Article courtesy of MIRS News Service
Senate Democrats picked up three more seats tonight, setting themselves up to have a 23-15 majority in the 2027-28 term. Democratic candidate Rebecca Amidon won the Muskegon County-based 32nd district Senate seat, while Sen. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) was ousted by voters in his own West Michigan district, losing to challenger Rep. Carol Glanville (D-Grand Rapids), and Sen. Michael Webber (R-Rochester Hills) fell to Theresa Brooks.
For Senate Democrats, their 2027-28 caucus will include six current and past House members ascending to the upper chamber: Reps. Glanville, Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield), Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo), Natalie Price (D-Berkley), Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) and former Ann Arbor Rep. Felicia Brabec.
Meanwhile, eight of their 23-member caucus will be first-time legislators, including Justin Onwenu of Detroit, Abbas Alawieh of Dearborn, John Conyers III of Detroit’s east side, Rashida Harrison of East Lansing, Abbie Groff-Blaszak of East Grand Rapids, Sean Carlson, Brooks and Amidon.
For Republicans, six of their 15-member caucus will include current and past House members, including Reps. Dave Prestin (R-Cedar River), Donni Steele (R-Lake Orion), Douglas Wozniak (R-Shelby Township), Matthew Bierlein (R-Vassar), Gina Johnsen (R-Portland), and former Port Huron Rep. Andrew Beeler.
It will also include first-time legislators Chris Moraitis of Paw Paw, Livingston County Sheriff Michael Murphy and John Wetzel of Grand Haven.
Amidon, a local community college instructor, defeated long-time Republican Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole in the 32nd district, covering Muskegon, Mason, Benzie and Oceana counties along Lake Michigan. She will be replacing term-limited Sen. Jon Bumstead (R-North Muskegon) in the Legislature.
Since Sept. 1, Democrats have spent more than $1.6 million on ad buys for the 32nd race compared to Republicans’ $1.15 million, according to AdImpact. Amidon’s success represents a substantial boost in Democratic votes from 2024, when President Donald Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris in the district by 52.7% to around 45.8%.
Huizenga’s 30th district – including Walker, Cascade Township, Rockford and part of Grand Rapids – was considered the area’s final political battleground as Grand Rapids has become significantly more blue in the last decade. According to AdImpact, Republicans spent $2.79 million trying to maintain Huizenga’s seat since Sept. 1, while Democrats poured $2.46 million into media buys for Glanville.
Glanville, who also served as a Walker city commissioner for more than three years, flipped Huizenga’s old state House seat also in May 2022 during a special election.
The Democrats gained two West Michigan seats, while retaining the Oakland County seat in the 13th Senate district, which was redrawn by Michigan’s redistricting commission in summer 2024 after a federal lawsuit. Former Commerce Township Rep. Ryan Berman lost to Carlson, the Oakland County’s former deputy executive who left the role – as well as its $230,099 salary – to run for the state Senate earlier this year.
Carlson was the deputy director of the Department of Management and Budget (DMB) and served 14 years on the Huron Valley School Board. He is the past executive director of the Michigan Defense Center and spent 20 years in active duty with the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
Some Jewish leaders in Oakland County predicted that Berman could succeed despite forecasts of a blue wave because of his own Jewish identity and the community’s concerns of growing antisemitism from the left.
The other casualty for the Republicans was Webber, who won the smaller Macomb portion of his district, but was defeated by nearly 10,000 votes in his home of Oakland County.
Since Sept. 9, according to AdImpact, Democrats have spent about $2.25 million on political ads for Brooks, while Republicans rolled out $2.3 million to support Webber.
Webber was also the recruitment co-chair for the Senate Republican Campaign Committee this election cycle. He benefited from a reputation of bipartisan collaboration and coalition-building with the district’s diverse faith-based communities, including Chaldeans, Hindus and traditional European Catholics. He couldn’t shield himself from the Democratic wave.
Swing-seat Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores) defeated New Baltimore Republican John Goldwater, a recent minister and “oil and gas entrepreneur,” in the 12th district along the Lake Saint Clair shoreline. Goldwater was a first-time candidate, although directly related to 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.
Republicans attempted to target Hertel over his 2023-24 bill to attract enterprise data center developers to Michigan. His legislation offered tax cuts in exchange for them following stricter environmental and energy efficiency protocols.
However, Hertel, as well as some anonymous Republican sources, argued that Goldwater was not visible on the campaign trail, didn’t connect with some House candidates in the district to collaborate on the doors, and declined debate and forum opportunities in the community.
Close by in the 9th Senate district – covering Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy, Utica and part of Sterling Heights – Webber faced a challenge from physician and Troy city council member Theresa Brooks.
Other dynamics tonight for the state Senate included:
Prestin Wins U.P., Cambensy Nets 9%.
– Prestin won in the Upper Peninsula’s 38th Senate district, replacing term-limited Sen. Ed McBroom (R-Waucedah Twp.). However, former Marquette state Rep. Sara Cambensy, who tried running for the seat as an independent, walked away with around 9% of the vote.
AdImpact showed Cambensy spending $9,465 since Sept. 1 on media buys in the U.P., while Prestin’s campaign reported spending just $6.
After previous Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan suspended his own independent statewide run for governor in May, Cambensy’s candidacy offered a look into the challenges and opportunities that viable, connected independent candidates have moving forward in Michigan.
Greene Wins Full Term
– Once seen as one of Michigan’s major political battlegrounds, Sen. Chedrick Greene (D-Saginaw) had an anticlimactic and anticipated victory tonight against Saginaw attorney Jason Tunney, whom he defeated in a special election back in May by 19 points.
Previously a race that drew in more than $4.5 million in general election ad spending by Republicans and Democrats combined in 2022, today’s 35th Senate race for Midland, Saginaw and Bay City was valued at $252,775 between Greene and Tunney since Sept. 1.
Camilleri Defeats Challenger
Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), a forceful campaigner and fundraiser, hung on to his Downriver-based 4th Senate seat against a challenge by Republican Rockwood Mayor Pro Tem Marcie Grzywacz.
While Republicans are still learning how to build up their campaign infrastructure in Downriver, Camilleri was instead running internally to become the next Senate majority leader, which is expected ahead of the caucus holding internal elections Thursday.
Damoose Wins Second Term With 55% Support
Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) held onto the 37th Senate district despite certain hubs in Northern Michigan – like Traverse City, Charlevoix and Petoskey – being homes to growing Democratic voter populations. West Coast folks have migrated to the “Cherry Coast” along Lake Michigan, giving blue candidates more of an edge in the region since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Damoose’s campaign spent $62,097 on desktop and mobile ads since Sept. 1 in his race against Democratic challenger Kate Gallup, a Traverse City math teacher.
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