As we approach the 2026 election, we're going to have some minor and some major controversies pop up. This technically is not one of them, although it could be depending on what side of the aisle you're on, and also depending on what the governor of the state of Michigan, who's there until December 31st, 2026, does.
Make sense? Good.
Well, the story here begins in the 35th district of the state of Michigan's legislative Senate seat. The previous occupant of the seat has moved on to Congress, and she was a Democrat who would, on average, win by +4 in the seat.
I read about this in a guest piece written for a left-of-center site right HERE:
A vacant desk in Michigan’s state Senate chamber remains untouched, gathering dust as days turn into months. The 35th Senate District is without a voice, leaving more than 270,000 Michiganians unheard in Lansing.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a clear responsibility to set a special election to fill this critical seat, yet her silence on the matter has been deafening. More than 130 days have elapsed since former state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet won a seat in Congress, and months have passed since she officially resigned from the Michigan Senate. Yet, the governor has not acted, leaving her constituents in legislative limbo.
Recently, citizens from the Great Lakes Bay Region boarded buses and traveled to Lansing, demanding their right to full representation. They stood at the State Capitol Building, their message loud and clear, just ahead of the governor’s annual State of the State address. But did their voices reach her ears? So far, all we’ve gotten is silence.
Gretch has been a bit tardy in filling the seat, which has been a bit shocking for her. She, on average, would pick a date, or she fill the seat within 20 days, and she has not been a bit of a problem:
History shows that Gov. Whitmer is more than capable of moving swiftly when it suits her agenda. Over the past six years, she has called 10 special elections to fill legislative vacancies, typically taking an average of 17 days to announce them. Yet, in this case, she drags her feet.
Yikes.
She has even been a bit better than I was giving her credit for.
I did write about this back in March when it was still a bit of a new story, but it seems the governor is dragging her feet for some reason. Michigan Gov. Whitmer Is Not Scheduling a Special Election That Could Change Balance of Power in Senate
Why?
I explore one of the reasons in my article above, and repost it right here:
Now, she is slow walking setting up a special election for the Michigan Senate that could make her last days in office a nightmare. After a Democrat resigned their seat, the Senate is now led by the party 19 to 18. If a Republican were to win the seat that would make it a 19 to 19 tie and with the GOP-led house, Whitmer would be the lamest of ducks.
More about this right HERE.
A battleground seat in the Michigan Senate has remained vacant for 11 weeks as state political leaders continue to wait for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to set dates for a special election to fill the opening.
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 vacant. Wednesday marked 75 days since McDonald Rivet left the Senate, the longest Whitmer has delayed scheduling a special election for a seat in the state Legislature during her six years as governor, according to the conservative political group the Michigan Freedom Fund.
Whitmer's office didn't respond to multiple requests from The Detroit News this week asking about the governor's handling of the vacancy.
Oh, and the person who is reported to run for the state Senate seat will run as a Republican against the Democrat?
The person that Whitmer defeated in the 2018 contest for governor, the one and only Bill Schuette, who is from that neck of the woods and has been elected to Congress in a previous life.
Huh, is that not odd?
Interesting how that all works out and how the governor, who was pretty good with this previously, has decided to slow roll this now.
Funny how that works, isn’t it?
Hopefully, the fine folks of the 35th Senate district can get Gretch off her farewell tour to schedule an election there and allow them to decide who should represent them.
That would be stellar.
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