History-making win and 20 point margin of victory demonstrate strength and enthusiasm for Greene and his focus on affordability, safety, and freedom  

SAGINAW, Mich. – Tonight, Chedrick Greene declared victory in the race to represent Michigan’s 35th State Senate District. The AP called the race at 10:53pm, with Greene earning 60% of the vote to his closest opponent’s 38.3%.

As a Sergeant Major E-9 (retired), Greene is the highest ranking enlisted Marine officer to have been elected to the Michigan Legislature. He will also be the first African American serving the Great Lakes Bay region in the Michigan Senate.

State Senator-elect Greene celebrated the victory with a packed room of supporters – 250+  union members, teachers, business owners, faith and community leaders, fellow firefighters, family and others – at U.A. Local 85’s hall in Saginaw. He said:

“We delivered this decisive victory by listening and speaking to the things keeping everyday people up at night — worries about affordability, safety, and freedom.

I am honored to have earned the trust of so many voters across our Great Lakes Bay region. And I am excited to go to Lansing to fight for every policy and dollar that helps hardworking men and women build better lives here in Bay, Midland, and Saginaw counties and sets our kids up for brighter futures.” 

A swing seat in a swing state, and the last legislative special election in the country scheduled before the November midterms, Greene’s impressive overperformance bolsters Michigan and national Democrats’ hopes for a wave year ahead of the November 2026 elections. While Kamala Harris edged Donald Trump in SD 35 by less than one percentage point in 2024, Chedrick Greene held a dominant 21.7 point lead as of the AP’s 10:55pm update.

Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet, who previously represented SD 35, congratulated Senator-elect Greene, and looks forward to him building on the policies she helped advance for working families in 2023-24:

“Chedrick Greene has dedicated his life to service. As a retired Marine and a firefighter, he always does what is right for our community. Chedrick is the person to fight for us in Lansing, and I’m so proud to call him my Senator.”

Greene’s win solidifies Democrats’ majority in the Michigan Senate at 20-18 through the rest of the current term. While the Republican he resoundingly defeated will face a contested primary this August, Greene will not face an opponent for this seat’s four-year term until the general election phase of this race.