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MichMash: Democrat victory in special election may show were 2026 midterms are headed
An important state senate race for Michigan’s 35th Senate District was decided Tuesday, and it could have huge implications for the November midterm elections. This week on WDET’s weekly series, MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss what how the race was decided. They are joined by Alvin “AJ” Jones from WCMU Public Radio to break it all down.
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In this episode
- What were the campaign strategies for Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney?
- Why did it take so long to call this special election?
- What could this race signal for the 2026 midterm elections?
Democrat Chedrick Greene and Republican Jason Tunney are vying for the 35th state Senate district seat left vacant in January 2025. In a special election to fill the seat ahead of the November elections, Greene won by a large margin. This is the same district that President Trump had a strong presence in the 2024 elections.
Despite this being a Democratic leaning area, Jones said that this election is still significant. “There are also a lot of conservatives that live in this area. When you look at the guts of some of the cities, Chedrick did well in areas that are broadly conservative.” said Jones.
Jones also pointed to the focus on the race being a reason why Greene won this special election. “The two candidates had very different strategies. Tunny’s campaign really hammered in local issues—talking about reading levels and tax cuts. Greene’s focused on national issues of affordability.”
Both Greene and Tunney will face off again in the 2026 November midterm elections.
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The post MichMash: Democrat victory in special election may show were 2026 midterms are headed appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.
