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Michigan held elections for two of the eight seats on the University of Michigan Board of Regents, two of the eight seats on the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, and two of the eight seats on the Wayne State University Board of Governors on November 6, 2018. According to The Detroit News, Democratic candidates won all six seats, giving the party a majority on all three boards. As of 2018, Michigan was the only state to select university boards in statewide elections.
The Michigan State University Board of Trustees election came after the sentencing of Larry Nassar, a physician employed by Michigan State University who worked with Olympic athletes. In January 2018, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually assaulting multiple female athletes. More than 160 women accused Nassar of assaulting them. After Nassar's sentencing, Michigan State President Lou Anna Simon and Athletic Director Mark Hollis resigned as did the entire board of U.S.A. Gymnastics.
The two Michigan State University trustees up for election in 2018, Brian Breslin (R) and Mitch Lyons (R), did not file for re-election. Democrats Kelly Charron Tebay and Brianna Scott defeated Republicans Dave Dutch and Mike Miller and six third party candidates to replace them. Issues in the race included the appointment of Michigan State's next president, the university's process for addressing sexual assault complaints, and the cost of higher education for students.
In Michigan, political parties nominate candidates for some offices at their conventions instead of holding a primary. Candidates for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, Supreme Court, and the boards of Michigan State University, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan and the state Board of Education are nominated by political parties. The Democratic Party state convention and the Republican Party state convention were both held from August 25 to August 26.
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Michigan from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Michigan Secretary of State.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Michigan every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Michigan 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
47.5% |  Hillary Clinton |
47.3% | 0.2% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
54.2% | Mitt Romney |
44.7% | 9.5% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
57.4% | John McCain |
41.0% | 16.4% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
51.2% | George W. Bush |
47.8% | 3.4% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
51.3% | George W. Bush |
46.2% | 5.1% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Michigan from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Michigan 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Gary Peters |
54.6% | Terri Lynn Land |
41.3% | 13.3% |
| 2012 | Debbie Stabenow |
58.8% | Pete Hoekstra |
38.0% | 20.8% |
| 2008 | Carl Levin |
62.7% | Jack Hoogendyk, Jr. |
33.9% | 28.8% |
| 2006 | Debbie Stabenow |
56.9% | Michael Bouchard |
41.3% | 15.6% |
| 2002 | Carl Levin |
60.6% | Rocky Raczkowski |
37.9% | 22.7% |
| 2000 | Debbie Stabenow |
49.5% | Spence Abraham |
47.9% | 1.6% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Michigan.
Election results (Governor), Michigan 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Rick Snyder |
50.9% | Mark Schauer |
46.9% | 4.0% |
| 2010 | Rick Snyder |
58.1% | Virg Bernero |
39.9% | 18.2% |
| 2006 | Jennifer Granholm |
56.4% | Dick DeVos |
42.3% | 14.1% |
| 2002 | Jennifer Granholm |
51.4% | Dick Posthumus |
47.4% | 4.0% |
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Michigan in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, Michigan 2000-2016
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9 |
64.3% | 5 |
35.7% | R+4 |
| 2014 | 9 |
64.3% | 5 |
35.7% | R+4 |
| 2012 | 9 |
64.3% | 5 |
35.7% | R+4 |
| 2010 | 9 |
60.0% | 6 |
40.0% | R+3 |
| 2008 | 7 |
46.7% | 8 |
53.3% | D+1 |
| 2006 | 8 |
53.3% | 7 |
46.7% | R+1 |
| 2004 | 9 |
60.0% | 6 |
40.0% | R+3 |
| 2002 | 9 |
60.0% | 6 |
40.0% | R+3 |
| 2000 | 7 |
43.75% | 9 |
56.25% | D+2 |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Michigan Party Control: 1992-2020
No Democratic trifectas • 14 years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | S | S | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Demographic data for Michigan
| Michigan | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 9,917,715 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 56,539 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.9% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 79% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 14% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.6% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 4.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 26.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $49,576 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 20% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Michigan. |
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As of July 2016, Michigan's three largest cities were Detroit (pop. est. 673,000), Grand Rapids (pop. est. 199,000), and Warren (pop. est. 135,000).
