It’s been more than 70 days since voters elected former state Sen. Kirsten McDonald-Rivet to represent the Michigan’s 8^th Congressional District, and still no word from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on a special election to replace her.

The situation, according to Republican Joe Cella, “is leaving those constituents flapping in the cold wind without representation in the Senate.”

“Elections have consequences. Whitmer is hoping the big momentum behind President-elect Donald Trump in Michigan and nationally cools off before calling the special election to give the likely lead Democrat contender maximum advantage,” Cella, one of several candidates to chair the Michigan Republican Party through the midterms, wrote in an editorial for The Detroit News.

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

“The counties of Midland, Bay and Saginaw went 54.8% for Trump, and it is not a stretch to see that affinity spill over into that district in a highly visible special election,” he wrote. “Historically, ‘specials’ can be special, and therefore, there may be enough affinity to scale turnout for low propensity voters in the district and have Republicans pull off a win.”

Michigan’s 35^th Senate District stretches across five state House districts represented by Rep. Graham Filler, R-St. Johns, Rep. Amos O’Neal, D-Saginaw, Rep. Bill Schuette, R-Midland, Rep. Timmy Beson, R-Bay City, and Rep. Matt Bierlein, R-Vassar, Michigan Advance reports.

Cella is among numerous Michigan Republicans who are publicly demanding Whitmer fulfill her obligation to schedule a special election in 35^th Senate District, which has been represented by a Republican every year since 1965, until McDonald-Rivet’s victory in 2023.

“The core principle of our government is representation within our elected bodies,” Sen. Roger Hauck, R-Mount Pleasant, said in a statement last week. “I understand it takes time to outline the logistics and costs of a special election, but the governor knew this was coming and she has also had ample time to at least get the dominoes set up.”

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

Cella, Hauck and other Michigan Republicans have noted Whitmer acted quickly to fill vacant seats when a Democratic majority in the Michigan House was left in limbo in 2023 after two Democratic members were elected to mayoral posts.

With the balance of power split 54-54, Whitmer waited just 15 says to schedule a special primary election for Jan. 30, and a general election on April 16. Those elections returned the balance of power to Democrats 56-54 by April 30, and Republicans have repeatedly demanded Whitmer act with the same urgency in 2025.

“The governor showed her commitment to ensuring that all Michiganders are duly represented in the Legislature when she quickly called for special elections after two House seats were vacated by local elections in November 2023,” Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, said in a December statement.

“It is my hope that she will act with the same responsible sense of urgency this year and get this special election announced as soon as possible,” he said. “The people of Michigan’s 35th District deserve full representation in the Senate. A timely special election will uphold the integrity of our legislative process and trust in government.”

Whitmer’s inaction this year leaves voters with the impression the governor is playing politics with Michiganders’ constitutional right to representation, Hauck said.

“There was a sense of urgency to fill those two seats, which I commend,” Hauck said. “However, given the lackadaisical attitude toward even acknowledging the need for timely decision-making regarding the 35th Senate District feeds the assumption that those special elections were quickly announced because of the threat the two vacant seats posed to the Democratic majority at the time versus ensuring people were adequately represented in their government.

“This is a duty that falls squarely on the governor’s shoulders,” he said. “I hope as we return from the holiday season and resume business, we can see the same sense of urgency to fill this Senate seat and ensure the people of the Great Lakes Bay Region have a representative voice in the state Senate.”

Currently, Democrats hold a slim 19-18 majority in the upper chamber, and a Republican win in Senate District 35 would tie up the numbers, with Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, II serving as the tie-breaking vote.

“The outcome of the special election in the 35^th District will be a difference maker for what the remaining two years of Whitmer’s tenure looks like,” Cella wrote. “The first step she should take is to put Michigan first in all things, including her constituents being fully represented in the Senate.”