Battle lines for Michigan House control are drawn, as 2 Republican incumbents fall to challengers

With the polls closed and primary votes being tallied, the November races for Michigan’s House are taking form, as Republicans gear up to challenge Democrats for majority control of the chamber. 

We already know that two incumbent lawmakers won’t be returning next term, as they lost their primary elections Tuesday: State Reps. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) and Bob Bezotte (R-Howell), who both were embroiled in controversies. But the majority of lawmakers successfully survived challenges and will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Democrats won a slim majority in both the House and Senate in 2022, establishing a Democratic trifecta for the first time in 40 years with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also winning her reelection bid. While the Senate is not on the ballot until 2026, all 110 House seats will be decided in November. 

Upon taking control in 2023, Democrats checked off a number of key policy priorities including protections for abortion rights, support for clean energy development, expanded rights for LGBTQ+ Michiganders, the elimination of the state’s Right to Work law and the passage of a number of gun reforms. 

However, House Republicans have maintained that they will retake the majority in 2024, with House Majority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) calling a projection of 60 Republicans to 50 Democrats “too low” while speaking at a panel at the Mackinac Policy Conference in June.

Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra echoed that confidence in a statement Tuesday night.

“Congratulations to all our candidates tonight on a well fought victory. The Michigan Republican Party is excited to work alongside all our nominees this cycle to flip a Senate seat, expand our majority in the House of Representatives, and take back our majority in the Michigan State House. Together, we’ll show Michiganders that conservative policies will stabilize our economy, lower the cost of living, secure our borders, and bring peace to the world stage again,” Hoekstra said.

Democrats’ two-seat majority has already proven tenuous when two members stepped down after winning mayoral races in their district in November 2023, splitting the House 54-54, adding fuel to partisan spats and bringing legislative action within the chamber to a crawl until Democrats regained the majority in April following two special elections. 

Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) celebrated the turnout of Democratic primary voters late Tuesday night, calling it a showcase of what’s to come in the election cycle. 

“It’s no secret that the buzz at the top of the Democratic ticket is helping to energize voters and supporters, but more importantly, when we’re out on the doors and in the community, Michigan residents are telling us that they see the link between what’s accomplished in the Michigan Legislature and efforts to deliver for all of us on the federal level, especially when it comes to protecting our freedoms and putting more money in people’s pockets,” Tate said in a statement.

Right to Life of Michigan also cheered its success at the polls, with 204 of its 231 endorsed candidates for positions in the state House, county commission, sheriff and drain commissioner winning their primary elections. President Amber Roseboom called for anti-abortion candidates to take control of the House. 

The Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter touted the success of a number of incumbent “clean energy champions” in the primary. 

“Clean, safe water and investing in clean renewable energy are bipartisan issues that are overwhelmingly popular. This is why a Sierra Club endorsement is so important, and why we prioritize resources in races where we know there is a clear distinction between the candidates on environmental protection,” Christy McGillivray, the chapter’s political and legislative director said in a statement.

With all 110 House seats up for grabs, here’s a look at the key races headed into November, which included a few surprises:

Republican primary elections

27th House District

Of the three Republicans seeking to unseat freshman Rep. Jaime Churches (D-Wyandotte), Turning Point Action representative Rylee Linting will advance to November in what is expected to be a tight race, with Churches previously securing the seat by a margin of around 600 votes. 

With 99% of votes counted Wednesday morning, Linting has received about 71% of the vote, with opponents Cody Dill receiving 20% and Maria Mendoza-Boc winning 8%.

Churches was unopposed in the primary, easily earning her party’s nomination. 

36th House District

State Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), chair of Michigan’s far-right Freedom Caucus, has staved off his Republican challengers, and is expected to hold onto the strongly Republican seat in November. 

Carra received just under 69% of the vote, with Sturgis Mayor Frank Perez receiving 20% and Michael Malmborg — a teacher living in St. Joseph County — receiving just under 11%. 

In November, Carra will face Erin Schultes, former vice chair of St Joseph County Democratic Party. Schultes ran unopposed in the primary. 

42nd House District 

House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) has also successfully staved off his primary challenger, Rich Cutshaw, receiving 64% of the vote to Cutshaw’s 36%. 

Hall is set to face Michigan Democratic Party Youth Vice Chair Austin Marsman in the general election, with Marsman unopposed in the primary. 

50th House District

Republican challenger Jason Woolford has unseated Rep. Bob Bezotte (R-Howell), winning more than 33% of the vote to Bezotte’s 30% and defeating two other candidates for the seat. 

Bezotte initially endorsed Woolford and fellow challenger Kristina Lyke after announcing he would not seek reelection. The announcement came a month after Bezotte’s wife filed for divorce on the grounds of “mental, emotional and physical abuse,” which Bezotte has denied. 

Lyke and fellow challenger Dominic Restuccia received roughly 14% and 22% respectively. 

Woolford will face Austin Breuer in November, with Breuer running as the sole Democrat in the primary. 

51st House District

State Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford) is set for a rematch against Democrat Sarah May-Seward, securing 58.8% of the vote against his challenger, Milford City Council Member Kevin Ziegler. 

Maddock, a member of Michigan’s far right Freedom Caucus and loyalist to former President Donald Trump, has repeatedly pushed false claims of voter fraud. His wife, former Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock is currently facing several felony charges in connection to Michigan’s fake electors scheme, seeking to award Michigan’s electoral votes to Trump after the former president lost the state in 2020. 

Maddock and May-Seward previously faced off in 2022, with Maddock receiving more than 57% of the vote to May-Seward’s 42%.

64th House District 

With Rep. Andrew Beeler (R-Port Huron) stepping down after two terms in the state House, five Republicans were seeking to take Beeler’s place. 

Among the five was former state Rep. Gary Eisen (R-St. Clair Shores) who was stripped of his committee assignments for comments made after the 2020 election that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called “open sedition.”

Ultimately Joseph Pavlov of Kimball Township prevailed with a slim lead over Eisen and St. Clair County Commissioner Jorja Baldwin. As of the last update from the Associated Press at 4:26 a.m. Wednesday, Pavlov had received nearly 32% of the vote, with Baldwin receiving 30% and Eisen receiving nearly 29%.

Pavlov will face Democrat John Anter in November. Anter, who currently serves on the Port Huron city planning commission received about 58% of the vote, versus his opponents Matthew Castillo and Ken Heuvelman, who received roughly 28% and 14%, respectively. 

66th House District

First-term Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) successfully defended his seat against challenger Randy LeVasseur, winning just short of 66% of the vote compared to LeVasseur’s 34%. 

Earlier this year Schriver was stripped of his committee assignment, office staff and House Funds after promoting the “Great Replacement” theory on social media, a racist conspiracy promoted by white nationalists that argues there is an effort to “replace” white Americans and Europeans through immigration and interracial marriage.

In response to multiple posts promoting the racist conspiracy, members of the House adopted a resolution denouncing “the espousal of racist, xenophobic, white supremacist, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic language by members of this chamber.” Schriver and four other freedom caucus members voted against the resolution. 

Shawn Almeranti-Crosby, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, will face Schriver in November.

67th House District

State Rep. Phil Green (R-Millington) has swept the primary for the 67th House District, winning more than 77% of the vote. His challengers Sherri Cross and Sherry Marden received 13% and 9% of the vote, respectively. 

Green will face Democrat Anissa Buffin in the general election, where he is expected to retain his strongly Republican seat located in Lapeer and Genesee counties. 

71st House District

Winning more than 67% of the vote, state Rep. Brian Begole (R-Antrim Twp.) has secured his bid for a second term, fending off challenger Kevin Rathbun, who had been endorsed by Trump. Rathbun received around 33% of the vote. 

Begole will face crop farmer and former teacher Mark Zacharda in the general election. 

78th House District

State Rep. Gina Johnsen (R-Odessa) has also advanced to the general election, after facing a challenge from conservative activist John Rocha, who was endorsed by Trump in 2022. Johnsen won about 72% of the vote compared to Rocha’s 27%.

Johnsen is set to face off against Christine Terpening in November, with Terpening running unopposed in the Democratic primary. 

103rd House District

With sitting Rep. Besty Coffia (D-Traverse City) bucking Traverse City’s history of Republican representation, former government contractor Lisa Trombley is set to challenge Coffia for party control of the seat in November. 

With 62.5% of the vote, Trombley has defeated fellow Grand Traverse County Republican Party member Katie Kniss, who received just over 31% of the vote, and Tripp Garcia, who received about 6% of the vote. 

As Coffia won her first term in 2022 by less than 800 votes, the election is expected to be a tight race.

105th House District

Despite a challenge from former Antrim County Commissioner Christian Marcus, state Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord) will be on the November ballot, seeking to win his third term in the House. 

Borton received about 77% of the vote compared to Marcus, who garnered around 23%. 

Borton is set to face Democrat James Wojey in November. 

107th House District 

State Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) one of the state’s most conservative representatives and a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, was unseated by Republican challenger Parker Fairbairn, who received 63% of the vote to Friske’s 37%. 

Friske is currently under investigation on sexual assault, assault and weapons-related offenses after he was arrested in Lansing in June. He argues he is being framed. With U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet) endorsing Fairbairn, Friske has also accused Bergman of working against him. 

Fairbairn, who chairs the Emmet County Republican Party, is set to face Democrat Jodi Decker in the general election. 

109th House District

Of the three Republicans looking to challenge Rep. Jenn Hill (D-Marquette), former meteorologist Karl Bohnak swept the race, receiving nearly 75% of the vote. 

Melody Wagner, who had won the Republican primary for the past three cycles, received just over 10% of the vote.

Burt Mason, a member of the board of directors of the Baraga County Chamber of Commerce, received a little more than 15% of votes.

Democratic primary elections

5th House District

State Rep. Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park) — who is currently serving her second term representing the now-redrawn Michigan’s 6th House district — will appear on the November ballot in the new 5th District. 

Weiss faced three challengers: Pastor Eric Love, former Oak Park School Board Vice President Crystal Bailey and Oak Park School teacher Kevin Keys. 

Weiss secured more than 48% of the vote, with Bailey receiving around 40%. Keys and Love each received just under 6%. 

7th House District

With House Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck) opting against seeking reelection in Michigan’s newly redrawn 7th District, three Democrats sought to fill the empty seat.

Ultimately, attorney Tonya Phillips Myers emerged victorious, receiving around 68% of the vote. Her opponents, Abraham Shaw and Ernest Little, each received about 16% of the vote. 

Phillips Myers will face Republican Barry Altman in November, with Altman winning about 58% of the vote against his opponent Shelby Wininger.

13th House District

Mere months after being elected to an open seat in the Legislature via special election, Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) will defend her seat again in November, having won her second primary this year. 

Xiong received 71% of the vote, with her opponents, former Detroit Public Schools Board of Education member Patricia Johnson Singleton and former state Rep. Richard Steenland (D-Roseville) receiving nearly 10% and 19% of the vote respectively. 

Xiong is expected to retain the safely blue seat, as she faces Republican Ronald Singer in November, with Singer triumphing over three opponents, receiving about 38% of the vote. 

14th House District 

Rep. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park) has successfully warded off  a challenge from the former longtime Warren Mayor Jim Fouts. 

Fouts served as mayor for 16 years and made several unsuccessful attempts in court to run for a fifth term after voters approved term limits in 2020 — before ultimately launching his campaign for the Michigan House. 

However, Fouts received about 29% of the vote, while McFall gathered 71%. 

McFall will face Republican Barbara Barber in the general election, with Barber unopposed in the primary. 

25th House District 

After winning his seat in the Legislature in April, Rep. Peter Herzberg (D-Westland) is set for a rematch against Republican Josh Powell in November, after prevailing against four primary challengers. 

Herzberg received about 53.5% of the vote, with his closest challenger, Layla Taha, a health policy professional and program director for U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), received just over 31% of the vote. 

26th House District

Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) has also successfully staved off a challenge, taking just under 74% of the vote in his race against Inkster City Council member DeArtriss Richardson-Coleman.

Wegela is set to face Republican Jeff Gorman on the ballot in November. 

77th House District 

Rep. Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing) defeated challenger Angela Matthews with more than 66% of the vote. 

Dievendorf, who is currently serving their first term in the House, will face Eagle Township farm owner Cady Ness-Smith in the general election, with Ness-Smith winning about 55% of the vote in the Republican primary. 

109th House District 

Alongside the slew of Republicans seeking to flip her seat in November, Rep. Jenn Hill faced a Democratic primary challenge from Marquette Board of Water and Light Vice Chair Margaret Brumm and Marquette County Road Commission Member Randy Girard. 

Earning just over 80% of the vote, Hill will defend her seat on the ballot in November. Girard received just under 16% of the vote while Brumm received about 4%.