The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, adopted in 1963. The primary purpose of the Legislature is to enact new laws and amend or repeal existing laws.
Nelida "Nellie" Avila Pou is an American civil servant and politician currently serving as the U.S. Representative from New Jersey’s 9th congressional district. Pou, a Democrat, previously served in the New Jersey Senate from 2012 to 2025 and the New Jersey General Assembly from 1997 to 2012, representing the 35th Legislative District. When Pou was sworn into the Assembly on January 29, 1997, to succeed Bill Pascrell, she became the first woman and the first Hispanic to represent the 35th district.
William Duncan Schuette is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd attorney general of Michigan from 2011 to 2019. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Senate in 1990 and for Governor of Michigan in the 2018 gubernatorial election.
Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Central Michigan. The district was first created in 1873, after redistricting following the 1870 census. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of all of Clinton, Ingham, and Livingston counties, and included the southern portion of Shiawassee and the northern portion of Oakland counties. From 2013 to 2023, the district no longer covered Clinton or Shiawassee counties and instead covered more of Oakland County, including Rochester. In 2023, the district was redrawn to be centered on the city of Flint and the "Tri-Cities" metropolitan area around Saginaw, Midland, Bay City. The district includes all of Saginaw and Bay counties, almost all of Genesee County, and portions of Midland and Tuscola counties.
Pennsylvania is generally considered a swing state that leans slightly left. Throughout its entire history, it voted for the nationwide loser on only 10 occasions, meaning it has voted for the national winner 83% of the time as of 2024. Although, it generally supported Republicans between the Civil War and New Deal eras, as it voted Republican in every election between 1860 and 1932, except for 1912, when the Republican vote was split. Even then, the state's strong Republican ties meant that it backed Republican-turned-Progressive Theodore Roosevelt. The state backed a Democrat in 1936 for the first time since 1856. Pennsylvania generally leaned Democratic since the 1990s, as it backed the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992 except in 2016 and 2024, when it was won by Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The politics of Michigan, currently a true swing state in presidential elections, are closely contested. Until 2016, Michigan was considered part of the Democrats' "Blue Wall." Governors since the 1970s have alternated between the two parties, and statewide offices including attorney general, secretary of state, and senator have been held by members of both parties in varying proportions, though the state currently is represented by two Democratic U.S. Senators and Democrats hold every statewide office. The Michigan Legislature is currently split between the two parties, with Democrats holding a 20-18 majority in the Senate and the Republicans holding a 58-52 majority in the House of Representatives. The state's congressional delegation is commonly split, with one party or the other typically holding a narrow majority: Republicans currently have a 7-6 majority, in the ongoing 119th Congress.
John Robert Moolenaar is an American chemist and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2015, representing the state's 2nd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003 to 2008 and the Michigan Senate from 2011 to 2014.
Elissa Blair Slotkin is an American politician serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from Michigan. From 2019 to 2025, she served as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 7th congressional district. The district, numbered as the 8th from 2019 to 2023, stretches from Lansing to the outer northern suburbs of Detroit. A member of the Democratic Party, Slotkin was previously a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst and Department of Defense official.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Michigan was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a Class I member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Michigan. It was held concurrently with the 2024 United States presidential election, other elections to the U.S. Senate, elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as various state and local elections. Democratic U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeated Republican former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, in her bid to succeed Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow, who declined to seek a fifth term. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump carried Michigan on the same ballot, making Michigan one of only four states to split their tickets for president and Senate.
West Virginia's 8th Senate district is one of 17 districts in the West Virginia Senate. It is currently represented by Republicans Glenn Jeffries and Mark Hunt. All districts in the West Virginia Senate elect two members to staggered four-year terms.
Michigan's 35th Senate district is one of 38 districts in the Michigan Senate. The 35th district was created with the adoption of the 1963 Michigan Constitution, as the previous 1908 state constitution only permitted 34 senatorial districts. It was represented by Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet until 2025, following her election to Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. She succeeded Republican Curt VanderWall.
Lisa Carmella McClain is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2021, representing the state's 9th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, McClain serves in congressional leadership as Chair of the House Republican Conference.
The 2026 United States Senate elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested in regular elections, the winners of which will serve six-year terms in the United States Congress from January 3, 2027, to January 3, 2033. Senators are divided into three groups, or classes, whose terms are staggered so that a different class is elected every two years. Class 2 senators were last elected in 2020 and will be up for election in this cycle.
The 2026 United States Senate election in Michigan will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic Senator Gary Peters declined to seek re-election to a third term. Peters was first elected with 54.6% of the vote in 2014, and re-elected with 49.9% of the vote in 2020. Along with Georgia, this is one of two Democratic-held Senate seats up for election in a state that Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election.
The 119th United States Congress is the current term of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened on January 3, 2025, during the final 17 days of Joe Biden's presidency, and the first two years of Donald Trump's second presidency.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 5, 2024, to elect the 435 representatives of the United States House of Representatives, as well as 6 non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and inhabited U.S. territories. The elections were held together with other federal, state, and local elections, including the U.S. presidential election and elections to the Senate, as part of the 2024 United States general election. The winners of this election will serve in the 119th United States Congress, with seats apportioned among states based on the 2020 United States census.
United States gubernatorial elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, in 36 states and three territories. The previous gubernatorial elections for this group of states took place in 2022, except in New Hampshire and Vermont, where governors serve two-year terms and elected their governors in 2024. Fifteen of the thirty-six states with elections in this cycle have officially term-limited incumbents. While two of the three United States territories with elections this cycle have officially term-limited incumbents.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan were held on November 5, 2024, to elect the 13 U.S. representatives from the state of Michigan, one from each of the state's congressional districts. The elections coincided with the U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The primary elections took place on August 6, 2024.
The 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the 13 U.S. representatives from the State of Michigan, one from all the state's congressional districts. The elections will coincide with other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The primary election will take place on August 4, 2026.
