SAGINAW, Mich. – Today, Chedrick Greene puts out “Dumpster Fire,” a metaphorical ad drawing on his firefighting experience. It is the Marine Veteran and Fire Captain’s third televised spot of the general election cycle, and fifth since launching his bid for Michigan’s 35th Senate District’s open seat.
With just fifteen days remaining until Election Day and absentee voting well underway, Greene’s is the only campaign in this race, to date, to have run multiple television spots. A swing seat in a swing state, this special election outcome will not only determine the balance of power in the state Senate for the rest of this year, but also serve as an early bellwether of the political mood ahead of the November 2026 elections.
The 30-second spot, which you can view here and see a transcript of below, debuted on the candidate’s social media platforms, and will run on mid-Michigan broadcast, cable, and streaming channels in the final two weeks before the May 5, 2026 special election in Senate District 35.
“DUMPSTER FIRE”
(voice over, as flames emerge from a dumpster) Things are pretty terrible right now. Corporate landlords jack up rents. Jobs are being shipped overseas. Prices keep going up. Rich guys keep screwing over the working class.
(Greene, taking a fire extinguisher to put out the dumpster fire) “I’m Chedrick Greene. I’m a firefighter and Marine veteran. I’m running for State Senate to stand up for mid-Michigan families.”
(Greene, as the smoke clears) “We can bring down costs, improve our schools, and pass middle-class tax cuts.”
(voice over) Chedrick Greene — Marine and Firefighter for State Senate.
Greene’s previous tv spots — “Served,” “Leadership,” “Partner,” and “Jobs,” — have highlighted his character and leadership; service to country and community; Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet’s partnership around shared priorities; and his focus on improving job opportunities and bottom lines for working and middle-class families.
In full throttle mode for the closing stretch of this special election, Greene’s campaign has hosted three national profile Michiganders to boost his bid to represent the Saginaw Bay-based district. Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg rallied with the first-time candidate in Midland, Governor Gretchen Whitmer held an affordability roundtable with Greene in Saginaw, and U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin joined the fellow Iraq War veteran at a Saginaw brewery for a campaign event.
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 pro-worker, pro-education, pro-freedom working-class leader.
While Greene’s Republican opponent, Jason Tunney, does not list any endorsers on his website, Tunney is endorsed by Right to Life Michigan, an extreme organization that only backs candidates who oppose abortion even in cases of rape and incest. Tunney 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.
Born and raised in Saginaw, Sergeant Major (Ret.) Chedrick Greene is a decorated, 30-year Veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 31-year union member, and 27-year firefighter with the City of Saginaw Fire Department. He recently worked as District Assistant for the 35th Senate District office, representing then-state Senator McDonald Rivet and serving as a liaison with constituents. In March 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Greene to serve a two-year term on the Statewide Housing Partnership under the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.
A lifelong resident with deep community roots and the leadership needed to help Lansing work better for working families, Chedrick Greene is running for State Senate District 35 to make life more affordable, safe, and free in mid-Michigan.
Michigan Senate District 35 includes portions of Bay, Midland, and Saginaw counties. The special election is May 5, 2026, with absentee voting underway now.