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| Michigan State Senate District 26 | ||
| Current incumbent | Aric Nesbitt  | |
| Population | 275,787 | |
| Gender | 51.2% Female, 48.8% Male | |
| Race | 87.2% White, 7.9% Black, 1.3% Asian, 0.9% Other, 0.9% Two or More Races, 0.5% Native American | |
| Ethnicity | 96.2% Non-Hispanic, 3.8% Hispanic | |
Michigan's twenty-sixth state senate district is held by Republican Senator Aric Nesbitt.
As of the 2010 census, a total of 275,787 civilians reside within Michigan's twenty-sixth state senate district. Michigan state senators represent an average of 260,096 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 261,538 residents.
Members of the Michigan State Senate serve four-year terms with term limits. Senators are elected at the same time as the governor and serve four-year terms concurrent with the governor's term of office. Senate elections are offset by two years from U.S. Presidential elections (e.g., Presidential elections were in 2000 and 2004, senate elections were in 2002 and 2006). Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.
Section 7 of Article 4 of the Michigan Constitution states, "Each senator and representative must be a citizen of the United States, at least 21 years of age, and an elector of the district he represents. The removal of his domicile from the district shall be deemed a vacation of the office. No person who has been convicted of subversion or who has within the preceding 20 years been convicted of a felony involving a breach of public trust shall be eligible for either house of the legislature."
| State legislators | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $71,685/year | $10,800/year expense allowance for session and interim. Set by the compensation commission. |
The Michigan legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Michigan Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Michigan senators are subject to term limits of no more than two four-year terms, or a total of eight years. Senators who have not served more than half of someone else's Senate term are eligible for two full terms (i.e. - eight years). Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.
The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.
Whenever a vacancy occurs in the senate, it is up to the Governor to call for a special election. A special election must be held during the next scheduled general election. If the vacancy happened after the statewide primary, leaders of the respective party organizations within the Senate district can submit a list of nominees to be voted on by party leadership. A vote must be held no later than 21 days after the vacancy.
This district is one of 710 state legislative districts that intersects with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
The 206 Pivot Counties are located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. The partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties is slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.
Aric Nesbitt (R) defeated Garnet Lewis (D), Erwin Haas (L), and Robert Alway (G) in the general election for Michigan State Senate District 26 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Aric Nesbitt (R) |
56.7
|
61,509 |
|
|
Garnet Lewis (D) |
40.1
|
43,495 | |
|
|
Erwin Haas (L) |
2.2
|
2,375 | |
|
|
Robert Alway (G) |
1.1
|
1,153 | |
|
|
Total votes: 108,532 (100.00% precincts reporting) |
Garnet Lewis advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan State Senate District 26 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Garnet Lewis (D) |
100
|
19,546 |
|
|
Total votes: 19,546 |
Aric Nesbitt defeated Bob Genetski and Don Wickstra in the Republican primary for Michigan State Senate District 26 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Aric Nesbitt (R) |
51.1
|
16,529 |
|
|
Bob Genetski (R) |
29.0
|
9,377 | |
|
|
Don Wickstra (R) |
19.9
|
6,443 | |
|
|
Total votes: 32,349 |
Erwin Haas advanced from the Libertarian primary for Michigan State Senate District 26 on August 7, 2018.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
| ✔ |
|
Erwin Haas (L) |
100
|
218 |
|
|
Total votes: 218 |
Elections for the Michigan State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Jim Walters was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Tonya Schuitmaker was unopposed in the Republican primary. Schuitmaker defeated Walters and William Wenzel (L) in the general election.
Michigan State Senate, District 26 General Election, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Tonya Schuitmaker Incumbent |
61.4% | 47,244 | |
| Democratic | Jim Walters | 34.8% | 26,782 | |
| Libertarian | William Wenzel | 3.8% | 2,944 | |
| Total Votes | 76,970 | |||
Elections for the office of Michigan State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 3, 2010 and a general election on November 2, 2010. The signature filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 11, 2010. The deadline for independent candidates was July 15, 2010. David Robertson (R) defeated Paula Zelenko (D) and Mark Sanborn (I) in the general election. Robertson defeated Fran Amos, Michael Matheny and Tim Terpening in the Republican primary. Zelenko defeated Jim Slezak and Katherine Houston in the Democratic primary.
Michigan State Senate, District 26, General Election, 2010
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David Robertson |
55% | 49,700 | |
| Democratic | Paula Zelenko | 40.1% | 36,231 | |
| Independent | Mark Sanborn | 4.9% | 4,427 | |
| Total Votes | 90,358 | |||
Michigan State Senate, District 26 Republican Primary, 2010
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| David Robertson |
53.2% | 12,940 |
| Fran Amos | 26.1% | 6,354 |
| Michael Matheny | 14.8% | 3,604 |
| Tim Terpening | 5.8% | 1,403 |
| Total Votes | 24,301 | |
Michigan State Senate, District 26 Democratic Primary, 2010
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Paula Zelenko |
46.3% | 6,907 |
| Jim Slezak | 36.1% | 5,386 |
| Katherine Houston | 17.6% | 2,625 |
| Total Votes | 14,918 | |
From 2002 to 2014, candidates for Michigan State Senate District 26 raised a total of $1,820,417. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $121,361 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
Campaign contributions, Michigan State Senate District 26
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $334,344 | 3 | $111,448 |
| 2010 | $855,905 | 6 | $142,651 |
| 2006 | $366,404 | 3 | $122,135 |
| 2002 | $263,764 | 3 | $87,921 |
| Total | $1,820,417 | 15 | $121,361 |
