Michigan has 67 contested state legislative primaries in 2024, a 26% decrease from 2020, the most recent cycle to also feature elections for all 110 House seats and no Senate seats.
Twenty-seven of the contested primaries are for Democrats, and 40 are for Republicans. This is down 44% and 7% from 2020, respectively.
Of the 110 seats up for election, eight are open, meaning no incumbent filed. The average number of open seats in the Michigan House each election cycle from 2010 to 2022 was 39.
This is the fewest number of both contested state legislative primaries and open seats in Michigan since tracking began in 2010.
Thirty-five incumbents face primary challenges in 2024, representing 34% of all incumbents running for re-election. The average percentage of incumbents who faced primary challenges from 2010 to 2022 was also 34%.
Of the 35 incumbents in contested primaries, 17 are Democrats and 18 are Republicans. In total, 316 major party candidates—150 Democrats and 166 Republicans—filed to run.
Michigan became a Democratic trifecta in 2023 after the party won control of the House and Senate in the 2022 elections. Michigan had a Republican trifecta from 2011 to 2018 and divided government from 2019 to 2022. Democrats currently have a 56-54 majority in the House and a 20-18 majority in the Senate.
Michigan’s state legislative primaries are scheduled for August 6.
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