April 24, 2026 | This Week in Government: Race for House Majority Begins to take Shape; GOP, Dems Both Confident

As the deadline for candidate filing passed on Tuesday, both the House Republican and House Democratic caucuses voiced confidence they have the people in place to claim majority in November.

Both parties had candidates filed in each of the state’s 110 districts as of the 4 p.m. deadline on Tuesday.

“Speaker Matt Hall and House Republicans have once again proven they are the most disciplined and effective political operation in Michigan,” Gustavo Portela said in a statement to Gongwer News Service on behalf of the House Republican Campaign Committee. “Filing a candidate in every single district is not just an organization win, it is a statement of strength, momentum, and confidence in the direction we are taking this state.”

Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou, D-East Lansing, who chairs the House Democratic Fund, expressed similar confidence.

“If the election were held today, our chances would be great,” she said. “If nothing changes radically before the election, I think that it will be a matter of how many seats that we pick up for the majority, and we are ready to field (our) candidates aggressively.”

Republicans hold a 58-52 seat majority, so Democrats would need to pick up four seats to reach the 56 members necessary to control the chamber.

Tsernoglou said House Democrats were prepared to defend the seats they currently have and pick up the seats they lost in 2024, such as the 27th District Downriver, the 58th House District in Macomb County, the 44th House District in Battle Creek and the 109th District in Marquette.

She also highlighted the 46th House District in the Jackson area and the 54th House District in Oakland County that Rep. Donni Steele, R-Orion, is vacating to run for Senate, as seats that the caucus feels are prime to flip.

Democrats, Portela said, have fielded candidates that stand against what voters want.

“Opposing responsible spending, weakening law and order, and failing to be strong on crime,” he said. “We have built a team focused on results and commonsense leadership.”

Portela said House Republicans were well-positioned to expand their majority.

“The winds are at our backs because we have delivered, recruited strong candidates, and earned the trust of voters,” he said.

This election, Tsernoglou said House Democrats will focus on the issues of affordability.

“We want Michigan to be a place where people can afford groceries, can afford gas, can afford health care, child care, housing,” she said. “As Democrats, we’ll focus on making all of those things attainable and possible for everyone.”

Tsernoglou acknowledged it was a shift from the focus of the 2024 election.

“In ’24, we focused a lot on reproductive rights, which we still, of course, support and champion,” she said. “But we are going to focus more on the basics, because right now, people are struggling, and we see that, and we want to change that.”

Tsernoglou said she was excited for campaign season to get underway.

“I’m even more excited to come back next year with a majority so that we can get to work and bring back good government,” she said.

Gongwer News Service reviewed filings for some of the most competitive House races this election cycle:

13th: Rep. Mai Xiong, D-Warren, has a new slate of Republicans angling for the chance to unseat her in the November election.

Xiong, a business owner, cruised to the House via special election with 65% of the vote in April 2024 but later that same year received 50.82% against the same Republican candidate under a wildly different looking district because of redistricting. She won by 4.6 points.

On the Republican side, Casey Armitage, president of Michigan Open Carry, Inc., a non-profit that advocates for gun rights, filed to run for the 13th House District on Tuesday.

Mark Foster, of St. Clair Shores, also filed to run as a Republican candidate late last week, but no additional information could be found about his campaign.

The final Republican candidate for the seat is Julie Leonardi, of Roseville, who works as a school bus driver. She also is involved with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, according to her campaign website.

20th: Hermon Barbe of West Bloomfield is hoping to take on Rep. Noah Arbit, D-West Bloomfield, in the 20th House District.

Barbe, who is in real estate, lost the Republican primary in the same seat in 2024. He will face a primary again in David Sullivan of Orchard Lake.

Arbit won by 6.5 points here in 2024, making it a tough hill for Republicans to climb.

22nd: The field is set for Rep. Matt Koleszar’s open seat in the 22nd House District.

Koleszar, D-Plymouth, is running for the Senate.

House Democrats have Lisa McIntyre, a member of the Northville School Board and a mental health care provider.

On the Republican side, middle school history teacher and pastor Casey Noce is hoping to flip the seat for the party.

Dynamics have changed during Koleszar’s time in the House with his district trending more Democratic. Still, although he won with 54% of the vote in 2022, that decreased slightly to 52% in 2024.

27th: The rematch in the 27th is set for November, with former Rep. Jaime Churches of Wyandotte looking to reclaim the seat Rep. Rylee Linting, R-Wyandotte, flipped in 2024.

Churches is a former schoolteacher who served one term in the House, and Linting graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2024 and served as the youth vice chair of the Michigan Republican Party before being elected to the House.

28th: Brownstown Township Supervisor Sherry Berecz is the Democrat set to take on Rep. Jamie Thompson of Brownstown Township in the 28^th House District. Berecz ran for a differently shaped Downriver district in 2016 and was the favorite, but lost by 2.2 percentage points to now-Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton.

Thompson has performed decisively in the district, but a local official for the Democrats offers the potential for a strong challenge.

31st: Democrats are hoping to retain their seat in the 31st with a new candidate.

Rep. Reggie Miller, D-Van Buren Township, who currently represents the district, did not file for reelection.

Shannon Dare Wayne, a member of the Milan City Council, has filed to run with the backing of both Miller and the House Democratic Caucus.

Wayne serves on the Michigan Technological University Board of Trustees and was appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2024. She has worked at Ford Motor Company for 30 years and is also an adjunct professor at Lawrence Technological University.

On the Republican side of the ticket, Laura Perry is running for the seat. According to her campaign website, Perry worked in the health care staffing industry for 9 years before purchasing her own sporting goods and custom decorated apparel shop. Perry has been running hard for almost a year, and in a district that has trended more Republican, the GOP has high hopes.

38th: Two Republicans have filed with the hopes of unseating Rep. Joey Andrews, D-St. Joseph.

Darren Fife, of Stevensville, was involved with Turning Point USA during his time at Grand Valley State University. He was a student there in 2024, but no further information could be found about his campaign.

Mark Krieger, of Bridgman, also filed to run in the 38th House district, but no further information could be found about his campaign.

Both Fife and Krieger filed to run on Monday. Given that Andrews rolled to a comfortable win in 2024, this is an uphill fight for Republicans.

44th: The battle for the 44th House District is already set, promising a rematch between former Rep. Jim Haadsma of Battle Creek and Rep. Steve Frisbie, R-Battle Creek.

Haadsma is a lawyer who served three terms in the House and is a former Calhoun County Commissioner. Frisbie is a former paramedic and also a former county commissioner. .

The race for the 44th House District seat in 2024 was the closest House race in the state, with Haadsma losing by a 79-vote margin.

46th: Jan Maino is the candidate House Dems hope will flip the 46th House District from red to blue.

Maino is president of the East Jackson School Board and a mental health therapist.

For the past two cycles, House Democrats have tried to put up a candidate to flip the seat, which was drawn to be 50/50 during redistricting, but to no avail. In 2024, Democrats had the Jackson mayor on the ballot and still weren’t able to win.

Maino is taking on Rep. Kathy Schmaltz, who is serving her second term in the House. Prior to running for office, Schmaltz was a news anchor and writer for WILX-TV and the associate news director for Lansing-area radio with WITL and WKAR.

54th: House Democrats are hoping Sarah Pounds, a paralegal out of Lake Orion, might be able to flip this seat being vacated by Rep. Donni Steele, R-Orion.. According to Pounds’ campaign website, she has spent her career working in construction litigation and community development. She also is a member of the Oakland Together Housing Trust Fund, the North Oakland Democratic Fund, and is presently an advisory on the Oakland County Neighborhood and Housing Development Citizens Advisory Committee.

Two Republicans have filed for the 54th.

Roman Gaskey, a recent college graduate, touts work experience in fundraising for startups, data analytics and market research in the health insurance industry and business strategy and analytics for an AI company on his campaign website. He also served on the Oxford Downtown Development Authority Economic Vitality Committee.

Former Oxford Township Trustee Jeffrey Ombtvedt is also running for the seat as a Republican. He was elected to the Oxford Township board in November 2024, but he submitted his resignation last April citing a personal matter. In 2024, he filed to run for the 66^th House District, which is currently held by Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford, but he ultimately withdrew from that race.

42nd: Two Democrats want to take on House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, in November.

The 42nd House District includes parts of Kalamazoo and Allegan counties, and Hall has won easily. In 2022, a good Democratic year, he won with 54% of the vote.

Nick Rowe, a retired Air Force combat pilot and aviation professor at Western Michigan University, is running along with Bill Korb, who is also a veteran and an IT professor.

On paper, this is still a Republican-tilting district – though not overwhelmingly so. In 202, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel all carried the seat.

Still, outside of pieces of Comstock and Cooper townships, there’s just not a lot of Democratic turf in the seat. Hall won by 10 points in 2022 and 15 points in 2024, so the Democratic nominee has an uphill fight, to put it mildly. Still, the Democrats would surely love nothing more than to harangue Hall and force him to spend time and money here.

Though that can backfire – Democrats spent a pile of money in 2012 trying to oust House Speaker Jase Bolger, who won anyway – and a lot of criticism was leveled at Democrats for wasting money.

48th: A rematch is brewing in the 48th House District. Rep. Jennifer Conlin, D-Ann Arbor, saw a surprisingly close race in 2024 and the Republican challenger is back for more.

Republican Brian Ignatowski of Lakeland, a small business owner, is running in the seat again and with no primary, has a straight shot to November.

55th: Rep. Mark Tisdel, R-Rochester Hills, is running again in the 55th House District that Democrats have long sought.

Alex Hawkins of Rochester may be the only candidate to go up against Tisdel as Rhonda Yates of Rochester Hills posted on Facebook she is withdrawing.

Hawkins is an Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer and Reserve Sheriff’s Deputy in Oakland County who originally planned to run for the U.S. House before switching his campaign to the Michigan House seat.

Yates, an educator and a nurse, in a statement on Facebook said she was withdrawing from the race for personal reasons. She still shows up as filed on the state’s website. The withdrawal deadline is Friday.

58th: Republican Rep. Ron Robinson of Utica is seeking a second term in the 58th House District after unseating a Democratic incumbent in 2024.

Two Democrats are vying for the chance to take him on. Tabu Gantt II of Sterling Heights is a robotics service technician. Katrina Manetta of Shelby Township is also running. Manetta is a community organizer focused on affordability.

Although Robinson flipped a once Democratic-held district, on paper this is a very tough flip for the Democrats, given the seat’s partisan leanings.

61st: In the 61st House District, Robert Wojtowicz is hoping for a rematch against Rep. Denise Mentzer, D-Mount Clemens, but first he’ll have to make it through a rematch in the Republican primary.

Mentzer is in her second term in the House. Prior to being elected, she worked for Macomb County and served on the Mount Clemens City Commission for multiple terms.

Wojtowicz, of Mount Clemens, is a member of the Chippewa Valley School Board. He ran in 2024 and lost to Mentzer with 49% of the vote.

The other Republican is the race is John Grossenbacher of Clinton Township. An IT consultant, he ran against Wojtowicz in the 2024 Republican primary for the 61^st House District.

The Department of State’s website shows another Democrat filed to run in the primary against Mentzer on Monday, Mahbube Khan, but no information could be found online about the candidate or the campaign.

76th: Two Republicans filed for the chance to challenge Rep. Angela Witwer, D-Delta Township, in the 76th House District.

Bill Kaiser, a Republican from Lansing, is a military veteran, entrepreneur, and the retired owner and operator of All Weather Mechanical, Inc., according to his campaign website. He also completed the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University.

The Department of State’s website also shows John Ludtke of Eaton Rapids filed as a Republican, but no information could be found about the candidate online.

Witwer, who is in her fourth term, has proven steady in navigating her 50/50 district.

83rd: Democratic Rep. John Fitzgerald of Wyoming saw a strong challenge in the 83rd House District from former Rep. Tommy Brann in 2024 and held on by a wide margin, even as Democrats had a less-than-stellar year.

Republicans are going to try again. This time, they have Cindy Ramirez of Grand Rapids, who is the daughter of a migrant worker, an alumna of Grand Rapids Community College and a factory worker.

84th: One of the bigger questions in the House in 2026 is if Republicans can make a move in the 84^th House District with Rep. Carol Glanville, D-Walker, hoping to jump to the Senate.

Unlike other Grand Rapids suburbs, Walker and Grandville remain Republican leaning.

Former U.S. Army medic Khristian Silvis is running for the Democrats and will see a primary from Justin Rackham, who unsuccessfully challenged Glanville in 2024.

Republicans have former president of the Grand Rapids City Commission Drew Jake Robbins.

86th: As West Michigan has become bluer during recent election cycles, House Democrats are hoping they’ll have a shot at unseating Rep. Nancy DeBoer, D-Holland.

DeBoer is in her second term in the House, and she previously founded the West Michigan Charter Council. Before that, she was a high school English teacher.

Joseph McClusky is the development and communications associate director at Holland Museum and previously worked as a campaign manager, according to his campaign website.

103rd: Republicans will no doubt try again in the 103rd House District covering Grand Traverse, Benzie and Leelanau counties. Rep. Betsy Coffia of Traverse City has proven herself formidable in the seat.

Northport Village Township Trustee Edwin Dean is running. Dean faced residency questions ahead of his election as a trustee.

109th: House Democrats are hoping to reclaim the 109th District seat that they held on to for so long as the final blue district in the Upper Peninsula, but Rep. Karl Bohnak, a former local meteorologist with strong name recognition and now an incumbent, could be a challenge to unseat.

Democrats have pushed forward Anna Aho Rink, of Negaunee, a former physician’s assistant at the Marquette Planned Parenthood before it closed, to run against Bohnak.

The candidate field was set on Tuesday for several key Senate seats that will determine control of the chamber, with most developing into competitive primary contests ahead of what are expected to be expensive general election battles.

At the top of the list of competitive seats up for grabs is the 12th Senate District seat, held by Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-Saint Clair Shores.

Hertel will see who emerges from a five-person Republican primary field to take on in November. Running for the GOP are Joseph Backus of Saint Clair Shores, Patrick Biange of Saint Clair Shores, John Goldwater of New Baltimore, former Algonac Mayor Eileen Tesch and Shelley Wright of Harrison Township.

One of the most closely watched tossup districts of this election will be the 30th Senate District.

Sen. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker, narrowly won the 30th district in 2022 by a few hundred votes. Democratic Rep. Carol Glanville of Walker is the favorite in her primary, in which she faces Richard Kruezer of Grand Rapids.

The 13th Senate District will also be a critical seat for Democrats to hold, with Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-West Bloomfield, choosing not to run for a third term. This Oakland County seat was one of the districts redrawn in Southeast Michigan that went from a strongly Democratic seat to an evenly split district on paper.

Democratic candidate Oakland County Deputy Executive Sean Carlson and former Republican Rep. Ryan Berman, both of Commerce Township, are most likely to meet in the general election in the 13th. Also running for the Democrats is DC Anderson of Commerce Township and Cecil George of New Hudson.

Sen. Veronica Klinefelt, D-Eastpointe, faces a primary challenge in her bid for a second term in the 11th Senate District. She faces Alysha Johnson of Roseville and Joseph Hunt of Warren. The winner will face Johnnie Townsend of Sterling Heights in the general election. The district was redrawn and has become more decidedly Democratic.

Another hugely important seat for Republicans to hold is the 9th Senate District, held by Sen. Michael Webber of Rochester Hills. He will face the winner of the three-person Democratic primary field. Democrats have Oakland County Commissioner Brendan Johnson of Rochester Hills facing Troy City Councilmember Theresa Brooks and Renis Nushaj, a founding partner at the Troy Law Center.

In the 4th Senate District, Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, is seeking to hold a seat which has a slight Democratic lean. He will face Republican Marcie Grzywacz, a critical care nurse and member of the Rockwood City Council.

A final key competitive district is one that has been vacant for more than a year and will be filled in next month’s special election: the 35th Senate District. Democratic candidate Chedrick Greene and Republican candidate Jason Tunney, both of Saginaw, are running. The winner in this lean Democratic district on May 5 to fill the seat for the remainder of the year will try to hold the seat in November against the other.

Open seats: With significant turnover largely due to term limits, there are several open seats that lean strongly to one party where there will be competitive primaries.

1st Senate District: A competitive Democratic primary is set between former Rep. Abraham Aiyash and Justin Onwenu, both of Detroit. The winner will face Republican candidate Patrick O’Connell of Ecorse. The district is heavily Democratic and consists of parts of Detroit, Ecorse, River Rouge and Wyandotte.

2nd Senate District: The winner of the contest between Rep. Erin Byrnes of Dearborn and Abbas Alawieh of Dearborn will face Dearborn Heights Republican Harry Sawicki in November. The district is made up of Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and parts of Allen Park and Detroit.

3rd Senate District: Easily the most crowded Democratic primary contest of the cycle is this Detroit district. The Democratic race is headlined by John Conyers III, former Sen. Adam Hollier and former Rep. LaTanya Garrett. The remaining candidates who filed were Mohammad Alam; LeJuan Council; Korey Hall; Kimberly Hill Knott; Toinu Reeves; Abraham Shaw; and Eboni Taylor. A lone Republican, Mark Ashley Price, is also running.

5th Senate District: Rep. Matt Koleszar of Plymouth is the favorite in this strongly Democratic district, which consists of Canton, Garden City, Inkster, Plymouth, Plymouth Township and Westland in Wayne County. Koleszar will face Republican Estelle Oliansky of Plymouth Township.

7th Senate District: Rep. Jason Hoskins of Southfield headlines a three-person Democratic primary against Shadia Martini of Bloomfield Hills and Rakesh Ramakrishnan of Birmingham. The winner of the primary will face Bloomfield Hills Republican Anthony Paesano. The district is strongly Democratic and consists of all or parts of Auburn Hills, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Pontiac and Southfield.

10th Senate District: Rep. Natalie Price of Berkley, Amanda Treppa of Royal Oak, and Mark Murphy Jr. of Oak Park are set to face off in the Democratic primary in this district. The winner will face Republican Michelle Nard of Warren in the general election in this strongly Democratic district consisting of parts of multiple communities in the Macomb and Oakland counties.

15th Senate District: Democratic former Rep. Felicia Brabec of Ann Arbor will face Michael White, a U.S. Army veteran from Ypsilanti, in the primary. The winner of the Democratic primary in this solidly Democratic district will face Jason Rogers of Saline in the general election. Rogers ran unsuccessfully for the 33^rd House District in 2024.

19th Senate District: Democratic Rep. Julie Rogers of Kalamazoo will be facing Republican Shaun Young of Kalamazoo. The district has steadily been trending toward Democrats and is a likely Democratic seat.

20th Senate District: Three Republicans are seeking to replace term-limited Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt: Curtis Clark of Allegan, Kenny Clevenger of South Haven and Chris Moraitis of Paw Paw. The winner will face Paw Paw Democrat Dale Murney in this strongly GOP seat that is made up of parts of Allegan, Berrien, Kent and Van Buren counties.

22nd Senate District: Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy, of Howell, is the favorite for the Republicans in this strongly GOP district and seems to have clinched this seat on filing day with no Republican opposition. He faces Democratic candidate Robert Hower of Brighton. The seat is made up of Livingston County as well as parts of Genesee, Ingham, Oakland and Shiawassee counties.

23rd Senate District: Republican Rep. Donni Steele of Orion is the favorite in this strongly GOP district and faces Daniel Lawless of White Lake in the GOP primary. The winner will face the winner of the Democratic primary, either Margarette Gupta of Oakland Township or Greg Hill of Oxford in November.

24th Senate District: This race will feature a rematch between Republican Rep. Doug Wozniak and Republican former Rep. Terence Mekoski, both of Shelby Township. Wozniak, who was serving in the House, defeated Mekoski in a special Senate primary in 2021. Mekoski then won election to the House in a special election before Wozniak then ran for the House again in 2022 to avoid a Senate primary and defeated Mekoski again. The two now face each other again for the Senate. Democrats running for the seat are Frank Borsellino and Edlira Sako, both of Clinton Township.

25th Senate District: Former Rep. Andrew Beeler of Port Huron and former Rep. Gary Eisen of St. Clair will headline a four-person Republican primary in this strongly GOP district, along with John Mahaney of Port Huron and Randy Schultz of Mussey. The winner will face Democratic candidate April Osentoski of Bad Axe.

26th Senate District: Five Republicans are facing off in this strongly GOP district to fill the open seat: Daltson Atwell of Birch Run, Rep. Matthew Bierlein of Vassar, James Graham of Saginaw, Gabriel Lossing of Fostoria and Burton City Councilmember Candice Miller. Three Democrats are also running: Martin Cousineau of Genesee, John Hall of Millington and Brendan Johnson of Saginaw. The district includes Lapeer County as well as parts of Genesee, Saginaw and Tuscola counties. Outgoing Sen. Kevin Daley, R-Lum, is backing Lossing.

28th Senate District: Four Democrats are running for this lean Democratic district to replace Sen. Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, including two Ingham County Commissioners, Robert Pena of Lansing and Mark Polsdofer of Okemos. The other Democrats are Rashida Harrison of Lansing and Ted Kilvington of Williamston. The lone Republican is Julie DeRose of DeWitt.

29th Senate District: In this strongly Democratic Kent County district, three candidates are running to succeed Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks: former Kent County Commissioner Ivan Diaz, East Grand Rapids City Commissioner Abbie Groff-Blaszak and Rep. Phil Skaggs. The winner will face Republican candidate Brady Middleton.

31st Senate District: Former gubernatorial and congressional candidate Michael Markey of Grand Haven headlines the Republican primary field in this strongly GOP district. He faces Kevin Maas of Holland and John Wetzel of Grand Haven. Chris Kleinjans of Holland and Keagan Host of Hudsonville are running for the Democrats. The district includes parts of Allegan and Ottawa counties.

32nd Senate District: A district that tilts Republican where Sen. Jon Bumstead, R-North Muskegon, is term limited, this race features heavy favorite Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole of Ludington and perennial candidate Max Riekse of Fruitport in a primary contest. Rebecca Amidon of Manistee is running for the Democrats. The district consists of Benzie, Mason and Oceana counties and parts of Manistee and Muskegon counties.

33rd Senate District: A four-candidate primary is set in this strongly Republican district to replace Sen. Rick Outman, R-Six Lakes. Rep. Joseph Fox of Fremont, Rep. Gina Johnsen of Portland, Kent County Commissioner Katie DeBoer of Greenville and Tom Norton of Ada are running for the GOP, while the lone Democratic candidate is Stan Opal of White Cloud.

38th Senate District: A three-person Republican primary is set in this western Upper Peninsula district, with Rep. David Prestin of Cedar River, former Rep. Beau LaFave of Ironwood and Kayla Wikstrom of Perkins facing off. Democrats running are Chris Mapps of Quinnesec and Kelli Van GinHoven of Escanaba. A wild card in this race is former Democratic Rep. Sara Cambensy of Marquette, who is running as an independent.

Several incumbents are up for reelection, but many are facing primary challenges.

6th Senate District: Sen. Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford Township, will face a primary opponent: Stephen Jensen of Redford. The winner will face Redford Republican Joi Pokerwinski in a strongly Democratic district consisting of Detroit’s westside neighborhoods as well as Redford and Redford Township.

8th Senate District: Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, faces a primary as well, from Dean Wojtowicz of Farmington Hills. The primary winner will face the winner of a Republican primary between Keneth Massey of Farmington Hills and Jody White of Livonia. As redrawn, the district leans Democratic. It consists of Farmington, Farmington Hilla, Livonia and Novi.

14th Senate District: Democratic Sen. Sue Shink of Northfield Township faces Republican Tawn Beliger of South Lyon in her campaign for a second term. Beliger ran unsuccessfully in the GOP primary for the 48th House District in 2024. Shink is likely favored in his Democratic-leaning district that consists of parts of Jackson and Washtenaw counties.

16th Senate District: In this strongly Republican district, Sen. Joseph Bellino of Monroe is running for a final term. The district includes parts of Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties. His Democratic opponent is Deandre Barnes of Newport.

17th Senate District: Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Coldwater, has three Democrats vying to win the nomination to run against him in the fall: Ashleigh Baker of Marcellus, Mike Jones of Niles and Brett Muchow of Buchanan. Lindsey should easily win this strongly GOP district consisting of Berrien, Branch, Cass, and St. Joseph counties as well as parts of Calhoun, Hillsdale and Jackson counties.

18th Senate District: Republican Sen. Thomas Albert of Lowell will face Democratic candidate Anthony Pennock of Battle Creek. The district is strongly Republican turf, consisting of Barry County and parts of Allegan, Calhoun, Ionia, Kalamazoo and Kent counties.

21st Senate District: Lansing Sen. Sarah Anthony is running for another term in this strongly Democratic, Lansing-based district. She will face Republican candidate Josh Burns of Mason in what is an expected easy Democratic hold.

27th Senate District: Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint, is the favorite to win another term in this strongly Democratic Genesee County district where he faces Flushing Township Trustee Bill Bain.

34th Senate District: Republican Sen. Roger Hauck of Mount Pleasant is seeking a final Senate term and will face Rhonda Lange of Reed City in a primary. She served on the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. Tyler Landgraf of Chippewa Lake is the lone Democrat in the race.

36th Senate District: Republican Sen. Michele Hoitenga of Manton is expected to easily win another term in this strongly GOP district against Democratic candidate Mark Yonkman of Boon.

37th Senate District: Republican Sen. John Damoose of Harbor Springs will face one of two Democrats in the fall: Kate Gallup of Maple City and Mitchell Treadwell of Traverse City. The district has a strong Republican lean.

House Republicans are rolling out their plan to cut property taxes and utility bills, seemingly with the hope of giving vulnerable members something to campaign on during an election year, but that plan comes tie barred to a bill that would apply a 6% tax on yet to be defined services.

The plan would cut $5 billion in property taxes and reduce utility bills by $1 billion statewide, House Republicans say.

The proposal includes HB 5873, HB 5874, HB 5875, HB 5876, HB 5877, HB 5878, HB 5879, and HB 5880. The last bill would extend the 6% sales tax to “covered services,” though it is not clear what those would be.

House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, has floated expanding the sales tax on what he calls luxury services to balance the cuts on property taxes.

Most of the bills in the package are sponsored by House Republicans in swing districts with potential to flip.

HB 5878, which would eliminate the personal property tax, is sponsored by Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford, who could have a legitimate primary challenge, and HB 5580, the bill that contains the tax increase, is sponsored by Rep. Luke Meerman, R-Coopersville, who is not seeking reelection.

Schriver won a quiet, if crowded, Republican primary to his strongly Republican 66th District in 2022. But a series of controversies led to a challenge in the 2024 Republican primary, but that came from someone who had never held local office in the district. This year, he’s being challenged by Oxford Township Trustee Catherine Colvin.

HB 5873 eliminates the state education tax on property. It’s sponsored by Rep. Steve Frisbie, R-Battle Creek. Frisbie, who flipped his seat in 2024, will face a rematch with former Rep. Jim Haadsma, also of Battle Creek, in the 44th House District during the November election. This race was the closest in the House in 2024, with Haadsma losing by 79 votes.

HB 5874 would repeal the real estate transfer tax. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Rylee Linting, R-Wyandotte. Linting also flipped her district in 2024, and she will similarly face a rematch against former Rep. Jaime Churches, also of Wyandotte.

HB 5875 is sponsored by Rep. Karl Bohnak of Deerton. He flipped the Upper Peninsula’s 109^th District in 2024, which Republicans had long chased, and Democrats had long regarded as the last blue bastion in upper Michigan. The bill would modify current statute regarding downtown development authorities to reflect the repeal of the real estate transfer tax contained in HB 5874.

“This historic property tax cut will mean the world for U.P. residents,” Bohnak said in a press release. “Being in Lansing has shown me that government has way too much of our hard-earned dollars. This proposal takes that money out of Lansing’s hands and puts it back where it belongs – with U.P. families and workers.”

HB 5876 would modify current tax law to reflect the repeal of the state real estate transfer tax. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Tom Kuhn, R-Troy. The 57th House District could be a competitive seat, though it tilts Republican, and Kuhn is well established.

HB 5877, sponsored by Rep. Ron Robinson, R-Utica, would modify probate law to reflect the repeal of the real estate transfer tax. Robinson, who unseated a Democratic incumbent in 2024, is seeking a second term in the 58th House District. Although the seat has potential to flip, it would be difficult for Democrats, because the district leans red.

“There should never be a penalty for buying or selling your own home,” Robinson said in a press release. “Eliminating this tax means more money stays in your pocket at closing, giving ordinary working families a better shot at affording a home and putting down roots in their community.”

HB 5879 is sponsored by Rep. Jamie Thomspon, R-Brownstown Township. The bill would require public utilities to reduce residential rate in correlation to personal property tax savings. Thompson is being challenged in the 28th District by Brownstown Township Supervisor Sherry Berecz, a Democrat. Berecz ran for a differently shaped Downriver district in 2016 and was the favorite but lost by 2.2 percentage points to now-Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton.

“I talk with people virtually every day in Monroe and Wayne counties about the high cost of living,” Thompson said in a press release. “If we are serious about making Michigan affordable again and keeping workers and families from struggling paycheck to paycheck, we must tackle the issues that are impacting people’s budgets. Two areas where people are feeling a lot of strain are energy costs and being able to afford or stay in their home. These new, comprehensive plans will lower property taxes and reduce monthly bills.”

HB 5880 would add a 6% tax to services, though it is not clear what services would be included. The bill is tie-barred to all the other bills in the package, and is sponsored by Meerman, who announced earlier this year he would not seek reelection.

Sen. Jim Runestad, chair of the Michigan Republican Party, said although he supported property tax cuts, he was not a fan of applying a sales tax to services.

“There needs to be property tax relief,” he said. “Permanent tax relief on property is imperative … people feel they are literally being taxed out of their homes.”

Rather than funding those tax cuts through a tax on services, Runestad said he’d rather see the Legislature approach it through the lens of reducing government waste, fraud and abuse.

Runestad said he also thought some of the money from the lapsed Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund could be used, not only to backfill some department budgets but to fund a property tax cut.

“It’s a real big issue,” he said. “But Democrats are more interested in tax increases, so I’m not sure there will be will in the Senate.”

The slashed Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity House budget proposal would move more funds toward legislative projects and small businesses.

The House Appropriations Labor and Economic Opportunity Subcommittee reported HB 5610, which would cut the department’s budget by $278.9 million ($115.2 million in General Fund), a 16% overall budget cut from last year’s budget of $1.7 billion.

The budget would also cut 196 positions from the department. Just like many of the budget proposals, the information technology budget would also be cut by $17.3 million ($425,000 in General Fund).

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed a $1.6 billion budget, down 2.8% from the current year’s enacted budget. The governor’s proposal calls for $181.2 million General Fund, which would be a 16.2% decline. Her budget focuses on $100 million in restricted funds for site readiness.

The House budget would provide more funds for legislative spending projects through a new Legislative Spending Transparency Fund that would receive the lapsed funds from the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund, providing $145.3 million of those funds for one-time allocation.

Chair Rep. Nancy Jenkins-Arno, R-Clayton, told Gongwer News Service that the $145 million was the House’s goal on legislative spending projects.

Boilerplate language on this would also require $206.7 million in SOAR funds to be lapsed into the General Fund.

Previously, the MEDC said there was around $600 million left in SOAR after its sunset last budget season. The Legislature must approve moving funds out of that pot.

Jenkins-Arno said the move was to prove “an overall switch over of their priorities” to put more emphasis on helping Michigan businesses. The grants do not have any requirements yet on size of businesses.

The House is also looking to reinstate the Going Pro program in the budget, contrary to Whitmer’s recommendation. Funding for Going Pro was cut for the current fiscal year, to $22.3 million in one-time funding, while another $22.9 million in General Fund was eliminated. The reduced funding came following the House’s initial proposal to completely eliminate funding for the program.

The House proposes $40 million of state restricted funds for the program.

“I want to make Michigan one of the most, if not the most productive state in the nation, and we have to have a trained workforce in order to accomplish that,” Jenkins-Arno said.

She hoped Whitmer will come to a consensus with funding the program during negotiations.

The budget proposal also switched out the Business Attraction and Community Revitalization, which lost all its General Fund last budget but was recommended for $59.4 million from the governor, for $40.4 million of 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund dollars.

The trust has around $75 million overall in funds.

Other than the business attraction funds, other House line-item removals, totaling in a $109.7 million cut, included $3.7 million from the Arts and Cultural Program, $41.9 million from the Office of Global Michigan, and $1.5 million General Fund from the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification.

Pure Michigan also saw major movement of its funds, with the removal of all its $16 million in General Fund and replaces it with the 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund, plus $3 million.

The budget also removed $88.5 million of one-time General Fund in one-time appropriations from last year, while the executive recommendation suggested a $77.4 million cut. The additional programs from the House included $1 million for the Michigan Offense of Defense and Aerospace Innovation and $1.5 million for museum support.

In boilerplate, the House suggested the department maintain a “department scorecard” to track key metrics, would continue reporting from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and deleted language to authorize the Unemployment Insurance Agency from hiring up to 250 limit-term employees.

Rep. Jasper Martus, D-Flushing, raised his concerns on the number of positions cut, not wanting to get rid of jobs if it is just taking longer to fill the positions.

The bill was reported out 3-0 with Martus abstaining.

The Senate’s proposed budget for the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity focused on the implementation of federal Medicaid requirements, leaving out popular programs and recommendations such as Going Pro and site readiness grants.

The Senate Appropriations LEO and MEDC Subcommittee reported an overall budget of $1.67 billion ($215.4 million in General Fund), with a decrease of $63.7 million ($788,700 in General Fund). The bill, SB 870, was reported on party lines, 5-2.

The proposal is comparable to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposal of $1.7 billion overall, down 2.8% from the current year’s enacted budget. The governor’s proposal calls for $181.2 million General Fund, which would be a 16.2% decline. The reductions resulted not from cuts to programming but the removal of $88.5 million in one-time funds, which the Senate budget proposal also called for, in mostly earmarks and grants that were not intended to continue.

One of the notable pieces missing from the budget was the Going Pro program, a popular program left out of the executive recommendation. The House LEO budget reported Tuesday allocated $40 million in state restricted funds.

Chair Sen. Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford Township, told reporters after the subcommittee that she believed Going Pro was a good program, but based on the lack of investment she was seeing in the last year and a deep dive on who it was helping, including how many of those workers were staying in Michigan, there’s a lot more work needed in how the state directs the program.

“I think that’s a great program, but I also think it gives money to the businesses, so it trickles down to the workers, and I just think that a trickle-down effect right now is not what’s going to help and sustain people above water during this troubling time,” Cavanagh said.

The Michigan Manufacturers Association released a statement after the budget was reported, raising concerns about the program’s absence amid workforce challenges in retaining qualified talent.

“We are disappointed that the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee did not include funding for the Going PRO Talent Fund in its budget proposal,” Mike Johnston, MMA executive vice president of government affairs and workforce development, said in a statement. “This program delivers real results for Michigan workers and employers, helping fill critical skills gaps and supporting the kind of high wage, advanced manufacturing jobs that drive support families and drive our economy forward.”

Going Pro was cut in the current fiscal year to $22.3 million in one-time funding, while another $22.9 million in General Fund was eliminated.

Also not included in the budget proposal was Whitmer’s recommendation was the $150 million in Strategic Site Readiness funds. Last year’s budget cut Critical Industry Program and readiness appropriations in the boilerplate alongside the sunsetting of the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund.

In fact, the Senate’s proposal did not touch the SOAR funds at all. The House’s proposal would use around $145 million in SOAR funds for legislative spending projects. Boilerplate language on this would also require $206.7 million in SOAR funds to be lapsed into the General Fund.

In lieu of not including site readiness funds, Cavanagh said she has looked at the SOAR funds as it moves towards lapse, with around $600 million in that pot, for their “hardest hit” in the future facing a big budget deficit, as it could just keep growing.

She said watching the implementation of the federal budget bill on Medicaid will be key to what they decide to do with those funds.

In response to the House’s proposal for the SOAR fund, Cavanagh said it seems like it’s just “a big slush fund for a lot of legislators” to put money back into their districts, criticizing the transparency behind the process.

She said they are going to need a reason as to why it’s an umbrella amount of money if the House doesn’t direct it to the Department of Health and Human Services, housing or workers.

The budget does include $60 million for business attraction grants, something the House proposal swapped out for small business support in its proposal. However, this would be a one-time allocation from the General Fund instead of from the 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund.

That fund, under the Senate proposal, would be transferred to DHHS.

“We wanted to make sure to directly help our constituents, and so that’s where we kind of reappropriated the dollars, but we also didn’t want to lose that lifeline that we’ve been building for the last four years for our small businesses right in our communities,” Cavanagh said.

Cavanagh said the support from the grants is in response to possible crises for small businesses in the future, including tariff effects and increased health care for workers.

Under the House proposal, the 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund would go toward small business supports as well as extra funding for Pure Michigan.

The Senate proposal also rolled back funding for Pure Michigan from $16 million in General Fund to $9 million in local funds.

The proposal also included Medicaid and SNAP work assistance with two positions and $15 million for Michigan Works! agencies. The Senate would be pulling from the rainy day fund. The House also included $15 million for this, but zero positions.

The Senate included a few items the House did not, including $1 million for the Office of Global Michigan, $1.5 million for the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification and $10 million for the Arts and Cultural Program.

It also included $60 million for the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund, tossing $10 million on top of ongoing funding of $50 million in restricted funds. This was one request made to the subcommittee previously by Michigan State Housing Development Authority Executive Director Amy Hovey for employer-assisted housing.