Elections for the Michigan State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

The New York Times' David W. Chen wrote, "In 39 states, one party controls the governorship and legislature ... Michigan may join them after November, but unlike in other states these midterms, where Democrats have the wind at their back, no one can be sure which party will take total control in Lansing."

Democrats control the state Senate with a 20-18 majority, winning it in 2022, the first time since 1984. Also in 2022, Democrats gained control of the state House, which Republicans later regained in 2024. Michigan is one of only three states to have a divided legislature. Additionally, as Gov. Whitmer is a Democrat, the state is one of 11 states with a divided government.

In 2025, the legislature passed the fewest bills in a year since 1963. The Detroit News' Craig Mauger and Beth LeBlanc wrote that Gov. Whitmer "signed 74 new public acts in 2025. The average number of new laws signed per year over the two prior decades was 383. The 74 tally from this year is an 81% drop from that average. Since Michigan's current Constitution was adopted in 1963, the fewest public acts approved in a year had previously been 168 in 2021."

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has targeted four Senate races, and their website says, "Democrats flipped the legislature in 2022 and made historic progress, passing free school meals legislation, expanding gun safety laws, and repealing anti-worker legislation before a tough election year in 2024. ... Putting Democrats back in charge of both chambers of the legislature will provide a critical bulwark against MAGA chaos before the presidential election and let Democrats get back to work fighting for Michiganders."

The Republican State Leadership Committee considers the state to be one of its top offensive targets and wrote in a statement, "Michigan's Republican House majority has delivered real results for hardworking families across the Wolverine State. From lowering costs and protecting jobs to backing the men and women in law enforcement, House Republicans have shown that conservative leadership gets results ... The RSLC is committed to protecting the Michigan House majority and electing proven conservative leaders who can flip the State Senate, so Republicans can deliver for the Wolverine State in both chambers."

This election is happening alongside elections for the House and governor. If Democrats were to win all three, it would be the first Democratic trifecta since 2024. If Republicans won all three, it would be the first Republican trifecta since 2018.

These are the first elections happening under new lines, as the districts were redrawn in 2024 due to lawsuits over the districts' constitutionality. To read more about that, click here.

Ballotpedia has identified five battlegrounds. These included districts where the margin in 2022 was within five percentage points, where a district was open and within five percentage points in 2022, where a national organization is targeting, or where a district featured a notable challenger. Two districts — District 13 and District 32 — were open. The rest had an incumbent running. To read more about these districts, click here.

According to Ballotpedia's analysis, Michigan is one of 30 states where both parties are targeting the state legislature. To read more about competitive, targeted chambers up for election in 2026, click here.

The Michigan State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.