Michigan state legislative special elections, 2024

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As of December, two special elections have been called to fill vacant seats in the Michigan State Legislature.

Click here to read more about the special elections.

House special elections called:

Ballotpedia identified the April 16 special elections in districts 13 and 25 as battleground elections. For more on the April 16 special elections, click here.

How vacancies are filled in Michigan


If there is a vacancy in the Michigan State Legislature, the governor must call for a special election to fill the vacancy or direct that the vacancy be filled at the next general election.[1][2]

If the vacancy happens after the statewide primary election, the party organizations in the district select the party's nominee. The nominee must be voted on no later than 21 days after the vacancy occurred and at least 10 days before the general election.[3]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Michigan Const. Art. 5, § 13


About the legislature

The Michigan State Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the Michigan House of Representatives, with 110 members, and the Michigan State Senate, with 38 members.

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the most recent general elections prior to 2024. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).


Michigan State Senate
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 16 20
     Republican Party 22 18
Total 38 38


Michigan House of Representatives
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 53 56
     Republican Party 56 54
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 110 110

Special elections

Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:

April 16, 2024

April 16 special elections

See also: Michigan House of Representatives special elections (April 16, 2024)

Ballotpedia identified the April 16 special elections as battleground races. For more on the April 16 special elections, click here.


Democrats regained a majority in the Michigan House of Representatives in two special elections on April 16, 2024. Mai Xiong (D) won 58.9% of the vote to Ronald Singer's (R) 41.1% in District 13 and Peter Herzberg (D) won 59.6% of the vote to Josh Powell's (R) 38.3% in District 25.

Democrats won a 56-54 majority in the Michigan House—and a state government trifecta—in the 2022 elections. Control of the chamber split 54-54 when Lori M. Stone (D) and Kevin Coleman (D) resigned after winning mayoral elections in 2023. Because Democrats regained the majority, Michigan remained a Democratic trifecta. If Republicans had gained a majority in the special elections, Democrats would have lost their trifecta.

Mai Xiong (D) and Ronald Singer (R) ran in District 13. Xiong was, at the time of the election, a member of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners who ran on her experience in elected office. Xiong said her focus would be on "bringing people together to get things done for working families."[5] Singer was an engineer who was the Republican nominee in the district in 2022. Singer said he was running because "right now it seems like we need some adult supervision in Lansing," mentioning energy policy as an area of focus.[6][7]

Peter Herzberg (D) and Josh Powell (R) ran in District 25. Herzberg was, at the time of the election, a member of the Westland City Council who ran on his experience in office. Herzberg said he had "spent my entire adult life focusing on public service, volunteering and helping my community."[8] Powell was, at the time of the election, an IT worker and veteran of the U.S. Army. Powell said his "platform can be summed up in six simple words. Less Government; Less Regulation; Lower Taxes."[9]

In 2022, Democrats won the District 13 election 67%-33% and the District 25 election 63%-37%. More Democrats voted in both districts' special primaries than Republicans. In District 13, 4,983 Democrats voted in the primary compared to 1,713 Republicans, while in District 25, 5,702 Democrats and 2,117 Republicans voted in the primary.

The April 16 Michigan elections were not the only state legislative special elections taking place this year where control of a chamber is at stake. Control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was determined by a February 13 special election to break the chamber's 101-101 split. Like in Michigan, the Pennsylvania special election took place after a Democratic legislator resigned. Unlike in Michigan, Pennsylvania Republicans controlled the state senate, meaning trifecta control of the state was not at stake.

The winners of the special elections will serve until January 1, 2025, when the winners of the November general elections will take office. Candidates who ran in the special elections were also permitted to run in the general elections.


Candidate profiles

District 13

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Mai Xiong

Image of Mai Xiong

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Born in a refugee camp in Thailand, Mai Xiong was 3 years old when she arrived in the U.S. with her family in 1987. Her parents, of Hmong descent, were part of an ethnic group in northern Laos that aided America during the Vietnam War. Her parents eventually fled to avoid persecution. Nearly ten years after arriving, Xiong received her U.S. citizenship in 1997. Xiong attended Macomb Community College and went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College for Creative Studies. Xiong is also a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School - Senior Executives in State and Local Government, and a Michigan State University - Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) Alumni. First elected in 2020, Xiong is serving her second term on the Macomb County Board of Commissioners. Xiong and her husband, Adam Kue, have four children who attend Warren Consolidated Schools."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Mai Xiong fights for all working families

Working mom with four children

Experienced Macomb County Commisioner

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan House of Representatives District 13 in 2024.

Ronald A. Singer

Image of Ronald A. Singer

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  As of the 2024 election, Singer was an engineer with Dominion Technologies Group, a company that produced assembly line equipment for the auto industry.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Singer said Michigan voters had been electing the wrong types of politicians to state and federal office and that he would bring common sense to the legislature: "Right now it seems like we need some adult supervision in Lansing."

Singer said Democrats in the state legislature had passed laws promoting new energy and automotive technologies without considering whether those technologies would actually work. He said Democrats' support for solar and wind energy as well as electric cars would not benefit Michigan taxpayers.

Show sources

Sources: Macomb Daily, "Xiong, Singer win 13th House district primaries," January 30, 2024, Michigan Advance, "Here’s your look at the candidates for Michigan’s two empty state House seats," November 28, 2023; The Detroit News, "Meet the candidates seeking a Warren-based state House seat in upcoming special primary," January 25, 2024, Dominion Technologies Group, "Tire and Wheel Assembly Solutions," accessed February 1, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan House of Representatives District 13 in 2024.

District 25

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Peter Herzberg

Image of Peter Herzberg

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Herzberg graduated from Wayne State University with a bachelor's degree in finance. As of the 2024 election, Herzberg was a home inspector.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Herzberg said he was a lifelong resident of the district and had a history of volunteering in the community including raising funds for Alzheimer's and juvenile diabetes research and for the Westland Veterans Memorial Garden.

Herzberg said he had a record of accomplishments on the city council including restoring no-charge bulk trash pickup services for residents, promoting regulations he said protected nursing home residents from abuse, and sponsoring and passing more resolutions than any other council member.

Show sources

Sources: Peter Herzberg campaign website, "About Me," accessed February 1, 2024, Peter Herzberg campaign website, "Top Priorities," accessed February 1, 2024; Peter Herzberg campaign website, "About Me," accessed February 1, 2024

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan House of Representatives District 25 in 2024.

Josh Powell

Image of Josh Powell

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "My name is Josh Powell and I have been a resident of the area for ten years. I own a home in Westland and my son just graduated from John Glenn last year and he is currently attending WCC. I consider this my home and I am heavily invested in Michigan, but I am deeply concerned about the direction the state is headed under its current regime and what that means for my family’s future here. I am a veteran of the Army where I was an MP, have degrees in IT and Criminal Justice and currently work in IT for an auto supplier in the Detroit area. My platform can be summed up in six simple words. Less Government; Less Regulation; Lower Taxes. Under the state's current leadership our constitutional rights are being eroded daily. When the previous legislature assumed power in Lansing, it became open season on our freedoms and liberties in the name of special interest groups and the rights of the cities, townships and citizens were put on the back burner in favor of whichever groups could raise the most donations for those in power. The priorities of those in power now do not seem to align with the values and priorities of the common person anymore. For example, we are paying rent for thousands of illegal aliens waiting on a court date for deportation while we know of at least 2500 veterans who are homeless - who is that representing?"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Less Government: The state government should only get involved where the local government falls short. All governments should be as local as possible, so I will vote to keep the state out of local issues and to return local control to cities and local school boards and reduce the size and scope of the ballooning state government and budget.

Less Regulation: No one should ever be able to take away your 2nd amendment rights without being convicted or even charged with a crime. You shouldn’t need to renew your license plate every year or your license every 2 years. Car dealerships should be allowed to be open on Sunday if they choose to be. Over regulation is another major reason our state is shrinking and considered unattractive for businesses looking to build or expand. I would find ways to reduce or eliminate many regulations that are arbitrary and unnecessary.

Lower Taxes: Michigan residents have some of the highest total tax burdens of any state and those in Lansing are so out of touch currently that they just went to court to raise your income tax during a recession. This is not only bad for your budget, but it is driving people to leave our state in record numbers. I would propose instituting a phased reduction in the state income tax until it is gone, and let Michigan grow and prosper like every other state with no state income tax. Without drastic action Michigan is on track to lose another two House seats by the 2030 census.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan House of Representatives District 25 in 2024.


See more

See more here: Michigan House of Representatives special elections (April 16, 2024)

Historical data

There were 955 state legislative special elections that took place from 2010 to 2023. Michigan held 22 special elections during the same time period. The largest number of special elections in Michigan took place in 2016 when six special elections were held.

The table below details how many state legislative special elections were held in a state in a given year.

Special elections throughout the country

See also: State legislative special elections, 2024

As of December 2024, 52 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2024 in 22 states. Between 2011 and 2023, an average of 68 special elections took place each year.

Breakdown of 2024 special elections

In 2024, special elections for state legislative positions are being held for the following reasons:

  • 31 due to resignation
  • 11 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
  • 4 due to the death of the incumbent
  • 6 due to redistricting


Impact of special elections on partisan composition

The partisan breakdown for the special elections is as follows:

As of December 3rd, 2024, Republicans controlled 55.09% of all state legislative seats nationally, while Democrats held 43.99%. Republicans held a majority in 56 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 41 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under multipartisan, power-sharing coalitions.

Partisan balance of all 7,386 state legislative seats
Legislative chamber Democratic Party Republican Party Grey.png Other Vacant
State senates 835 1,118 3 17
State houses 2,414 2,951 19 29
Total: 3,249

4,069

22

46


The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2024. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections.

Note: This table reflects information for elections that have been held and not the total number of vacant seats.

Partisan Change from Special Elections (2024)
Party As of Special Election After Special Election
     Democratic Party 25 29
     Republican Party 27 23
     Independent 0 0
Total 52 52

Flipped seats

In 2024, as of November 6, six seats have flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.

Seats flipped from D to R

Seats flipped from R to D



See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.178, Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed February 12, 2021
  2. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Constitution of Michigan of 1963, Article 5, Section 13," accessed February 12, 2021
  3. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Statute 168.634 (1)-(2), Michigan Compiled Laws," accessed May 22, 2014
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Governor Gretchen Whitmer, "Governor Whitmer Calls for Special Election to Fill Vacant House Seats," November 22, 2023
  5. ↑ Mai Xiong campaign website, "Home page," accessed February 1, 2024
  6. ↑ Macomb Daily, "Xiong, Singer win 13th House district primaries," January 31, 2024
  7. ↑ Michigan Advance, "Here’s your look at the candidates for Michigan’s two empty state House seats," November 28, 2023
  8. ↑ Peter Herzberg, "About Me," accessed February 1, 2024
  9. ↑ Information submitted via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on January 10, 2024.
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