SAGINAW, MI -- A critical primary battle for Michigan's state Senate 35th District seat on Tuesday, Feb. 3, left voters with two choices for the May 5 special election, according to unofficial results: Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney.
Voters will send the winner to occupy the seat left vacant after then-state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet departed Lansing for the U.S. House of Representatives in January 2025.
Thirteen months since that departure, the state Senate race has produced other numbers that tell the story of this political campaign cycle. Here are a few notable figures:
- 26,624 vs. 18,229 votes
There were 26,624 votes cast for Democratic primary candidates compared to 18,229 votes cast for Republican primary candidates on Tuesday. That represents a Democratic turnout that amounted to 8,395 more votes cast for Democrats than Republicans, or about 46% more Democratic votes. - 4 candidates
While there were 10 candidates combined in the Democratic and GOP primary races, the results showed four of them stood out from the rest: Greene and Tunney as well as Democrat Pamela Pugh and Republican Christian Velasquez. The runner-up in the Democratic primary, Pugh, received 7,371 votes. Behind her and Greene, none of the other four Democratic candidates earned more than 1,200 votes. The runner-up in the GOP primary, Velasquez, received 7,733 votes. Behind him and Tunney, neither of the other two Republican candidates earned more than 700 votes. - 32.7 and 8.8 percentage points
With 16,081 votes cast in his favor, Greene defeated Pugh by 32.7 percentage points. With 9,335 votes cast in his favor, Tunney bested Velasquez by 8.8 percentage points. - 11:04 and 6:29
The Associated Press called the Democratic race in favor of Greene at 11:04 p.m. Tuesday, three hours after polls closed. Tunney claimed victory shortly before midnight, although The Associated Press waited to call the GOP race in his favor until 6:29 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4. - 22%
District 35 encompasses parts of Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties. Of the three counties, the turnout percentage was largest in Midland County. There, 22% of 50,593 registered voters participated in the primary election, county clerk unofficial results showed. Bay County's turnout was 21.7% of 77,765 registered voters while Saginaw County's turnout was 19% of 93,971 registered voters. - $263,752.85 and $189,435
Campaign filings published on the Michigan Secretary of State finance disclosure webpage showed Greene led all District 35 candidates with $263,752.85 in reported contributions as of a January 2026 reporting deadline. By comparison, Tunney's campaign reported $189,435 in contributions as of last month's deadline. - 19-18
The May special election could shake up the power balance for the rest of the year in Lansing, where Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state Senate, 19-18. - 90 days
There remain 90 days between now and Tuesday, May 5, when voters will participate in the special election that will send either Greene or Tunney to the state Senate. - 2027
The May special election will determine who completes what will remain of Rivet's state Senate term, which expires at the end of this year. That means voters will cast ballots for District 35 in a second 2026 election cycle that concludes in November, nine months from now. The winner of the November election will sit in the District 35 state Senate seat beginning in 2027.