Michigan Republicans and Democrats each select new party chair
Michigan Republicans and Democrats have each elected a new chair who will lead their respective parties into the 2026 midterms, when several key races will be decided including a critical U.S. Senate seat.
Both parties held conventions in Detroit on Saturday.
Republicans running with Runestad
Michigan Republicans elected State Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, as their new party chair, according to the Associated Press. Runestad whipped more delegates after two rounds of voting to secure the position, despite ongoing criticism that he will be working two jobs between his elected office and the party chairmanship. He said he will not be stepping down from the Legislature and dismissed the concerns, saying because Republicans are in the minority in the Senate, it will not take much of his time.
The 2025 convention at Huntington Place ran more accordingly than in 2024 when former GOP chairperson Kristina Karamo was escorted out of the event.
"I believe this is a good look of the good fortune and the blessings that we will have moving forward, and how the party has learned from our past and we're going to move forward with unity and win," said Bree Moeggengerg, state committee woman for District 2.
Hertel selected by Democrats
Michigan Democrats during their spring convention at the Detroit Marriott picked former state lawmaker Curtis Hertel as their party chair.
"Working people deserve better, and I'm ready to roll up my sleeves to ensure Democrats can deliver at every level of the ballot in Michigan," Hertel said in a written statement Saturday.
Hertel unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House in the 2024 election, losing to former state lawmaker and Army veteran Tom Barrett by nearly 4 percentage points.
Michigan is set to be a key state to watch in the 2026 midterms, when Democrats will try to end Republicans' control of the U.S. House and Senate in hopes of blunting Trump's agenda.
In late January, Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, said he won't seek reelection in 2026. Democrat Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeated Republican Mike Rogers for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2024.
