And they got it all done with slim two-seat majorities in both chambers, a 56-54 advantage in the House, and a 20-18 lead in the Senate, which means control of the legislative agenda in Lansing for the next two years is on the ballot Nov. 5.

If Republicans can flip just two seats in the House, where every seat is up for grabs, it is unlikely any major legislation on the priority list of either Whitmer or her fellow Democrats will become reality, while Democrats retaining control means progressive priorities will continue to be emphasized.

The Senate is not up for reelection until 2026.

It was a tough primary season in Michigan, with a Ballotpedia analysis showing more than a third of all incumbent House members faced primary challengers, well above the national average of 22%. In the end, two Republican members — state Reps. Neil Friske, R-Charlevoix, and Bob Bezotte, R-Howell, who both were embroiled in controversies — lost their chance to run for reelection.

JENN HILL

Turning to the general election, both parties know that voter turnout will be key to success, and while interest in the presidential race is certainly high, there are no ballot initiatives to drive voters to the polls as there was in 2022. That year, an amendment to enshrine abortion rights in Michigan’s Constitution drew wide support in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. With polling showing less enthusiasm among female Democrats when abortion rights were not directly up for a vote, that could prove to be a decisive factor in tight state House races.

Adding to the political landscape are several House districts that were redrawn on the order of a federal court late last year, after it found more than a dozen metro Detroit House and Senate districts were unconstitutional in how they were drawn. In all, seven House districts had to be redrawn first in order to be ready for this November’s election, while six districts in the Senate map were redrawn last as none of those seats will be up for election until 2026. The final House map approved by the court ended up redrawing 15 districts.

Also in play is the passage of Proposal 1 in 2022, which reduced the state’s system of term limits to a total of 12 years, while also allowing for six two-year House terms, three four-year Senate terms or a combination of the two.

Fifteen House districts, including two in northern Michigan, will likely determine which party controls the agenda in Lansing for the next two years. Campaign finance statistics are as of Aug. 26, the latest date available in the Michigan Campaign Finance database.

109th District

KARL BOHNAK

State Rep. Jenn Hill, D-Marquette, won this Upper Peninsula district in 2022 by nearly 6 points, which practically counts as a blowout in this era of 50-50 elections.

Consisting of Alger, Baraga and Marquette counties, and the eastern two-thirds of Dickinson County, Democrats have dominated this district for decades, although the overall shift of the U.P. to the Republican Party keeps this as a race worth watching.

Hill, who had to overcome two challengers in the August primary, will face former television meteorologist Karl Bohnak on Nov. 5.

Helping Hill will be strong Democratic support from the city of Marquette and from Northern Michigan University. Additionally, while Trump won the district in 2016, he lost it to Joe Biden in 2020, while Whitmer took it by double digits in 2022, the same year Hill won her seat.

Hill had the cash advantage with her campaign fund containing approximately $221,000, while Bohnak had just over $16,000.

Bohnak, who was the chief meteorologist at WLUC-TV6 in Marquette, cited affordable energy, local control, education and gun rights among his priorities.

He also said he hoped to bring change to how the district was represented, and that Hill had “consistently fallen in line and voted, not for our interests, but for the interests of radical ideologues in Lansing” that “restricted local control and sent millions of our tax dollars for pet projects downstate.”

Hill, however, says she stands beside her record in Lansing where she voted to codify the Affordable Care Act to “ensure those with pre-existing conditions aren’t denied coverage,” passed “the biggest education budget in Michigan’s history, all without raising taxes,” and repealing the Gov. Rick Snyder-era retirement tax, “putting an average of $1,000 back in the pockets of half a million Michigander households.”

103rd District

Incumbent state Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City, had the tightest race in 2022, when a 765-vote margin (less than four-tenths of a percentage point) put her into office by defeating then-incumbent state Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, and becoming the first Democrat to ever represent Grand Traverse County in the state House.

Challenging her this November is former Grand Traverse County Republican Party Chair Lisa Trombley, a retired federal employee.

“Coffia has been a rubber stamp for the far left agenda, which takes parents out of schools, strips our Second Amendment rights, and makes it hard for our tourism industry to thrive,” said Trombley in her campaign announcement last November.

In a recent debate, Coffia and Trombley displayed stark differences on issues including climate change, gun control and abortion, but also local topics such as northern Michigan’s housing market.

On paper, Coffia has amassed a campaign fund north of $384,000, no doubt a reflection of her prodigious fundraiser skills developed over the course of two terms in the state House and as a Grand Traverse County Commissioner for four years before that. Trombley, meanwhile, had just over $67,000.

The district encompasses Leelanau County, as well as parts of Grand Traverse and Benzie counties, with Traverse City and its immediate suburbs a strong redoubt of Democratic strength, while the outlying areas, especially central Leelanau and northern Benzie, remain strongly in the Republican camp.

Coffia cites protecting reproductive freedom and the environment among her priorities, as well as strengthening public education.

Among the issues Trombley emphasizes are transparent governance, lifting restrictions on small business, securing elections, and defending the Second Amendment.

On that last topic, Trombley and Coffia offered contrasting approaches at the recent debate.

“What can Lansing do? We can have 3,000 laws on the books. It’s not going to stop that one person who is compelled to create violence in any kind of circumstance,” Trombley said.

Coffia, who emphasized that she grew up in a hunting family and likes to sport shoot, said she fully supported what she and the Democratic majority got done in the last term, including universal background checks, safe storage laws, and a red flag law that allows a judge to order the removal of guns from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.

“This is about reasonable protections for public safety and especially our children. There is more we can do,” Coffia said.

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