LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – On the Friday before Labor Day and more than 200 days after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer left the state’s 35th Senate district languishing without representation, she’s finally called for a special election.

The vacancy resulted from the resignation of former State Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat. She left after being elected to the U.S. House last November. The seat represents 270,000 people in the Bay City, Saginaw, and Midland areas.

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Earlier this month, residents sued Whitmer over her failure to call a special election. The special primary election is slated for February 3, 2026, and the general election to be held on May 5, 2026.

Some have speculated that Whitmer did not want to call the special election because it may tip the previously occupied Democratic seat to Republican. The Michigan Senate maintains a slim Democratic majority while the Michigan House flipped Republican during the last election.