House Down To 106 Members After Tuesday’s Elections, Other Election Results

Rep. Mark Huizenga (R-Walker) and Rep. Doug Wozniak (R-Shelby Township) will be crossing the Capitol to become senators. Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) will be the next mayor of Dearborn. But Rep. Alex Garza (D-Taylor) will not be his home city’s next mayor.

Add all that together and the state House will be down to 106 members by the end of the year, the lowest membership total in recent history, according to House Clerk Gary Randall.

Functionally, it means Republicans will be down to 55 members. The Democrats will be at 51 and 54 votes will be needed to pass a bill, giving the R’s little wiggle room.

The Senate will be back to its full membership of 38 as soon as Tuesday’s election results are certified. It will require 20 votes to pass a bill and the Republican majority will return to 22-16.

Huizenga won 63% to 37% over Democrat Keith Courtade in the Kent County-based 28th state Senate district. Wozniak won 58% to 42% over Democrat Martin Genter in the Macomb County-based 8th Senate district.

The duo effectively won both races in their respective primaries. Because they’ll serve less than half of a term in replacing former Sens. Pete MacGregor and Pete Lucido, respectively, they will be eligible to run for the state Senate for two more terms after 2022.

“Today’s special election wins prove Republicans have the momentum heading into next year as we work to elect Republicans at all levels of government,” said MIGOP Chair Ron Weiser. “Doug Wozniak and Mark Huizenga have my sincere congratulations . . . Together, they join a great group of Republican Senators who are working to hold Gretchen Whitmer, Dana Nessel and Jocelyn Benson accountable for their reckless and detrimental actions.”

Meanwhile, Hammoud defeated former Rep. Gary Woronchak54.8% to 45.2% based on preliminary results to become the new mayor of Dearborn.

Hammoud becomes the first Muslim and Arab American mayor-elect in the U.S. city with the highest concentration of Arabs.

“The people of Dearborn spoke loudly,” Hammoud said. “They want change and bold leadership to tackle the challenges we face. Our campaign united the city behind thoughtful solutions that will deliver the city government Dearborn deserves.

“We live in the greatest city in America and I’m excited about what we can achieve together when we rally around a common vision.”

Garza, meanwhile, was not as fortunate. After winning the primary in Taylor with 35% of the vote, the two-term House member didn’t pick up as many votes from those supporting the current mayor, Rick Sollars, who is under FBI investigation for receiving gifts from contractors who received favorable treatment from the city.

Garza lost 51% to 41% to City Council President Tim Woolley. A write-in candidate received the remaining 8%.

Other election results from across the state include the following:

– Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, a former state representative, won a second term 64% to 36% over City Councilmember Kathie Dunbar in a race that centered around police protection.

Dunbar supported defunding the police while Schor stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ingham County Sheriff in disputing the local prosecutor’s decision to not prosecute most felony firearms charges.

Schor won despite having active protests against him last year for his initial tepid response to the Black Lives Matter protests. But Schor eventually worked well with the local Black community. He made agreeable hires in his front office and pushed agreeable policies about how police interacted with the public.

– Former House Minority Leader Tim Greimel will be the next mayor of Pontiac after defeating Alexandria Riley, 62% to 37%. Greimel overcame claims he was a carpetbagger to the city by noting that he represented the area in the state House and was a county commissioner before that.

– Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan rolled to his third term as mayor with a resounding defeat of former mayoral chief of staff Anthony Adams. Duggan was never really challenged in this one, having tied up a great amount of support by the time he announced his re-election bid.

– Likewise, Detroit Clerk Janice Winfrey won re-election, despite criticisms about how many precincts weren’t allowed to be recounted after the 2020 election.

Claims of election fraud by conservatives and Donald Trump supporters seemed to help, as opposed to hurt, Winfrey, as she rolled to victory over Denzel McCampbell.

Both Former Sen. Coleman Young II and Rep. Mary Waters won seats on the Detroit City Council as at large candidates, knocking off incumbent Janee Ayers, who is under federal investigation as part of an investigation into potential kickbacks from city contractors. Also, former Rep. Fred Durhal III will be going to the Detroit City Council after defeating Regina Ross. Former journalist M.L. Elrick lost to Latisha Johnson in the Fourth Ward. 

– Hamtramck will have its first Arab and Muslim mayor after Yemeni immigrant Amer Ghalibdefeated incumbent Karen Majewski, 68% to 31%. The city’s demographics are further shifting to a Yemeni and Bengali population.

– Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor defeated challenger Ken Nelson, 63% to 37%.

– Mayor William Wild easily won re-election in Westland.

– Former Rep. Vicki Barnett easily won re-election in Farmington Hills.

– Former Sen. Laura Toy regained a seat on the Livonia City Council.

– Former Rep. Doug Geiss regained a seat on the Taylor City Council.

– Former Rep. John Chirkun was elected to be the Roseville Treasurer.

– Former Rep. Henry Yanez won re-election to the Sterling Heights City Council.

– Novi Mayor Bob Gatt won re-election 55% to 45% over Ajay Raman, a first-time candidate who received support from the Novi Firefighting Unions and nearby local officials.