Chedrick Greene wins Michigan special election, ensuring Democrats keep control of state Senate

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — Democrat Chedrick Greene won a special election in Michigan on Tuesday, securing the party’s narrow control of the state Senate through the remainder of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s term.

Greene, a firefighter and Marine veteran, defeated Republican Jason Tunney, a former prosecutor, in the race for Michigan’s 35th Senate District, which includes Saginaw and Bay City and is surrounded by more conservative rural areas. Democrats had held a one-seat majority in the chamber, putting control at stake.

The race was closely watched as a potential indicator for November’s midterms in this battleground state. The district is seen as reflective of the entire state and includes part of Saginaw County, the only Michigan county to back the winning presidential candidate in each of the last five elections.

Tunney conceded the 35th state Senate district race to Democrat Chedrick Greene, saying in a statement that he “fell short in the special election.”

Greene claimed victory soon after Tunney conceded, thanking his cheering supporters.

“I just want you to know who’s had your back for 31 years and you can be sure I’ll still have your backs in Lansing,” Greene said, referring the state’s capital city.

Libertarian candidate Ali Sledz also ran, lagging far back in third for the seat left vacant since January 2025. The district is located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Detroit and includes Saginaw, Bay City and Midland.

Whitmer, a Democrat, is term-limited, setting up a competitive race in November to succeed her. With Democrats currently controlling the state Senate 19-18, Tuesday’s outcome was crucial for deciding the state’s legislative agenda in the months before she leaves office in January.

Beyond the immediate stakes, political insiders said the outcome offers clues about November’s midterms in this battleground state. The district includes part of Saginaw County, the only Michigan county to back the winning presidential candidate in each of the past five national elections.

“It’s really this microcosm of the Midwest, frankly,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of the seat she left upon entering Congress. “Given how much it resembles so many other places across the country, we have to look at it and say, this is an indicator of how things are going to go in November.”

A Marine veteran and a former prosecutor

Greene is a fire captain and Marine veteran who campaigned on lowering costs while emphasizing his union backing. Tunney, a former prosecutor, ran as a conservative Republican, highlighting his local roots in Saginaw.

Republicans had made the timing of the special election a central issue, arguing Whitmer, a Democrat, waited too long to call it — leaving the district without representation in the state Senate for nearly 500 days.

Greene’s victory keeps Democrats in the majority. Had Tunney prevailed, the Senate would have been tied, making it tougher for Democrats to advance their agenda. While Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II would serve as the tiebreaking vote, Republicans in a Tunney victory could have effectively blocked any measure from passing by not having all members vote. The Michigan House is controlled by Republicans.

The term at play in Tuesday’s special election is only through the end of the year, meaning the seat will again be up for reelection in November. Nonetheless, the race is being watched as a test of voter sentiment ahead of the midterm elections, when Democrats are looking to regain power in Congress.

John Hall, a 69-year-old self-described independent, said Tuesday that he voted for Greene with the economy the pressing issue for him. He said he spent $58 at the gas station before driving to the public library in Bay City to vote.

“It’s taking a bite out of a lot of people’s budgets right now,” Hall said, adding it would have cost between $35 and $40 to fill up his car’s tank two months ago.

Some strategists caution against overinterpreting the results, noting heavy Democratic spending and high-profile visits by such figures as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said in February that the special election would “set the tone for midterms” while announcing a $250,000 investment to help Michigan Democrats retain their Senate majority in May and November.

“This is a tough race to win in any environment, but they’ve stacked the deck with the spending. And you layer the overall political environment on top of it, it’s going to be tough,” said Jason Roe, a Republican strategist in the state.

Harris won the district by under a percentage point in 2024

Although Republican Donald Trump carried all three counties in the 2024 presidential race, the portions of the counties that fall within District 35 are more competitive. McDonald Rivet won the seat in 2022 with 53% of the vote. Democrat Kamala Harris barely edged Trump in the district in 2024, 49.7% to 48.9%, on the strength of her 17-percentage-point lead in the Saginaw portion of the district.

Once a hub of the auto industry, the region includes a large share of union-affiliated voters and a sizable Black population, surrounded by more conservative rural areas.

___

Associated Press reporter Robert Yoon contributed from Washington.

Joey Cappelletti And Mike Householder, The Associated Press