Voters in Michigan will go to the polls Tuesday for two special state House elections that will determine party control of the chamber.
In the race for the seat in the state’s 13th District — which encompasses much of the city of Warren in purple Macomb County — Democrat Mai Xiong, a member of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, is running against Republican Ronald Singer, who ran for seat unsuccessful in 2022. The seat, which leans Democratic, became vacant last fall when incumbent Democrat Lori Stone resigned after winning an election to be mayor of Warren.
In the race for the state’s 25th District seat — which includes, in Wayne County, some of Detroit’s western suburbs such as Westland and Sheldon — Democrat Peter Herzberg, a member of the Westland City Council, is running against Republican Josh Powell, a US Army veteran. The seat, which also leans Democratic, became vacant last fall when incumbent Democrat Kevin Coleman resigned after winning a Westland mayoral election.
The winner of each race will serve only the remainder of their predecessors’ two-year terms until the end of 2024.
Before the two lawmakers’ resignations, Democrats had a two-seat advantage in the state House. Their departures created a 54-54 tie in the House. Democrats also hold the governorship and state Senate in Michigan, meaning two victories would once again give the party a trifecta in state government.
Both districts are heavily Democratic: in 2022, Stone won his seat with 67% support, while Coleman received 63% of the vote. But the elections could still serve as a referendum on the Democratic trifecta — and on the long list of policy steps they have taken with it. Led by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, over the past two years, Michigan Democrats have enacted laws that protect abortion rights, increase union rights, combat gun violence and expand LGBTQ protections.
Fueled by continued success across the country on the abortion issue, state Democrats have largely run the races on reproductive rights.
Xiong and Herzberg emphasized their support for reproductive rights and the litany of measures taken by the Democratic Legislature to protect them. Powell has he said he opposes all abortion care “without exception” and has suggested he would try to repeal state abortion protections, while Singer has focused his campaign on economic issues.
“It’s significant,” said Michigan State House Democratic Speaker Joe Tate, referring to the role abortion rights are playing in both special elections. “It’s big – and for good reason.”
“It’s a priority for voters,” he added.
Democratic candidates have also leaned heavily on the accomplishments the party has achieved during its trifecta, betting that voters in these two districts within the crucial presidential battleground will reward this slate of progressive policies.
“Michigan is a shining example of what Democrats do in leadership,” said Abhi Rahman, spokesman for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee — the national arm of the Democratic Party charged with financing candidates for state legislative races — which has invested about $ 48 thousand in the pair of races.
“Fundamental freedoms are at stake in Michigan,” he said. “The Democratic trifecta is at stake.”
Democrats have enjoyed a solid record in special state legislative elections in recent months.
In February, Democrats won a special state House election in Pennsylvania, preserving the party’s narrow majority in the closely watched swing state. And last month, the Democratic candidate in a special election for a state House seat in Alabama won after making in vitro fertilization and abortion rights central to her campaign.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
