Democrats won a pair of special legislative elections in Michigan on Tuesday, regaining their majority in the House — and their trifecta in state government in the crucial battleground state.
The Associated Press predicted that Democratic candidates would win their races for the open seats in the 13th and 25th state House districts.
In the 13th District — which includes much of the city of Warren, in purple Macomb County — Democrat Mai Xiong, a member of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, defeated Republican Ronald Singer. The seat became vacant when the incumbent Democrat, Lori Stone, resigned after winning the election to become mayor of Warren last fall.
In the 25th District — which includes some of Detroit’s western suburbs within Wayne County — Democrat Peter Herzberg, a member of the Westland City Council, defeated Republican Josh Powell, an Army veteran. The seat became vacant when the incumbent Democrat, Kevin Coleman, resigned after winning the election to become mayor of Westland last fall.
Their victories give Democrats a 56-54 lead in the state House, restoring their majority. The party also holds the governorship and Senate in Michigan.
Xiong and Herzberg will serve the remainder of their predecessors’ two-year terms, and are expected to run for the seats again in November, when all 110 seats in the House are up for election.
Xiong and Herzberg were both expected to win because both seats were heavily Democratic. In 2022, Stone won with 67% support, while Coleman received 63%.
Michigan Democrats had largely led the battle over abortion, with the party’s continued control of the legislature a way to continue protecting access to the procedure.
Xiong and Herzberg both emphasized their support for reproductive rights during their campaigns. Democrats often attacked Powell for saying he opposed all abortion care “without exception” and for suggesting he would try to repeal the state’s abortion protections. Singer focused his campaign on economic issues.
The Democrats’ victories in Michigan further strengthen the power that the abortion issue has given the party in elections since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, including during the special legislative elections in recent months.
In February, for example, Democrats won a special election for the state House in Pennsylvania, retaining the party’s slim majority in the battleground state. And last month, the Democratic candidate won a special election for a state House seat in Alabama after making in vitro fertilization and abortion rights central to her campaign.
Democrats had also framed the races as a referendum on the trifecta the party had enjoyed until recently — and on the long list of policy moves they had made with it.
Led by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Democrats have passed laws over the past two years to protect abortion rights, encourage unions, combat gun violence and expand LGBTQ protections.
“Tonight’s election was a referendum on the mission of the Democratic trifecta in Michigan, and voters said they want Democrats to continue moving the state forward,” said Heather Williams, chair of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee – the national arm of the Democratic Party responsible for financing candidates. for state legislative races – said in a statement.
“Voters want their fundamental freedoms protected, and tonight’s election has seen a clear denunciation of Republican extremism and attacks on reproductive care,” added Williams, whose DLCC invested about $48,000 in the two races.
The 25th District is in solid blue Wayne County, which includes Detroit. The 13th District includes large parts of Macomb County, a key swing county in presidential races.
Donald Trump won Macomb County in the 2020 presidential race by 8.1 percentage points and by 12 percentage points in 2016. But President Barack Obama won by 4 percentage points in 2012 and by 8 percentage points in 2008. Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton won both state House districts up for grabs on Tuesday, by overwhelming margins in 2020 and 2016.
National Democrats hailed Tuesday’s victories as positive news heading into the 2024 presidential election.
“These victories in the critical battleground of Michigan are just the latest evidence of Democrats’ continued momentum,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement. “In special election after special election, voters appear to have Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans scheming.”
But many Democrats in Michigan called for caution in linking Tuesday’s results to the state’s 2024 presidential race.
“Michigan is a purple state. We certainly cannot let our foot off the gas here,” said Democratic House Speaker Joe Tate. “We still have a lot of work to do, especially in delivering our message and working with the Biden campaign.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
