Next Week Marks 200 Day Vacancy for SD 35, With No End in Sight

Lansing, MI - Next Tuesday will mark a daunting milestone for 270,000 Michiganders in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

July 22nd will mark 200 days since Kristen McDonald Rivet vacated the 35th State Senate District, leaving taxpayers in the Bay, Saginaw, and Midland region without a full voice in Lansing, with no end in sight. Governor Whitmer is refusing to schedule a special election for the competitive district, breaking decades of precedent to protect Democrats’ slim grip on power in Lansing.

Governor Whitmer has ignored multiple calls to schedule the special election from a growing list of voices, including local state lawmakers, community leaders, local business leaders, taxpayers, and even some of her fellow Democrats.

“If the Democrat establishment is wondering why they’ve lost the trust of taxpayers, look no further than Governor Whitmer. For years Whitmer campaigned on ‘defending democracy,’ claiming democracy was under threat and Democrats would protect democracy itself. Yet here she is actively denying 270,000 Michiganders their fundamental democratic rights for months with no end in sight. It’s hypocrisy at its worst, and it’s actively eroding her party’s trust with Michigan taxpayers,” said Zach Rudat, Spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network.

Governor Whitmer wasted no time scheduling special elections for 2 safe Democrat seats during last term’s Democrat Trifecta. Within hours of the vacancies the elections were already scheduled, and new Democrats were elected to fill the seats within months.

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