AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Michigan’s state house special elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Democrats hope to restore their slim majority in the state House of Representatives on Tuesday when voters fill two vacant seats in suburban Detroit.

The chamber deadlocked at 54-54 in November when two Democratic members won mayoral elections. Democrats previously had full control of state government since the 2022 midterms, when they flipped the state Senate and the House and held on to the governorship.

In District 13, which includes parts of Macomb and Wayne counties northeast of Detroit, Democrat Mai Xiong faces Republican Ronald Singer. Xiong is in her second term on the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, where she represents parts of the city of Warren. She had the endorsement of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the Jan. 30 special primary. Singer is a mechanical engineer who ran unsuccessfully for this seat in the 2022 general election.

In District 25, which includes the city of Westland in Wayne County west of Detroit, Democrat Peter Herzberg faces Republican Josh Powell. Herzberg, a member of the Westland City Council, defeated fellow councilmember Andrea Rutkowski in a five-way Jan. 30 primary, 36% to 30%. Rutkowski had Whitmer’s endorsement, while Herzberg was endorsed by Kevin Coleman, the new mayor of Westland, who most recently held the seat.

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