On Tuesday, residents of the 35th Michigan Senate District will head to the polls to vote in a special primary election. The Democratic and Republican Primary Election winners will face off at the Special General Election to be held on May 5. The seat has been open since former Senator and now Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet resigned in January 2025 following her election to the U.S. House. In May, if a Democratic candidate wins, the Michigan Senate would have a 20-18 majority. If the Republicans flip the seat, the chamber will have an even 19-19 split majority for the remainder of the year.
Democratic Candidates:
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- Brandell Adams – Bridgeport Township Trustee, second chance Pell coordinator, and work study/student employment coordinator at Delta College.
- Martin Blank – Physician, U.S. Army Veteran, former police officer.
- Chedrick Greene – U.S. Marine Veteran, fire captain, former district assistant for former Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet.
- William Morrone – Physician, medical director of Recovery Pathways and the 18th Circuit and 35th Circuit Drug Courts, author, associate professor of Family and Community Medicine at Michigan State University.
- Pamela Pugh – President of the State Board of Education, appointed former chief health advisor in response to the Flint Water Crisis.
- Serenity Hope Salak – Teacher, former Assistant Payments Worker at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Republican Candidates:
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- Jason Tunney – Attorney, former Saginaw County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.
- Chadwick Twillman – Executive director of a financial firm and VP of The Mountain Mover’s Firm.
- Christian Velasquez – Chief strategist of PointsNorth Group, LLC.
- Andrew Carlos Wendt – Teacher, former Saginaw City Councilman.
35th Senate District:
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- The district includes portions of Bay, Midland, and Saginaw counties.
The winners of each primary will head to the special general election on May 5.
