An Open Governor's Office and an Open Senate Seat Put Michigan at the Center of the Midterms
Michigan is the rare battleground electing both a new governor and a new U.S. senator on Tuesday — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and Sen. Gary Peters is retiring — which is why the whole country will be watching returns from Wayne County on election night.
Most states get one marquee race in a midterm. Michigan gets two. On Tuesday, voters will choose a successor to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited after two four-year terms, and a successor to U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, who chose not to seek re-election. Open seats for both offices at once make Michigan one of the most closely watched states in the country this fall.
In the governor's race, Democrat Jocelyn Benson, Michigan's Secretary of State, faces Republican John James, the U.S. representative for Michigan's 10th Congressional District in Macomb and Oakland counties. Benson's running mate for lieutenant governor is state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids; James is running with state Rep. Jay DeBoyer. The winner takes over a state government whose Legislature is also entirely on Tuesday's ballot — all 110 state House seats and all 38 state Senate seats.
The Senate race pits Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and former public health official who previously led health efforts in Detroit and Wayne County, against Republican Mike Rogers, a former U.S. representative. Because the seat is open and Michigan's recent statewide margins have been narrow, the race is treated nationally as one of the contests that could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.
Detroit's weight in both races is simple math: Wayne County is Michigan's most populous county, and turnout here shifts statewide percentages. That is why campaigns spend their closing days in metro Detroit and why results from the city are watched precinct by precinct on election night. Detroit Motor City News will publish results as they are reported Tuesday night, race by race, with the governor's and Senate contests at the top of the page.
Also on the statewide ballot are races for attorney general and secretary of state, Michigan Supreme Court seats, and statewide proposals. Voters can preview their full ballot — federal, state, county and local — at Michigan.gov/Vote before heading out.
