(FOX 2) - After months of sitting vacant, the constituents of Michigan's 35th District in the state Senate now have a date to vote for their next senator.
The Michigan governor issued a call for a special election on Friday, months after its previous holder stepped down to run for Congress.
Big picture view:
The 35th District seat has been vacant for almost all of 2025 after former state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet won an election for the U.S. House in 2024. She was sworn into office in January, leaving the seat vacant.
The seat covers parts of Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw.
Michigan law allows the governor to call for a special election to fill a vacant seat whenever they want.
The letter announcing the call was mailed on Aug. 29.
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Dig deeper:
The dates to fill the seat are listed, with the final date for candidates to file an intention to run on Sept. 30.
The special primary election is scheduled for Feb. 3.
The special election will take place on May 5.
What they're saying:
"Today, I am calling a special election for the 35th Senate District that represents parts of Bay, Midland, and Saginaw counties," said Whitmer. "We have a lot of good work to get done before the end of next year. Michiganders want us to create jobs and grow the economy, invest in schools and boost literacy rates, and, of course, fix those damn roads. I look forward to working with the next state senator from this district to tackle these issues and more."
The Source: A letter sent from the governor to the Michigan Secretary of State was cited for this story.