| Election Name: | 2020 Michigan House of Representatives election |
| Country: | Michigan |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2018 Michigan House of Representatives election |
| Previous Year: | 2018 |
| Next Election: | 2022 Michigan House of Representatives election |
| Next Year: | 2022 |
| Seats For Election: | All 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives |
| Majority Seats: | 56 |
| Turnout: | 66.36% 11.72 pp |
| Leader1: | Lee Chatfield (term-limited) |
| Party1: | Michigan Republican Party |
| Leaders Seat1: | 107th District |
| Leader Since1: | January 9, 2019 |
| Seats Before1: | 58 |
| Seats1: | 58 |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,653,603 |
| Percentage1: | 49.60% |
| Swing1: | 2.20% |
| Leader2: | Christine Greig (term-limited) |
| Party2: | Michigan Democratic Party |
| Leaders Seat2: | 37th District |
| Leader Since2: | January 9, 2019 |
| Seats Before2: | 52 |
| Seats2: | 52 |
| Popular Vote2: | 2,667,279 |
| Percentage2: | 49.86% |
| Swing2: | 2.27% |
| Speaker | |
| Before Election: | Lee Chatfield |
| Before Party: | Michigan Republican Party |
| After Election: | Jason Wentworth |
| After Party: | Michigan Republican Party |
An election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect all 110 members to Michigan's House of Representatives. The election coincided with elections for other offices, including U.S. President, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives.[1] Michigan Republican Party retained control of the chamber.[2] [3] As of 2023, this was the last time Republicans controlled the Michigan House of Representatives.
In the 2018 Michigan House of Representatives election, the Michigan Republican Party narrowly retained their majority on the chamber.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, elections proceeded as planned, though with a larger number of mail-in ballots than usual.[4]
In October 2020, The Washington Post identified this state election as one of eight whose outcomes could affect partisan balance during post-census redistricting.[5]
Under the Michigan Constitution, members of the state Senate can only serve two four-year terms, and members of the House of Representatives are limited to three two-year terms, some of the toughest term-limit laws in the country.[6]
The following districts would be considered marginal seats.
These Republican-held districts were the most vulnerable to Democratic challengers.
| District | Incumbent | Held since | % to gain | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net | Elected Rep. | |||||
| 79th district | 2019 | 11.36% | Republican hold | |||
| 17th district | 2017 | 11.32% | Republican hold | |||
| 24th district | 2017 | 11.08% | Republican hold | |||
| 94th district | 2019 | 10.98% | Republican hold | |||
| 45th district | 2015 | 10.24% | Republican hold | |||
| 93rd district | 2019 | 7.89% | Republican hold | |||
| 99th district | 2017 | 6.84% | Republican hold | |||
| 98th district | 2019 | 4.06% | Republican hold | |||
| 61st district | 2015 | 2.74% | Democratic gain | |||
| 110th district | 2019 | 1.64% | Republican hold[7] | |||
| 38th district | 2015 | 1.30% | Democratic gain | Kelly Breen | ||
| 104th district | 2015 | 0.74% | Republican hold[8] | John Roth | ||
These Democratic districts were the most vulnerable to Republican challengers.
| District | Incumbent | Held since | % to gain | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net | Elected Rep. | |||||
| 50th district | 2017 | 14.35% | Democratic hold | |||
| 40th district | 2019 | 13.10% | Democratic hold | |||
| 96th district | 2017 | 13.02% | Republican gain | |||
| 23rd district | 2017 | 12.52% | Democratic hold | |||
| 67th district | 2019 | 9.79 | Democratic hold | |||
| 48th district | 2019 | 9.66% | Republican gain | David Martin | ||
| 25th district | 2019 | 8.08% | Democratic hold | |||
| 62nd district | 2019 | 3.70% | Democratic hold | |||
| 20th district | 2019 | 2.84% | Democratic hold | |||
| 41st district | 2019 | 2.64% | Democratic hold | |||
| 71st district | 2019 | 1.60% | Democratic hold[9] | |||
| 19th district | 2019 | 0.48% | Democratic hold[10] | |||
Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:
In the 1st district Democratic incumbent Tenisha Yancey won her primary unopposed on August 4. On November 3, Yancey defeated the Republican nominee, Latricia Ann Lanier, in the general election.[12]
In the 2nd district, Joe Tate won re-election.[13]
Incumbent Democrat Wendell Byrd stood down in the 3rd district due to term limits.[14]
Incumbent representative Isaac Robinson died in March 2020 of a suspected COVID-19 infection. Twelve Democrats ran to succeed him, but Abraham Aiyash was elected as the Democratic nominee for the seat. On November 3, Aiyash defeated the Republican nominee Howard Weathington in the general election.[15]
In the 5th district, Cynthia A. Johnson faced two Democratic challengers in the primary. Jermaine Tobey and Rita Ross, the sister of singer Diana Ross.[16] Johnson won her primary and won against Republican nominee Harold Day in the general election.[17]
In the 6th district, Democrat Tyrone Carter is running for re-election in the general election unopposed. He won his primary election, beating challengers Ivy Nichole Neal and David Palmer. There was no Republican primary held.[18]
Incumbent Democrat LaTanya Garrett stood down in the 7th district due to term limits. Helena Scott was the Democratic nominee and Ronald Cole was the Republican nominee.[19] On November 3, Scott defeated Cole in the general election.[20]
Incumbent Democrat Sherry Gay-Dagnogo did not run in the primary, instead running to be on the Detroit school board.[21] Democrat Stephanie Young was elected as the Democratic nominee in the 8th district. On November 3, Young defeated Republican nominee Miroslawa Teresa Gorak in the general election.[22]
In the 9th district, Democrat Karen Whitsett won re-election.[23]
In the 10th district, incumbent Democrat Leslie Love was unable to run for re-election due to term limits.[24]
In the 11th district, incumbent Democrat Jewell Jones won re-election.[25]
In the 12th district, incumbent Democrat Alex Garza won re-election.[26]
In the 13th district, incumbent Democrat Frank Liberati was unable to run for re-election due to term limits.[27]
In the 14th district, incumbent Democrat Cara Clemente won re-election.[28]
In the 19th district, Democrat Laurie Pohutsky ran for re-election. Her Republican opponent was Martha Ptashnik. Pohutsky narrowly won re-election
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Laurie Pohutsky (D) | Martha Ptashnik (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research & Communications/MIRS | September 14–18, 2020 | ~ 300 (V) | ± 5.6% | 47% | 45% |
In the 23rd district, Democrat Darrin Camilleri won re-election.[29] [30] He was challenged by Republican nominee John Poe.[31]
In the 25th district, Democrat Nate Shannon won re-election. His Republican opponent was Paul Smith.[32]
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Nate Shannon (D) | Paul Smith (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research & Communications/MIRS | September 14–18, 2020 | ~ 300 (V) | ± 5.6% | 48% | 41% |
In the 38th district, incumbent Republican Kathy Crawford was prevented from running for re-election due to term limits. Kelly Breen was elected as a Democrat in this Republican district.[33]
In the 39th district, incumbent Republican Ryan Berman won re-election.[34]
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Ryan Berman (R) | Julia Pulver (D) | Anthony Croff (L) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research & Communications/MIRS | September 14–18, 2020 | ~ 300 (V) | ± 5.6% | 43% | 47% | 2% |
In the 45th district, incumbent Republican Michael Webber could not run for re-election due to term-limits.[35]
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Mark Tisdell (R) | Barb Anness (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research & Communications/MIRS | September 14–18, 2020 | ~ 300 (V) | ± 5.6% | 44% | 45% |
On August 4, 2020, the primary elections occurred. Incumbent Republican Mike Mueller ran unopposed.[36] Brad May, a mental health clinician, was nominated on the Democratic ticket.[37] In the primary, May defeated Conner Wallace. Wallace later endorsed May's candidacy.[38]
On September 18, 2020, the Michigan Republican Party pointed to May's criminal record, which included conviction for robbery, possession of cocaine, and retail fraud. The state Republican Party criticized the Michigan Education Association for endorsing him, despite his criminal past.[39] May responded to these allegations. He confirmed that they were true, but also claimed that he had made significant improvements to his life since his convictions, and that through his work as a clinician, has been able to help those who had been in a similar position to himself.[37]
In the general election on November 3, 2020, Mueller was re-elected, defeating May.[40]
Incumbent Republican Brandt Iden was term limited, which made the 61st district an open seat.[41] The primaries occurred on August 4 and decided that Republican nominee Bronwyn Haltom was to run against incumbent Kalamazoo County Commissioner, Christine Morse, as the Democratic nominee. Morse won the seat.[42] [43]
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Branwyn Haltom (R) | Christine Morris (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research & Communications/MIRS | September 14–18, 2020 | ~ 300 (V) | ± 5.6% | 41% | 45% |
Incumbent Democrat Jim Haadsma won re-election in the 62nd district against Republican nominee Dave Morgan.[44]
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Jim Haadsma (D) | Dave Morgan (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research & Communications/MIRS | September 14–18, 2020 | ~ 300 (V) | ± 5.6% | 52% | 39% |
In the 66th district, Republican Beth Griffin won reelection.[45]
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Beth Griffin (R) | Abigail Wheeler (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Political Consulting/Abigail Wheeler | Released Jul 10, 2020 | – | – | 53% | 47% |
In Michigan's 71st House of Representatives district, Democrat Angela Witwer was re-elected.
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Brian Posthumus (R) | Bill Saxton (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target Insyght/MIRS News | Oct 20–22, 2020 | 300 (V) | ± 5.7% | 41% | 40% |
In the 79th district Pauline Wendzel won re-election.[46]
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Pauline Wendzel (R) | Chokwe Pitchford (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chokwe Pitchford | Released Jul 6, 2020 | – | – | 49% | 51% |
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | Brian Elder (D) | Timothy Beson (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target Insyght/MIRS News | Oct 20–22, 2020 | 300 (V) | ± 5.7% | 46% | 47% |
In the 104th district, incumbent Republican Larry Inman did not run for re-election due to term limits. District 104 was the number 1 target for the Democrats but was retained for the GOP by John Roth.[8]
| Poll source | data-sort-type="date" | Date(s) administered | data-sort-type="number" | Sample size | Margin | John Roth (R) | Dan O'Neil (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Research & Communications/MIRS | September 14–18, 2020 | ~ 300 (V) | ± 5.6% | 48% | 40% |
Gregory Markkanen was re-elected in the 110th district.