Dems win a HUGE upset in Michigan House special election

State Representative-elect Carol Glanville (D)

Wonderful news from here in West Michigan:

BREAKING: @caglanville just FLIPPED Michigan’s HD-74, defeating a GOP extremist who made rape jokes, defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, & advocated for decertifying the 2020 election. Carol will be a great advocate for education, jobs, & the environment in the legislature! pic.twitter.com/LXS1tglMJ3

— Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (@DLCC) May 4, 2022

The previous Republican incumbent, now-Sen. Mark Huizenga, won his three races with over 60% of the vote. Donald Trump got 57% in the district in 2020. The district includes the cities of Cedar Springs, Grandville, Rockford, and Walker (where Glanville is a city commissioner), plus six townships.

Glanville’s win, combined with Jeff Pepper’s special election win in the solidly blue 15th district, gives the Democrats 53 House seats — the most since 2010.

Glanville’s win tonight means she’ll serve the remaining eight months of Huizenga’s term and be able to serve three full terms after that. Given Michigan’s strict term limits, those extra eight months will be valuable for Glanville and her constituents.

This fall, Glanville will run in the new 84th district, which is much more favorable to Democrats than the district she won tonight.

Wednesday, May 4, 2022 · 6:46:07 PM +00:00 · ScottyUrb

It wasn’t just Glanville who had a good election night.

To recap:

✅ Carol Glanville won a seat Trump won by 16 points
✅ Democrats outperformed Biden 2020 in all four special House elections
✅ The State House will have 53 Democrats (most since 2010)
✅ The Leelanau County Commission went blue

Great day to be a Michigan Democrat!

— Scott Urbanowski (@ScottyUrb) May 4, 2022