Michigan's 21st Senate district

Michigan's 21st State Senate district
Senator	Sarah Anthony D – Lansing
Demographics	71%  White 12%  Black 9%  Hispanic 3%  Asian 4%  Multiracial
Population (2022)	264,191
Notes	[1]

Michigan's 21st Senate district is one of 38 districts in the Michigan Senate. The 21st district was created by the 1850 Michigan Constitution, as the 1835 constitution only permitted a maximum of eight senate districts. ^{[2] [3]} It has been represented by Democrat Sarah Anthony since 2023. ^[4]

Geography

District 21 encompasses all of Eaton County, as well as part of Ingham County. ^[5]

2011 Apportionment Plan

District 21, as dictated by the 2011 Apportionment Plan, covered Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph Counties in far southwest Michigan. Communities in the district included Benton Harbor, Niles, St. Joseph, Buchanan, Benton Heights, Fair Plain, Paw Paw Lake, Dowagiac, Sturgis, Three Rivers, Benton Township, Lincoln Township, Niles Township, and St. Joseph Township. ^[6]

The district was located entirely within Michigan's 6th congressional district, and overlapped with the 59th, 78th, and 79th districts of the Michigan House of Representatives. ^[7] It bordered the state of Indiana, as well as Lake Michigan. ^[8]

List of senators

Senator	Party		Dates	Residence	Notes
Frederick W. Curtenius		Whig	1853–1854	Kalamazoo	[9] [10]
Ebenezer Lakin Brown		Republican	1855–1856	Schoolcraft	[9] [11]
John Roberts		Republican	1857–1858	Hastings	[9] [12]
Harvey Williams		Republican	1859–1860	Charlotte	[9] [13]
Norman Bailey		Republican	1861–1862	Hastings	[9] [14] [15]
Smith W. Fowler		Republican	1863–1864	Charlotte	[9] [16]
John M. Nevins		Republican	1865–1866	Hastings	[9] [17]
James Turner		Republican	1867–1868	Lansing	[9] [18]
Stephen Pearl		Republican	1869–1870	Duplain	[9] [19]
Isaac M. Cravath		Republican	1871–1872	Lansing	Died in office. [9] [20] [21]
John N. Mellen		Republican	1873–1876	Romeo	[9] [22]
Crockett McElroy		Republican	1877–1880	St. Clair	[9] [23]
James R. McGurk		Republican	1881–1882	Capac	[9] [24]
James William Belknap		Republican	1883–1886	Greenville	[9] [25]
John W. Moon		Republican	1887–1888	Muskegon	[9] [26]
Jacob Den Herder		Republican	1889–1890	Zeeland	[9] [27]
George Ford Porter		Democratic	1891–1892	Gooding	[9] [28]
Edwin G. Fox		Republican	1893–1894	Mayville	[9] [29]
John L. Preston		Republican	1895–1898	Columbiaville	[9] [30]
Theron W. Atwood		Republican	1899–1902	Caro	[9] [31]
William E. Brown		Republican	1903–1906	Lapeer	[9] [32]
William McKay		Republican	1907–1908	Caro	Died in office. [9] [33] [34]
Edwin G. Fox		Republican	1909–1910	Mayville	Died in office. [9] [29]
John Conley		Democratic	1911–1912	Lapeer	[9] [35]
Terry T. Corliss		Republican	1913–1916	Mayville	[9] [36]
Charles B. Scully		Republican	1917–1920	Almont	[9] [37]
Burney E. Brower		Republican	1921–1926	Jackson	[9] [38]
Ari H. Woodruff		Republican	1927–1932	Wyandotte	[9] [39] [40]
John Nichczynski		Democratic	1933–1934	Detroit	Died in office. [9] [41] [42]
Sidney C. Gray		Democratic	1935–1936	Detroit	[9] [43]
Joseph C. Roosevelt		Democratic	1937–1938	Detroit	[9] [44]
Stanley Nowak		Democratic	1939–1948	Detroit	[9] [45]
Robert A. Haggerty		Democratic	1949–1954	Detroit	[9] [46]
Patrick J. Doyle		Democratic	1955–1962	Dearborn	[9] [47]
William D. Ford		Republican	1963–1964	Taylor	[9] [48]
Garry E. Brown		Republican	1965–1966	Schoolcraft	[9] [49]
Anthony Stamm		Republican	1967–1974	Kalamazoo	Died in office. [9] [50]
Jack Welborn		Republican	1974–1982	Kalamazoo	[9] [51]
Harmon G. Cropsey		Republican	1983–1990	Decatur	[9] [52]
Paul Wartner		Republican	1991–1994	Portage	[9] [53]
Dale L. Shugars		Republican	1995–2002	Portage	[9] [54]
Ron Jelinek		Republican	2003–2010	Three Oaks	[9] [55]
John Proos		Republican	2011–2018	St. Joseph	[9] [56]
Kim LaSata		Republican	2019–2022	Bainbridge Township	[9] [57] [58]
Sarah Anthony		Democratic	2023–present	Lansing	[59] [60]

Recent election results

2022

2022 Michigan Senate election, District 21 ^[61]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Nkenge Ayanna Roberston	17,313	98.8
	Republican	Ricky John Salisbury	205	1.2
Total votes			17,518	100
General election
	Democratic	Sarah Anthony	68,534	60.3
	Republican	Nkenge Ayanna Robertson	45,145	39.7
Total votes			113,679	100
	Democratic gain from Republican

2018

2018 Michigan Senate election, District 21 ^[61]

Primary election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Kim LaSata	15,344	54.6
	Republican	Dave Pagel	12,761	45.4
Total votes			28,105	100
General election
	Republican	Kim LaSata	58,164	58.1
	Democratic	Ian Haight	41,897	41.9
Total votes			100,061	100
	Republican hold

2014

2014 Michigan Senate election, District 21 ^[61]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Proos (incumbent)	45,586	64.5
	Democratic	Bette Pierman	25,090	35.5
Total votes			70,676	100
	Republican hold

Federal and statewide results

Year	Office	Results [62]
2020	President	Trump 57.3 – 40.8%
2018	Senate	James 56.5 – 41.0%
	Governor	Schuette 54.6 – 41.9%
2016	President	Trump 57.3 – 37.5%
2014	Senate	Land 57.1 – 39.2%
	Governor	Snyder 56.9 – 40.1%
2012	President	Romney 54.1 – 45.0%
	Senate	Hoekstra 50.6 – 45.8%

Historical district boundaries

Map	Description	Apportionment Plan	Notes
	Barry County (part) Barry Township Carlton Township Hope Township Irving Township Orangeville Township Prairieville Township Rutland Township Thornapple Township Kalamazoo County St. Joseph County (part) Burr Oak Township Colon Township Fawn River Township Florence Township Leonidas Township Mendon Township Nottawa Township Sherman Township Sturgis Sturgis Township	1964 Apportionment Plan	[63]
	Cass County (part) Porter Township (part) Kalamazoo County (part) Excluding Alamo Township Charleston Township St. Joseph County (part) Constantine Township Fabius Township Florence Township Flowerfield Township Lockport Township Mendon Township Mottville Township Nottawa Township Park Township Sherman Township Sturgis Township White Pigeon Township Van Buren County (part) Almena Township Pine Grove Township Waverly Township	1972 Apportionment Plan	[64]
	Cass County Kalamazoo County (part) Alamo Township Brady Township Charleston Township Climax Township Comstock Township Galesburg Kalamazoo Township (part) Oshtemo Township Parchment Pavilion Township Portage Prairie Ronde Township Ross Township Schoolcraft Township Texas Township Wakeshma Township St. Joseph County	1982 Apportionment Plan	[65]
	Kalamazoo County St. Joseph County (part) Mendon Township Park Township	1992 Apportionment Plan	[66]
	Berrien County Cass County Van Buren County (part) Almena Township Arlington Township Bangor Bangor Township Bloomingdale Township Columbia Township Covert Township Decatur Township Geneva Township Gobles Hamilton Township Hartford Hartford Township Keeler Township Lawrence Township Grove Township Porter Township South Haven (part) South Haven Township Waverly Township	2001 Apportionment Plan	[67]
	Berrien County Cass County St. Joseph County	2011 Apportionment Plan	[68]

References

1. "State Senate District 21, MI". Census Reporter. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
2. "CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1850". Michigan Legislature . Retrieved November 21, 2022.
3. "CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1835". Michigan Legislature . Retrieved November 21, 2022.
4. "Legislator Details - Sarah Anthony". Library of Michigan . Retrieved January 1, 2023.
5. "Linden_Senate". Michigan . Retrieved November 3, 2022.
6. "Michigan's 38 Senate Districts - 2011 Apportionment Plan" (PDF). Michigan Senate. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
7. David Jarman. "How do counties, House districts, and legislative districts all overlap?". Daily Kos. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
8. "State Senate District 21, MI". Census Reporter. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
9. "STATE LEGISLATORS, 1835-2019" (PDF). Michigan Legislature . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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11. "Legislator Details - Ebenezer Lakin Brown". Library of Michigan . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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13. "Legislator Details - Harvey Williams". Library of Michigan . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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15. "The Legislature". Detroit Free Press. November 13, 1860. p. 2. Retrieved February 11, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
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21. Michigan Historical Commission (1924). Michigan Biographies: Including Members of Congress, Elective State Officers, Justices of the Supreme Court, Members of the Michigan Legislature, Board of Regents of the University of Michigan, State Board of Agriculture and State Board of Education, Volume 1. Google Books. p. 208.
22. "Legislator Details - John N. Mellen". Library of Michigan . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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35. "Conlan to Connelley". Political Graveyard . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
36. "Corcos to Corneliusen". Political Graveyard . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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39. "Woodmancy to Woodrum". Political Graveyard . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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41. "Newvahner to Nicholoff". Political Graveyard . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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43. "Gravina to Gray". Political Graveyard . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
44. "Roosevelt". Political Graveyard . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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51. "Weissberg to Welby". Political Graveyard . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
52. "Cron to Crosbie". Political Graveyard . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
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54. "Legislator Details - Dale L. Shugars". Library of Michigan . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
55. "Ron Jelinek". Ballotpedia . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
56. "John Proos". Ballotpedia . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
57. "Kim LaSata". Ballotpedia . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
58. "Legislator Details - Kim LaSata". Library of Michigan . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
59. "Sarah Anthony". Ballotpedia . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
60. "Legislator Details - Sarah Anthony". Library of Michigan . Retrieved February 11, 2023.
61. "Michigan State Senate District 21". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
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64. "Michigan Manual 1975/1976". Michigan Legislature. 1975. p. 457. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
65. "SENATORIAL DISTRICTS" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. 1989. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
66. "SENATORIAL DISTRICTS" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. 1997. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
67. "SENATORIAL DISTRICTS" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. 2001. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
68. "MICHIGAN SENATE DISTRICT 21" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2022.