SPECIAL ELECTION WATCH: Next Week’s Majority-Deciding Michigan Special Election Will Set the Tone for Midterms

WASHINGTON — Democrats are gearing up for the last major special election of the year next week on May 5th in Michigan’s competitive 35th Senate District. With a one-seat Democratic majority in the Michigan Senate, next week’s special election is a crucial majority-deciding election in a toss-up in a district that Kamala Harris won by less than one percent in 2024.

Chedrick Greene is a Marine Corps Reserve veteran and local fire captain who’s hitting the pavement and reaching every voter across the district as we head into next week. This race is among the most competitive DLCC Target Races of the year, and we announced a $250k investment in the Michigan Senate ahead of this special. This district will be up again in November as the DLCC competes for the Michigan Senate and to flip the state House, alongside our ambitious target map to remake the landscape of state legislative power this November.

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams issued the following statement:

“In the battleground of all battlegrounds, the special election for Michigan’s 35th Senate District will be the last major special election of 2026 ahead of the midterms. Democrats have been sweeping elections every chance we get, with 30 districts flipping from red to blue since Trump was elected. Not only is the majority on the line in this Michigan special, but this race is a crucial opportunity for Democrats to shore up our momentum as we move full steam ahead to the midterms. The DLCC has been supporting Chedrick Greene from the start, and victory next week will lay the groundwork to restore a Democratic trifecta in Michigan this November.”

Read more below: 

• Washington Post: What we could learn from a swing-district special election in Michigan

• Meidas Touch: A Veteran and Firefighter Seeks to Hold off MAGA in Fight for MI Senate After a Year of State Dem Wins 

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) leads the national strategy to secure Democratic power in our state legislatures. We are the campaign arm for more than 3,000 state legislators and thousands of candidates across all 50 states who are advancing Democratic values and standing up to the dangerous MAGA agenda every single day. Over the last decade, our work has flipped 10 new chamber majorities. Those new majorities have ensured Democrats in state legislatures are positioned to protect our democracy and fundamental rights, while addressing the high cost of living and advancing opportunities. The DLCC’s national strategy and target map continue to pinpoint the most efficient paths to Democratic power across all 50 states.