Special elections nationwide are being closely watched in the run up to the 2026 midterms in November. Midterms are often seen as the biggest test of a party’s popularity, as they occur midway through a president’s term. While special elections for state seats do not hold the same national significance as Congressional elections, they can offer some insight into how things may shape up nationally
Democrats have generally exceeded expectations in special
elections since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.
“This is a win for affordability, for people who do everything right but still struggle because their wages aren’t keeping up with the solar prices,” Greene said in his victory speech.
“We’ll have a working class guy who has walked in their shoes fighting for them in Lansing. This is a win for safety, people who want to feel safe in their schools, in their neighborhoods. We’ll have a career public safety professional making decisions on policy aimed at stopping violence, drugs, theft and more.”
“Tonight, we fell short in the special election, but I’m incredibly proud of what this campaign accomplished together,” Tunney said in a statement. “We worked hard every single day to run the best campaign.”
Michigan is considered a battleground state, which is a state in an election where no single political party has a clear or consistent advantage, so both major parties compete heavily because the outcome is uncertain and could “swing” either way.
Michigan’s 35th District is located about 100 miles north of Detroit and includes Saginaw, Bay City and Midland. Saginaw is the only Michigan county to back the winning presidential candidate in each of the last five elections.
“It’s really this microcosm of the Midwest, frankly,” McDonald Rivet said of the district she left when she entered the House in 2025. “Given how much it resembles so many other places across the country, we have to look at it and say, this is an indicator of how things are going to go in November.”
