🚨Breaking: Governor Whitmer Announcing Plan For Special Election In The 35th State Senate District🚨

By Brandon Hall

(Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)

West Michigan Politics has learned that Governor Gretchen Whitmer is planning to announce a Special Election in the 35th State Senate District sometime this summer---and possibly imminently---though after 7 months, she's not exactly in a big rush at this point.

Under Whitmer's plan, the 35th State Senate primary coincides with local elections on May 5th 2026, with the general election being held August 4th, which is already going to be a WILD 2026 primary for all sorts of other races from Governor and Senate on down...

Whitmer's plan not only eliminates the talking point against her that she won't call an election, which has been heating up significantly (and she is said to be pretty sick of hearing about), but it would only give the Senate a 50/50 split chamber for just 4 months---and that's IF Republicans prevail.

AND: Given the fact Speaker Hall has already said that all legislation moving through the House in November and December must have a 2/3rds vote, and that nothing usually gets done in September and October of an election year anyway, Whitmer's plan is actually pretty brilliant, at least politically speaking.

An alternative timeline of having the primary this November and the general next May was also under consideration, but is extremely unlikely for a myriad of reasons.

Whitmer's blue balling in the 35th certainly hasn't been in the best interests of Bay, Midland, and Saginaw County residents, but then again, they were never really her priority anyway. And she's going to get away with it!

The vacancy was created on November 5th, 2024 when State Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet was elected to the US House.

We need a Constitutional amendment setting the calendar for the time frame of special elections in the future!

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com