WIDR's Michigan Election Night Coverage Guide

Good evening WIDRites!

First of all, if it's before 8:00 p.m. on November 3rd, you still have time to vote! If this describes you and you HAVEN'T voted yet, close this webpage and go do so. It's more important that you make your voice heard than that you see the results as they come in.

For those of you who have voted, welcome! Below is a comprehensive guide we made for you to be able to be able to follow along with out Election Night Coverage, starting November 3rd at 6:30 p.m. We will primarily be pulling our election results from the New York Times and Mlive, so feel free to follow along there as well!

Tune in to follow along with these key races that will affect our Country and our State!

Federal Races

U.S. House

The GOP currently controls the U.S. House 219-214. They have controlled the chamber since 2023. Two seats are currently vacant. If a party wins 218 seats, they win this chamber of Congress. DEMs need a net gain of four seats to win control of this chamber.

Data and polling suggests that DEMs are favored to win in this chamber. Seven of the 13 seats in Michigan are currently held by the GOP, leaving DEMs with the other six.

You will not need to report on the vast majority of the 435 individual races, just keep an eye on the 13 seats in Michigan and the overall numbers as the come in. Races of greater significance include MI-7, MI-8, and MI-10. MI-4 (which includes Kalamazoo) will be covered seperately and more extensively.

MI-7 consists of Lansing, it's suburbs, and the surrounding rural communities. The race in this district was one of the nation's closest in 2024, with Tom Barrett (R) narrowly winning his first term. Climate activist William Lawrence (D) won his primary in a close and crowded race where he was considered the more progressive candidate. This was the only district in Michigan that flipped in 2024, with Dems controlling the seat prior. Polling data shows Lawrence likely holds an advantage over Barrett in this race.

MI-8 consists of Flint, Bay City, and the interior of Lake Huron's bay area. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D) won her first term in a close race in 2024. After failing to meet the deadline to withdraw his name from the ballot, retired Engineer Tom Smith (R) won his his nomination in an upset against Trump endorsed Amir Hassan (R). Because of this unusual circumstance, this district which is typically close is expected to be easily won by McDonald Rivet.

MI-10 Consists of southern Macomb County and Rochester Hills. Incumbent John James (R) is instead running for Michigan's Governorship. Army National Guard Captain Mike Bouchard Jr. (R) was nominated to take his place. Prosecutor Christina Hines (D) is running regain her parties control over the seat for the first time since 2022. This district has been represented by the GOP since 2023. This race is expected to be close and competitive, with Hines holding a razor-thin advantage.

U.S. Senate

The GOP currently controls the U.S. Senate 53-47. They have controlled the chamber since 2025. If the GOP wins 50 seats, they win this chamber of congress with Vice President J.D. Vance (R) holding the tie-breaking vote. If DEMs win 51 seats, they win this chamber of congress. DEMs need a net gain of four seats to win control of this chamber.

Data and polling suggests that neither party holds a clear advantage to win this chamber.

Most races will not need to to covered, but it is worth keeping an eye on the races in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas. Keep quiet tabs on these races and keep in mind that the GOP and DEMs need different numbers of seats to win the Senate. The Michigan race for U.S. Senate will be covered seperately and more extensively. Polls in North Carolina and Ohio close at 7:30 p.m. Polls in Kansas, Maine, and Texas close at 8:00 p.m. Polls in Iowa and Minnesota close at 9:00 p.m. Polls in Alaska do not close until November 4th, 12:00 a.m. EST, so we will not see results come in from the state until the day after. Alaska and Maine use Ranked Choice Voting for their statewide races, meaning it is almost certain that those races will not be called tonight.

Michigan U.S. Senate

Incumbent Gary Peters (D) has chosen not to run for relection. This makes this the second consecutive U.S. Senate election in Michigan to be run for control over an open seat, as Debbie Stabenow (D) retired during the 2024 election. In this race Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) narrowly beat former Rep. Mike Rogers (R) by less than one point. With this in mind, this senate race in Michigan is expected to be competitive only two years later.

Following his narrow defeat, Mike Rogers is running once again for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat after effortlessly winning the party's primary for the nomination. From Livonia, his credentials include 6 years of experience in the Michigan Senate from 1995 - 2001. He then became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 - 2015, where he was the chair of the House Intelligence Committee from 2011 - 2015. If elected, he would be the first member of the GOP elected to the U.S. Senate by Michigan since 1994.

Born in Rochester Hills, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (D) won his nomination for the U.S. Senate race in a tight primary against Rep. Haley Stevens (D), where he performed well with young voters, college educated voters, and urban voters outside of Detroit. He has since has spent the past few months building a coalition that attempts to fold in the more moderate wing of the party and win over independents. This has been to questionable success, as Stevens has endorsed his opponent. He served as the Executive Health Director of Detroit from 2015 - 2017, and later the Director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services from 2023 - 2025. He ran a campaign for Governor in 2018, where he lost in the primary to current governor Gretchen Whitmer (D). If elected, he would be the first muslim to be elected to the U.S. Senate and the first African-American to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

Polling shows El-Sayed has an advantage, but by no means is it comfortable. Along with Minnesota, this is one of only two races we are watching where DEMs are on the defensive. Pay attention to turnout in the Detroit Metro, including Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties, which El-Sayed lost in the primary.

Michigan's 4th Congressional District

MI-4 straddles the coast of Lake Michigan, going just north of Holland, as far south as St. Joseph, while stretching as far east as Battle Creek. It is majority rural, majority white, and has a noticable concentration of Dutch Americans. Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) won the district during their relection campaigns in 2022. However, President Donald Trump then won the district in 2024, and in the U.S. House, MI-4 has not been won by DEMs since 1932.

Rep. Bill Huizenga (R) from Holland has held this seat since 2011. Prior, he was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2003 - 2009. He is currently the only member of the GOP to represent Kalamazoo, congressional or otherwise.

State Senator Sean McCann (D) currently represents the Michigan Senate's 19th District, which includes the city of Kalamazoo. He won his nomination for this seat against former legislative correspondant Diop Harris (D), where he was considered the more moderate choice. In 1993, he graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. After graduation, he served as Chair of the Vine Neighborhood Association.

This election currently favors Huizenga, but an upset is not out of the question. If rural turnout lags behind urban areas, McCann might have the momentum needed to win this race.

Statewide Races

Governor

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is term-limited and cannot run in this race. As Jocelyn Benson (D) is a key member of the the current governorship and it's coalition, this race is turning out to be a mini-referendum on Whitmer's policies within the state.

Because Whitmer remains quite popular, this race is not considered to be particularly close, but the ramifications of the election are absolutely going to be important.

DEM nominee Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson moved to Detroit following her graduation from Harvard Law School. She won convincingly in the party's primary this year. From 2012 - 2016, she was the Dean for Wayne State University and in 2019 became Michigan's first Democrat Secretary of State since 1995.

Rep. John James (R) of Southfield won his primary race against Businessman Perry Johnson (R) with a slim majority of 50.1%. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army from 2004 - 2012, and was first elected to Michigan's 10th Congressional District in 2022. This is his 3rd time running for statewide office, running twice for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and 2020. If elected, he would be Michigan's first black governor.

Pay attention to how well Benson does in this race, as her coattails will likely have an effect on the other statewide races (including for U.S. Senate) and those for the state legislature. Whether or not Jocelyn can perform as well as her predecessor is yet to be seen.

Secretary of State

Current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is term-limited and cannot run in this race. The race for her successor is between Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D)and Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini (R).

Currently, DEMs hold a decent advantage.

Garlin Gilchrist of Detroit was nominated for the position of Leiutenent Governor by then nominee Gretchen Whitmer, and won reelection to the role alongside her twice to serve from 2019 until the present. He was also the chair of the National Leiutenent Governors Association from 2024 - 2025. Gilchrist originally filed to run for Governor, but withdrew and instead ran for SOS.

Also born in Detroit, Anthony Forlini was a State Representative for the 24th District from 2011 - 2016. He has been the County Clerk in Macomb County since 2021. In 1984, he graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor's degree in business.

In recent history, races for Secretary of State typically wind up with similar results to the Gubernatorial. Eye this one for anomolies, but don't bog yourself down with details.

Attorney General

Current Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) is term-limited and cannot run in this race. As it stands, Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit (D) and Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney Doug Lloyd (R) are competing for this seat.

DEMs are forecast as closer to winning this competitive election.

Eli Savit of Ann Arbor has been in his role as Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney since 2021.

Doug Lloyd has been the Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney since 2013.

While the result in this race is usually similar to the Gubernatorial, what little data we have suggests this race will be closer. Watch this one with a side-eye.

Proposal 1

"A proposal to convene a constitutional convention for the purpose of drafting a general revision of the state constitution.

Shall a convention of elected delegates be convened in 2027 to draft a general revision of the state constitution for presentation to the state’s voters for their approval or rejection?"

Data shows this initiative is very likely to fail.

The Michigan Constitution requires that a question on holding a constitutional convention be automatically referred to voters every sixteen years as the first proposal on the general election ballot.

A yes vote would trigger a constitutional convention, which would result in the appointment of officials who would write a brand new Constitution for the State of Michigan, overwriting the previous one.

This Proposal is on the ballot routinely ever since 1960, but has never passed. Just be aware of it, and pay close attention if it appears to be closer than it should. Should it pass, it would drastically change the way that our state functions.

Proposal 2

"A proposed initiated law to prohibit campaign contributions from certain regulated utilities and government contractors and apply campaign finance laws and regulations to additional types of political communications.

The proposal would:

- Prohibit regulated electric and gas utilities, contractors with over $250,000 annually in government contracts, and people and organizations with substantial connections to these utilities/contractors from making direct or indirect campaign contributions to those who run for or hold offices that impact them.

-Expand laws regulating spending on political communications, including those requiring disclosing donor information, to apply to communications clearly identifying candidates or ballot questions, even if they do not expressly advocate voting for/against them.

-Expressly apply the law requiring disclosure of who paid for political communications to internet political communications.

Should this proposal be adopted?"

Data shows this initiative is very likely to pass.

A yes vote would prohibit lobbying from many major energy sector donors in the State of Michigan. It would also expand the degree by which campaigns must report finances and donor information, including the reporting of online content that was paid for by a campaign.

This is an initiative that is very likely to pass, but it will have a profound impact if it does. It's closer than Prop 1, so it's not a guarantee.

Supreme Court

Two Seats on the Michigan Supreme Court are up for grabs this election. The two candidates who win the most votes both win seats on the Michigan Supreme Court. This is a non-partisan race. The current makeup of the Court is majority DEM nominated, 6-1

Noah Hood and Megan Cavanagh both are incumbents and are DEM aligned. Cassandra Morse-Bills is GOP aligned. Michael Warren has been backed by the GOP and Libertarian parties.

Even if Hood and Cavanagh both lose, DEM aligned Justices will still be in the majority. For this reason, these are somewhat lower stake (yet still important) elections.

State Congressional Races

Michigan House of Representatives

The GOP currently controls the Michigan State House 58-52. They have controlled the chamber since 2025. If a party wins 56 seats, they win this chamber of Congress. If both parties win 55 seats, the two parties must form a power sharing agreement. DEMs need a net gain of four seats to win control of this chamber.

Data and polling suggests that DEMs are favored to win in this chamber.

Pay attention to the overall results, but know that the only race we will be specifically following is the one in MI-41. Just keep in mind that 56 number in mind.

Michigan State Senate

DEMs currently control the Michigan State Senate 20-18. They have controlled the chamber since 2023. If a party wins 20 seats, they win this chamber of Congress. If both parties win 19 seats, control of the chamber goes to the party who win the Governor's seat. The GOP needs a net gain of two seats (or one seat and the Governor's race) to win control of this chamber.

Data and polling suggests that DEMs are narrowly favored to win in this chamber.

Pay attention to the overall results, but know that the only race we will be specifically following is the one in MI-19. Just keep in mind that 20 number in mind and remember the Lt. Governor gets the tie-breaking vote if there's a tie.

Michigan's 41st State House District

MI-41 consists of parts of Kalamazoo (including WMU), Kalamazoo Township, and Portage. including Incumbent Julie Rogers (D)retired to run for State Senate. This race is between Chairwoman of Kalamazoo County Commission Jen Strebs (D) and Political Newcomer Nicole Sabel (R).

Two years ago, DEMs won this district with over 75% of the vote. This race is uncompetitive.

Michigan's 19th State Senate District

MI-19 consists of all of Kalamazoo County apart from the southeastern corner and Antwerp Township in Van Buren County. Incumbent Sean McCann (D) is term-limited and running for the U.S. House. This race is between State Rep. Julie Rogers and political newcomer Shaun Young (R).

Two years ago, DEMs won this district with almost 60% of the vote. This race is uncompetitive.