Friday on social media.

Michigan's 35th Senate District includes portions of Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties. McDonald Rivet, a former Bay City commissioner, won the seat in 2022 by 6 percentage points over Republican former state Rep. Annette Glenn, 53%-47%.

If Republicans are able to flip the seat, the partisan breakdown in the Senate would be 19-19.

While Democrats would maintain leadership in the Senate and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, a Democrat, would have the tie-breaking vote if there's a 19-19 tally, Republicans would effectively have veto power by being able to withhold a vote to prevent a tie and Gilchrist's ability to weigh in.

In a statement, Senate Democratic Campaign Chairman Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, welcomed the upcoming special election.

"It’s an opportunity to show our Republican colleagues, from Donald Trump down to Lansing, that their agenda is out of step with Michigan families," Camilleri said. "Republicans have voted to cut funding to schools and healthcare all while continuously siding with special interests over working people.

"This election will be a chance to hold them accountable and keep Michigan moving forward."

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