10 takeaways from Michigan’s preliminary primary election results

Michiganders will have some big decisions to make in the November election—including a choice between Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Republican Mike Rogers for US Senate.

MICHIGAN—Early results from Tuesday’s statewide primary election show that former US Rep. Mike Rogers has secured the Republican nomination in the US Senate race in Michigan, and is now poised to face off against Democratic US Rep. Elissa Slotkin in the November election.

Results published by the New York Times show Rogers defeated former US Rep. Justin Amash and physician Sherry O’Donnell in the Republican primary, while Democrats chose Slotkin over actor Hill Harper. Both candidates were considered front-runners for their party nominations, and will now shift their focus to the November general election, where they’ll compete for a Senate seat that will be left open when Sen. Debbie Stabenow retires at the end of the year.

“Thank you to everyone who cast their ballot in this primary election—and to everyone who knocked a door, talked to voters, or chipped in a few bucks to fuel this campaign,” Slotkin posted to social media. “I’m thrilled to officially be your Democratic nominee for [US] Senate.”

Slotkin also sent a message to those who didn’t vote for her in this week’s election:

“I look forward to earning your support,” Slotkin said in her post-election Twitter post. “Today marks the official start of the 90-day sprint to the general election in November. We have a lot of work to do yet, and I’m going to need a full grassroots team and a groundswell by my side.”

Stabenow joined Slotkin onstage at an event in Detroit shortly after the race was called to endorse her. Slotkin also praised Stabenow for her years of service before delivering a speech positioning herself as the “normal” and “rational” candidate when compared to Rogers. 

In Oakland County, Rogers also thanked his supporters at a watch party for “not giving up on politics.” Like Slotkin, Rogers represented a mid-Michigan swing district in Congress, and similarly positioned himself as the common sense candidate in his speech. But it’ll be a steep hill to climb in November: No Republican has won a US Senate race in Michigan since 1994.

Here are nine other big takeaways from Michigan’s preliminary primary election results:

2.) State Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet is one step closer to Congress. 

With US Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) retiring at the end of the year, the race for his seat representing Michigan’s 8th Congressional District is now down to two candidates.

Preliminary results show that state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) won the Democratic nomination, while former anchorman, prosecutor, and Trump administration appointee Paul Junge beat out two other candidates for the Republican nomination.

McDonald Rivet was elected to the state Senate in 2022 and previously served as the executive director of the Michigan Head Start Association, vice president of Michigan Future Inc. and president of Greater Midland, Inc. She launched her congressional campaign in January and has since garnered a wide array of Democratic endorsements—including one from Kildee, as well as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Democratic US Reps. Debbie Dingell and Haley Stevens. 

In a post-election statement, McDonald Rivet said that her campaign has “always focused on a shared, hopeful vision for the future” of Mid-Michigan and its “hardworking families.”

“That remains our north star as we set our sights on defeating our MAGA extremist opponent in what is one of the most competitive House races in the nation,” McDonald Rivet added. 

Junge reportedly moved into the district two years ago, specifically to challenge Kildee—ultimately losing the 2022 election by about 10 percentage points, reports the Detroit Free Press. In the 2020 election, he also lost to US Rep. Elissa Slotkin in a neighboring district. 

3.) Carl Marlinga is taking another run against John James. 

Democrats are banking on longtime Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga to defeat incumbent Republican US Rep. John James in Michigan’s 10th District in November. 

Early election results show that Marlinga breezed to victory in this week’s primary—collecting about 50% of the vote in Macomb County and another 43% in a sliver of Oakland County that comprises the district in southeast Michigan, reports the Macomb Daily. Marlinga—who also served as a judge in Macomb County—lost to James by about 1,600 votes in the 2022 election.

The race could play a role in deciding which political party controls the US House next year.

4.) US Rep. Shri Thanedar survived his primary challenge.

Rep. Shri Thanedar is likely headed to a second term in the US House after he won his contested primary race against Detroit City Council member Mary Waters, early results show.

In November, Thanedar will face off against Martell Bivings, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Bivings lost to Thanedar by nearly 50 percentage points in 2022 and is widely expected to lose again this year because of the district’s strong Democratic advantage.

5.) State Rep. Neil Friske is packing his bags.

Republican state Rep. Neil Friske was unseated in his primary re-election race against 25-year-old Republican challenger Parker Fairbairn, according to reports from the Detroit News which show Fairbairn leading Friske, 63% to 37%, with about 99% of the votes now tallied.

Friske’s re-election campaign took a tumble earlier this summer after he was arrested and police requested felony charges of sexual assault, assault, and a weapons offense to be filed against him—none of which have been issued by county prosecutors as the investigation continues. 

Fairbairn is now widely considered to be the frontrunner in the Republican-leaning district, though he will still face a challenge from Democratic candidate Jodi Decker in November.

6.) Ottawa County residents booted their extremist leaders.

The ultra-conservative group Ottawa Impact will no longer run the show in Ottawa County.

Election results show that Ottawa Impact Commissioners Gretchen Cosby and Roger Belknap lost their primary elections to more traditional Republican candidates, MLive reports. And that means the group will only maintain control of four of the 11 seats on the County Commission. 

This week’s election marks a turning point for the southwest Michigan county, which has dealt with a series of extreme policy moves since Ottawa Impact took over—including substituting the county vision statement from “Where you belong” to “Where freedom rings,” eliminating the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Department, and firing the former county administrator. 

7.) An election-denying township clerk won’t become a county clerk.

Former Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott—who has been charged with several crimes tied to efforts to overturn the 2020 election—lost her primary bid for Hillsdale County Clerk. 

In 2020, Scott reportedly tried to access voting systems without authorization in an attempt to uncover evidence of fraud in the last presidential election, and now faces multiple felony charges—including unauthorized computer access and using a computer to commit a crime.

Scott also allegedly ignored instructions from the Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office to turn over her township’s voting tabulator to an authorized vendor after the 2020 presidential election and withheld the tabulator until it was seized by Michigan State Police. 

8.) The men acquitted in the Whitmer kidnapping plot won’t be elected to office.

William Null and Eric Molitor, who were criminally charged and later found not guilty of assisting in a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, reportedly lost their bid for elected office this week.

Molitor lost his race for Wexford County Sheriff to incumbent Sheriff Trent Taylor. Null also received the fewest votes among five candidates to become an Orangeville Township trustee.

9.) An election-denying sheriff is still running for sheriff.

Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf—who has tried to cast doubt on the results of the 2020 election through multiple investigations, beat several other Republican candidates in this week’s primary.

He is one of several so-called “constitutional sheriffs” who have pushed conspiracy theories in recent years and believe their power in a county is greater than that of any other official.

10.) Absentee ballots were a popular choice in this election.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson reports that more than 1.2 million Michiganders cast an early or absentee ballot before polls closed at 8 p.m. on Election Night. As a result, absentee ballot counting boards had to work into the night to tally up hundreds of thousands of ballots.

Although unofficial results were released, election officials still have to canvass the results, review their procedures, and correct any potential clerical mistakes. As a result, it’s common for vote tallies to change from the initial unofficial results, according to Benson’s office.

The results won’t be final until after the Board of State Canvassers certifies them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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