Overview
- The District 35 race, which finishes Tuesday when polls close at 8 p.m. ET, will fill a mid-Michigan Senate seat left open since Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet moved to Congress.
- Democrats hold a 19-18 Senate edge, and a GOP win would create a 19-19 split that allows Republicans to stall bills because most legislation needs 20 votes to pass.
- Voters are choosing among Democrat Chedrick Greene, Republican Jason Tunney, and Libertarian Ali Sledz to serve through the end of the year.
- About 32,000 ballots were in before Election Day, and county release practices could slow a clear result as Bay often posts early votes late and Midland and Saginaw report them in batches.
- Parties view the contest as a test of 2026 midterm strength in a swing district that blends Saginaw’s union and Black voters with conservative rural areas and that Democrats narrowly carried in 2024.