MICHIGAN ADVANCE: Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) to kick off canvassing in Michigan’s 35th Senate District for Democratic nominee Chedrick Greene ahead of the May 5 special election that will determine partisan control of the state Senate through the end of 2026.
Buttigieg, who now calls Michigan home after serving as the mayor of South Bend, Ind. for eight years, called on Greene’s background in military service as an example of someone who knows how to build trust in a time when it is deeply lacking.
“Everywhere you go, there’s this critical deficit of trust, social trust and political trust, and we see all the different ways that trust is being torn to shreds in our society and in our politics,” he said. “There are also people out there who know how to build trust because they’ve had to, and no one knows that better than somebody who served in the Marines the way that Chedrick did.”
He also contrasted Greene, who lives and works in the district and is a fire captain in Saginaw, with what he called the “millionaires club” of the Trump administration, saying that Greene “does live and breathes what people are going through and understands what really matters.”
Greene also took time during the event to discuss his motivations for why he sought this seat in the first place, pitching himself as a leader for the whole district.
“I’m here to be the leader, to sacrifice myself for all of you who chose to be here today, for those who didn’t choose here to be here today, those who couldn’t be here today and those that don’t want me to be here today, that is why I’m running for the Michigan State Senate in the 35th District,” he said.
Some have called the May election, in which Greene is running against lawyer Jason Tunney, a crucial bellwether for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections on both the state and federal level — especially after Democrats nationally took impressive wins during the November 2025 general election and have continued with momentum in special elections since.
“We are hearing from people across the country,” Brinks said. “Look at that turnout in that primary, the Dems are excited, and that means good things, not just here in Michigan, but for the entire country when it comes to Democrats’ enthusiasm, not just in special elections all this year until we get to the fall, but for the fall as well. So this is setting a trend about what we are going to stand for as a country.”
Buttigieg emphasized that he’s seen broader coalitions of Democrats, independents and even some who have in the past voted for Republicans coming out to support Democratic candidates across the country.
“I think it’s going to be a really important indicator of how many people are ready for things to change nationally by making sure we elect good leaders locally,” Buttigieg told reporters after the event. “It’s happening because those candidates stepping forward are really good. So I think this is one more place where that can happen, and that’s part of why I’m excited to be here.”
Should he win on May 5, Greene will have to run again in the November election if he wants to keep the seat past the end of 2026 — but those few months in the Senate are key, he explained, especially around budget season.
“We’re getting some money back to this district,” Greene told reporters. “It’s important as it gets into budget season. So we need a state senator in there to make sure that we are fighting for this district.”
“There’s a coalition of people ready to improve their own lives through politics that don’t want to have to wait until 2028,” Buttigieg added. “They don’t even have to wait until November of this year. There’s an opportunity right now for those living in this district to do something, to take action and have results in a matter of weeks.”