The First of Two Elections for the 35th District

Lansing, MI – Tomorrow is the primary election for the 35th state Senate District, and it will also mark the 395th day that the people of the Great Lakes Bay Region will have had no representation in the state Senate.

This election is unfortunately not the end of the 35th District's lack of representation. There are still many more days ahead, because the people of the 35th are stuck on Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s timetable. After months of refusing to call the election, Whitmer finally caved – only after receiving pressure from the national media. 

While Whitmer did finally call the election – 238 days late – she decided to stretch the absence as long as possible. Tomorrow’s election is only the first of two, meaning that the state Senate seat will be empty until May. When the seat is finally filled, Whitmer’s election schedule will have left it empty for nearly 500 days.

“Gretchen Whitmer’s plan has always been about limiting the voice of the voters,” said Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for the Michigan Forward Network. “She’s scared of the consequences of this election, and scared to hear what the voters have to say, so she’s left 270,000 of them voiceless.”