SAGINAW, Mich. – Monday, United States Senator Elissa Slotkin joined State Senate candidate Chedrick Greene on the campaign trail at Saginaw’s Oracle Brewery to spotlight the lone race which will determine majority control of the Michigan Senate this year. A swing seat in a swing state, this special election outcome will also be an early indicator of the nation’s political mood ahead of the November 2026 elections.
Slotkin, like Greene, has defended our country including multiple tours in Iraq. She hailed the Marine Veteran and Fire Captain for his national and public service, and singled out their shared priorities around lower costs, better jobs, protecting Michiganders’ rights and safety.
“Chedrick Greene is the real deal. He has served his country and his community, as a Marine and now as a fire captain in Saginaw,” Senator Slotkin said. “When called, he steps up to serve and that’s exactly what he will do representing mid-Michigan in the State Senate.”
“Senator Slotkin knows people are really hurting, and that we need more leaders focused on the fundamentals and delivering results over talking points,” Retired Sergeant Major Greene said. “I’m truly grateful to have her join me here in our district, to elevate these concerns and how important our special election is for Michigan’s working and middle–class families to get some relief and, ultimately, ahead.”
In the past three weeks, Senator Slotkin is the third Michigander with a national profile to visit Michigan’s 35th Senate district to boost Greene’s campaign and highlight the stakes. Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg joined the first-time candidate to kickoff a canvassing rally in Midland and Governor Gretchen Whitmer held an affordability roundtable with Greene in Saginaw.
Chedrick Greene won the Democratic nomination for this mid-Michigan swing district with over 60 percent of the vote in a six-way primary in early February — more than double the second-place vote total. He boasts a diverse coalition of endorsers coming together to elect a working-class leader ready to put everyday Michiganders over ultra-wealthy elites, and meaningful results over political games.
Jason Tunney, Greene’s Republican opponent, is largely self-funding his bid for a seat in Lansing. According to the most recently filed reports, Tunney loaned his campaign $112,500 and raised only $4,520 in the last campaign reporting period. Other than the $212,500 Jason Tunney personally loaned to his committee in the last two reporting periods, his campaign is $77,217 in the red.
Michigan Senate District 35 includes portions of Bay, Midland, and Saginaw counties. The special election is May 5, 2026, with absentee voting underway now.