DETROIT — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will find it harder to maneuver in 2025 after Republicans took control of the state House.
The GOP win forces the Democrat to negotiate or be relegated to lame-duck status her last two years in Lansing.
Republicans entered Tuesday’s election with a 56-54 disadvantage. After controlling the lower chamber for the better part of four decades, they lost the House in 2022. Two years later, they’ve retaken it, winning three of the four races they targeted.
“Our hard-fought victory reaffirms that the people of Michigan want leaders who put them first, uphold the rule of law, and advocate for accountability at every level of government,” House Republican Leader Matt Hall told The Post.
Hall is expected to be Michigan’s next House speaker.
“With a Republican majority, Michigan will have a stronger voice fighting for the values of hardworking families and addressing the issues that matter most — safe schools and neighborhoods, an affordable economy, and a government that provides value for dollars,” he added.
State Rep. Bill G. Schuette chairs the House Republican Campaign Committee, which led the effort to flip the chamber.
The “victory shows that Michiganders trust Republicans to lead our state toward a brighter future,” Schuette told The Post. “They want a government that listens, that acts with integrity and that is accountable to the people. We are ready to deliver on those promises and restore balance to Michigan’s government.”
In 2022, Democrats won the House and Senate, giving them control of the Legislature and the governor’s, attorney general’s and secretary of state’s offices. As State Sen. Dayna Polehanki famously said, Democrats held “ALL the gavels” in the 102nd Legislature, which came into session in Jan. 2023.
Now Democrats have lost their House gavel. Republicans entered the day needing two seats but hopeful for as many as 12. They’ve won at least three.
One pickup is freshman Democrat Jenn Hill’s Upper Peninsula seat. Hill won office in the 2022 blue wave and was thought to be too liberal for the district. She lost to Republican Karl Bohnak.
The second is Democrat Nate Shannon’s Macomb County seat. The incumbent was going for a fourth term, but challenger Ron Robinson, a business owner and retired Marine, unseated him.
The third is a Downriver Wayne County race Republicans targeted: Rylee Linting beat out freshman lawmaker Jaime Churches, a former teacher.
Democrats will retain the fourth seat Republicans wanted. Rep. Betsy Coffia beat out GOP challenger Lisa Trombley, who MIRS News describes as “one of the Republicans’ top recruits.”
There are 110 Michigan House seats.
While Republicans will retake the House majority, and President-elect Donald Trump won the state over Kamala Harris, officials are still counting ballots.
