SAGINAW, Mich. – State Senator-elect Chedrick Greene’s resounding win in last week’s special election for Michigan Senate District 35 is garnering national attention. In defeating his Republican opponent by nearly 20 points, Greene tripled now-Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet’s margin of victory from 2022 when this seat was last on the ballot. Just eighteen months ago, Kamala Harris edged out Donald Trump by less than one point in this district dubbed by many as the ‘battleground of battlegrounds.’
Overperforming the Overperformers: In overperforming Kamala Harris by nearly 19 points, Greene vastly exceeded the average of special election overperformances for Democrats this year and since Trump resumed office (10.7 points in 2026 and 12.7 points since Jan 2025). Source: The Downballot.
Big Spotlights on A Big Victory: Major media outlets have cited the Marine veteran and recently retired Fire Captain’s victory not just as the latest example of Democrats’ enthusiasm edge, but also for how Democrats can win in purple and red areas with credible messengers and a relentless focus on voters’ top concerns: affordability, safety, and freedom.
NBC News spotlighted Chedrick’s dominant performance as “an especially welcome sign for Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections, since this area of the state is at the heart of Trump’s blue-collar coalition.”
The Associated Press gave Greene’s win front page treatment and video, noting this district’s bellwether makeup and that it “includes part of Saginaw County, the only Michigan county to back the winning presidential candidate in each of the last five elections.”
MSNOW (formerly MSNBC) invited Greene on The Weeknight to examine how his campaign’s focus on improving bottom lines for everyday Michiganders and servant leadership resonated over the chaos and callousness coming from his opponent’s Republican party.
The New York Times, CNN, PBS News Hour (24th minute), and more also covered Greene’s MI-SD-35 special election win.
Beyond putting an exclamation point on Democrats’ impressive special election season and juicing the party’s momentum for midterm matchups across the country, Team Greene delivered a huge blow to Republicans who wanted to block Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s agenda with a deadlocked Senate in Lansing.
Greene’s victory solidifies the Senate Majority for Michigan Democrats through 2026, and lays the foundation for winning this pivotal seat’s full, four-year term and restoring a Democratic trifecta for Michigan in the November elections.
As surging prices and unprecedented power grabs by Republicans to dilute Democrats’ electoral power continue to stack the deck against everyone who isn’t well-connected or well-off, Chedrick’s win gives much-needed hope to everyone fighting to get by and for fair shots to get ahead.