Early results: Democratic-backed candidates win both seats on Michigan Supreme Court

Preliminary election results show that Democratic-backed candidates Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas have defeated their Republican-backed opponents for two open seats on the most powerful court in the state. 

MICHIGAN—Michigan Supreme Court candidates Kyra Harris Bolden and Kimberly Ann Thomas, who were nominated by the Michigan Democratic Party, appear to have won two seats on the state Supreme Court after preliminary election results published by MIRS.news show them both defeating their Republican-backed opponents.

With 8% of the vote counted, the results show Bolden, who was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court in 2022, won a partial, four-year term against her Republican challenger, Patrick O’Grady.

Thomas, a longtime law professor at the University of Michigan, received 63.6% of the vote over her opponent, Republican state Rep. Andrew Fink, according to the Associated Press. 

Here are the full totals, with 9% of voting precincts reporting on Tuesday night:

• 328,291 (63.1%) — Bolden
• 192,811 (37.0%) — O’Grady

• 323,432 (62.4%) — Thomas
• 194,675 (37.6%) — Fink

Election officials weren’t finished tallying up the state’s preliminary election results at the time of publication on Tuesday night, more than 2 hours after the polls had closed. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has cautioned (several weeks in advance) that those may not arrive until Wednesday evening. 

The State Board of Canvassers will meet later this month to review and finalize Michigan’s official election results. 

Although the race for the Michigan Supreme Court was technically a nonpartisan election, the results of these two races ensure that Democratic-backed justices maintain a majority on the Court. Democratic-backed justices currently hold a 4-3 majority; Thomas’ presumptive victory will effectively make that a 5-2 majority when she takes her seat on the bench next year.

Bolden is a former state representative from Southfield. She’s the first Black woman to serve on—and now the first Black woman to be elected to—the Michigan Supreme Court. Her partial, four-year term (which is the remainder of her predecessor’s term) will expire in 2029.

On the campaign trail, she pledged to “remain committed to ensuring equal access to justice, applying the law without fear or favor, and treating all who come before our state’s highest court with dignity and respect.” In an exclusive interview with The ‘Gander this summer, she said as a Supreme Court justice, “we are just people trying to make the best decisions possible.”

Thomas is the director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School, where she and law students represent people who can’t afford lawyers. She also teaches students about legal ethics and provides support for Michigan youth.

In another exclusive interview with The ‘Gander, Thomas said she plans to “bring a new voice of integrity and fairness” to the state Supreme Court—using a judicial philosophy “grounded in her knowledge applying the law and dedication to equal justice for all Michiganders.”

“I really understand how our court systems function, what that experience is like, what clients feel in that system, and how they want to be heard,” Thomas said this summer. “They want to make sure their voices are respected. They worry about the quality of justice.”

With crucial decisions involving reproductive rights, abortion bans, gun safety laws, and election integrity all making their way to state supreme courts across the country in recent years, Bolden and Thomas will likely have a hand in making some big decisions for the people of Michigan.

READ MORE: New majority on state Supreme Court could change Michiganders’ rights

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