Skip to content
topics.

Democrat Chedrick Greene wins Michigan state Senate special election

politicsMay 5, 202612540

Democrat Chedrick Greene defeated Republican Jason Tunney in the Michigan State Senate 35 special election. Jason Tunney conceded the race, giving Greene the seat that had been vacant and serving as an early barometer 26 weeks before the general election. Greene's victory preserves Democrats' slim majority in the Michigan Senate through 2026, keeping the party in control of committee assignments and floor votes during the remainder of Governor Whitmer's term. The result matters because it shapes the legislature's ability to pass or block bills ahead of the fall midterms and signals voter sentiment in a competitive state.

Charles Gaba ✡️
@charlesgaba.com

Wow...it's looking like a 19-point overperformance so far! (Harris won by 1 point)

Chedrick Greene Dem 59.1% Jason Tunney GOP 39.3% 40% of vote in
3073h ago
Charles Gaba ✡️17

21-pt overperformance so far with 55% in!

MLC2

Telling you, this is a candidate to keep an eye on going forward. An outsider running up this kind of score is crazy impressive!

The Downballot
@the-downballot.com

Michigan Dems *hold* the narrowly divided state Senate, as Democrat Chedrick Greene defeats Republican Jason Tunney. They reclaim the 20-18 advantage they first won in the 2022 elections. However, every seat in the chamber will be up again in November, and Greene & Tunney are headed for a rematch.

1073h ago
The Downballot17

Notably, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kept this seat vacant for 16 months, likely because she feared the GOP tying the chamber with a win. (She only called the election after facing legal action.) We first wrote about the race in Nov. 2024! Though back then, we thought it would happen "soon" ...

Mina3

This is actually a HUGE and consequential win for Dems in a purple district in a purple state. It keeps Democrats in the drivers seat in MI.

Distill Social
@distillsocial.bsky.social

BREAKING: Chedrick Greene has won the special election in Michigan’s 35th Senate District, Republican Jason Tunney has conceded. Greene’s win keeps Democrats in control of the state Senate.

623h ago
civicAPI ☑️
@civicapi.org

Michigan State Senate 35 Special - First Results - 🔵 Chedrick Greene (D) - 375 (70.1%) - 🔴 Jason Tunney (R) - 156 (29.2%) - 🟡 Ali Sledz (L) - 4 (0.7%)

175h ago
TrumpsTaxes
@trumpstaxes.com

Thus far this Spring we have: Won 2/3 of those Florida State Legislative Special elections. Won Wisconsin State Supreme Court in a landslide. Notched a huge overperformance in #GA14. Easily held on to #NJ11. Won VA redistricting. Kept the MI State Senate blue. Keep it going, folks.

194h ago
Flingjore
@flingjore.com

Michigan voters cast ballots in a special Senate election determining state chamber control. Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney vie for the 35th District seat. A Tunney win would end the Democratic majority, creating an 18-18 tie in the final months of the Whitmer era.

814h ago
Eric Teusink
@ericteusink.bsky.social

Democrat Chedrick Greene has opened up a commanding lead in Michigan SD35. Given that this was a Kamala +1 seat, and further that special elections have been running at a D overperform+10 clip in 2026, it was never really in doubt.

43h ago
WatchYourRepsSC&TN
@watchyourrepssc.bsky.social

New from Enten: Democrats lead the “certain to vote” group for the first time on record this far out from a midterm. It tracks with special election outcomes—and their generic House ballot lead has nearly doubled, from 5 to 9 points.

63h ago
The Detroit News
@detroitnews.com

The race to a fill a vacant Senate seat will provide early insights into where voters in Michigan stand 26 weeks before the general election.

44h ago
Uncrewed
@uncrewed.bsky.social

The newest edition of the State Legislative Election Watch is out now! This time, we’re covering the big Michigan #SD35 special election tonight and going more in depth on a few forecast launches. Check it out below! open.substack.com/pub/uncrewed...

511h ago
LSAClassOf2000
@lsaclassof2000.bsky.social

Whitmer slow walked the special election here - Ds and Rs were kind of pissed about it.

13h ago
Jesse Coffey #BeGood #ICEOut #IStandWithPopeLeoXIV
@therealjessecoffey.bsky.social

Husted was appointed to fill JD Vance’s seat in the Senate after he became vice president. He is unopposed in the Republican primary for a special election to fill the remainder of the six-year Senate term Vance won in 2022.

4h ago
2 sources
apnews.comMichigan special election to decide state Senate control and give clues about fall midtermswxow.comTown of Campbell to hold special election referendum on May 19th

Related

Ohio and Indiana primary elections, May 5politicsFact check: Pete Hegseth falsely told Congress troops were sent to polling sitespoliticsTrump restores Presidential Fitness Test award for schoolspoliticsHealthcare Not Warfare campaign targets $200B Iran war fundingpolitics