Michigan voters will head to the polls on Tuesday in the state Senate’s 35th District to cast ballots that will decide the chamber’s balance of power for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer‘s (D-MI) final year in office.

Democrats currently hold a 19-18 seat advantage in the Michigan Senate, with one vacant seat after state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet left the state chamber for the U.S. House in January 2025. If Republicans can flip the former Democratic seat in Tuesday’s special election, they will have much more negotiating power in the state’s upper chamber.