Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer has waited over three months to call a special election for a vacant state legislature seat, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without representation, but ensuring her party’s slim control over the legislature.
Whitmer’s delay is being blasted by Michigan Republicans as a political trick to keep the GOP from gaining a seat in the state senate. The district’s previous state senator, Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet, was elected to the U.S. House in November. With the vacancy, Democrats maintain a one seat majority in the body, 19-18.
“It’s all politics,” Republican Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt said in an interview with The Daily Wire. He argued that Whitmer is delaying the special election because Republicans have a shot at winning the seat. The 35th state Senate District is a competitive electoral region that encompasses Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw.
“Right now, there are 270,000 people who have gone without a senator for going on four months now,” said Nesbitt, who is running for Michigan governor in 2026. “And who knows how much longer Whitmer is going to deprive them of representation.”
Whitmer, who has been the target of criticism after she was photographed hiding from cameras in the White House, has addressed the delay, but she hasn’t given any specifics on when she will officially schedule the election. The governor told WCMU last week, “At some point there will be one, but I don’t have an announcement to make yet.”
“I haven’t made a determination yet,” she added. “There are a number of times in the year that we could call it for, and I just haven’t made a decision yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as, as soon as I do.”
The governor’s office did not respond to The Daily Wire when asked if Whitmer was planning on announcing a special election date soon. Michigan law leaves the scheduling of special elections to fill vacancies completely up to the governor, and there is no deadline for how soon a special election must be called.
Republicans suspect that Whitmer’s political calculations are likely the reason for the delayed special election. Whitmer is in the final year and a half of her second term, a stretch that could prove pivotal for the Democrat’s legacy and future political aspirations. Keeping Democrats ahead of Republicans by one seat for as long as possible could be a preferable option for the governor instead of risking a GOP pickup in a special election.
“You gotta remember, a year and a half ago — November of 2023 — Whitmer called a special election for two state House Democrat seats within two weeks after the November municipal elections, when the House got tied 54-54,” Nesbitt added.
Republicans are confident that they can pull off a win in the 35th District, relying on the momentum gained by President Donald Trump in 2024, who won Saginaw, Bay, and Midland Counties. Michigan Republicans also took control of the state House in the 2024 election.
Republican state Rep. Bill Schuette, who represents all of Midland County, told The Daily Wire that Whitmer’s delay “is a disservice to the people of the entire region,” adding that holding a special election as soon as possible shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
“It’s about representation,” he said.
“I’ve heard from small businesses and people in our community as well who are seeing our budget being debated, and they say, ‘Hey, we only have half of a voice when our state’s multi-billion-dollar budget is being debated,” Schuette added. “That’s not fair.”
Whitmer has been blasted for focusing on her recent book tour and potential 2028 presidential aspirations while still serving as governor. The governor was the subject of ridicule last week when she visited Trump in the Oval Office but hid her face behind a folder as members of the media attempted to snap photos of her.
“Her most recent comment about the special election is she hasn’t had time to make a decision yet. Well, you know what she has had time to do? Go on trips to the United Kingdom and Ireland and Spain,” Schuette said. “We all saw her hiding her face in the Oval Office. How about doing your job here at home, calling a special election and giving people their voice?”
