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Michigan, State Representative, District 26

Michigan House of Representatives District 26
Current incumbentJim Ellison Democratic Party
Population86,932
Gender51.0% Female, 49.0% Male
Race88.4% White, 5.0% Black, 3.5% Asian, 2.2% Two or More Races, 0.5% Other, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Pacific Islander
Ethnicity97.6% Non-Hispanic, 2.4% Hispanic

Michigan's twenty-sixth state house district is held by Democratic Representative Jim Ellison.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 86,932 civilians reside within Michigan's twenty-sixth state house district. Michigan state representatives represent an average of 89,851 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 90,349 residents.

About the office

Members of the Michigan House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits. Michigan legislators assume office the at noon on first day of January.

Qualifications

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."

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$71,685/year$10,800/year expense allowance for session and interim. Set by the compensation commission.

Term limits

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 representatives are subject to term limits of no more than three two-year terms, or a total of six years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2002.

Vacancies

Whenever a vacancy occurs in the house, 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.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is April 21, 2020.

2018

General election
General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 26

Incumbent Jim Ellison (D) defeated Al Gui (R) in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 26 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Jim Ellison (D)
68.5
27,962

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Al Gui (R)
31.5
12,853

Total votes: 40,815
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 26

Incumbent Jim Ellison advanced from the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 26 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Jim Ellison (D)
100
12,778

Total votes: 12,778
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 26

Al Gui advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 26 on August 7, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Al Gui (R)
100
4,924

Total votes: 4,924

2016

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on August 2, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 19, 2016. Incumbent Jim Townsend (D) did not seek re-election because of term-limits.

Jim Ellison defeated Randy LeVasseur in the Michigan House of Representatives District 26 general election.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 26 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jim Ellison 59.37% 26,785
Republican Randy LeVasseur 40.63% 18,333
Total Votes 45,118
Source: Michigan Secretary of State

Jim Ellison ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 26 Democratic primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 26 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Jim Ellison (unopposed)

Randy LeVasseur ran unopposed in the Michigan House of Representatives District 26 Republican primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 26 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Randy LeVasseur (unopposed)

2014

Elections for the Michigan House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on August 5, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was April 22, 2014. Incumbent Jim Townsend was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Greg Dildilian was unopposed in the Republican primary. Townsend defeated Dildilian in the general election.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 26 General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJim Townsend Incumbent 60.9% 17,755
Republican Greg Dildilian 39.1% 11,377
Total Votes 29,132

2012

Elections for the office of Michigan House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 7, 2012 and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature-filing deadline for major party candidates wishing to run in this election was May 15, 2012. The deadline for independent candidates was July 19, 2012. The deadline for write-in candidates was July 27, 2012. Incumbent Jim Townsend (D) defeated Mark Bliss (R) and James K. Young (L) in the general election. Townsend was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Bliss defeated William Sayre in the Republican primary.

Michigan House of Representatives, District 26, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJim Townsend Incumbent 60.4% 26,094
Republican Mark Bliss 35.9% 15,502
Libertarian James Young 3.8% 1,636
Total Votes 43,232

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Michigan House of Representatives District 26 raised a total of $1,270,141. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $52,923 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Michigan House of Representatives District 26

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $113,402 2 $56,701
2014 $76,984 2 $38,492
2012 $147,080 3 $49,027
2010 $227,884 5 $45,577
2008 $69,858 2 $34,929
2006 $100,306 2 $50,153
2004 $268,959 2 $134,480
2002 $77,801 4 $19,450
2000 $187,867 2 $93,934
Total $1,270,141 24 $52,923