Democrats Just Secured Another Special Election Win in Michigan

In another spectacular special-election night for Democrats, Michiganders voted Chedrick Greene for state Senate. This locks in the latest of wins for the burgeoning blue wave—and secures the party’s hold on the chamber until the end of 2026. 

Per the Associated Press, the first to call the race, Greene won with about 60% of the vote, in a highly competitive district that voted for Kamala Harris by less than 1% in 2024. The seat’s been empty for 16 months, after Rep. Kristen McDonald-Rivet (D-Mich.) resigned to take a seat in the lower chamber in 2025. Greene will hold the position until the end of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) term.

Prior to Greene’s win, Dems. already had a 19-18 majority in the chamber. But a GOP win would have resulted in a 19-19 split, allowing the party to block any legislation they disagreed with, or stall it from getting to the floor. 

“OORAH! WE WON!” Greene tweeted Tuesday. “We delivered this decisive victory by listening and speaking to the things keeping everyday people up at night — worries about affordability, safety, and freedom.” During his victory speech, he also called the results “a win for affordability.” “I just want you to know who’s had your back for 31 years and you can be sure I’ll still have your backs in Lansing.”

In the end, Democrats overwhelmingly won the Michigan special election.

A race Republicans were confident they could win in 2025 was lost by 20 percentage points last night. https://t.co/jeVVKXbdgx pic.twitter.com/n3dU9O1x9x

— Natalie Fertig (@natsfert) May 6, 2026

 

Greene is a Michigan native, and formerly served as a fire captain with his local fire department in Saginaw, as a former U.S. marine, and also as a district assistant to Rivet. He ran with a focus on affordability, and he also promised to protect abortion and reproductive freedom. He ran against Jason Tunney, who conversely was (quietly) endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan. 

“[This is a] decisive victory in one of the highest-stakes battleground districts in the country,” Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, told Michigan Advance. “His victory defends the Democratic majority in the Michigan Senate and builds undeniable Democratic momentum for November, which is an all-hands-on-deck moment for building state legislative power all across the country.”

If Dems. manage to win Michigan’s state House, too, the party could secure a trifecta in the Great Lakes State during the midterms. So get flipping, friends.