Sens. Darrin Quiroz Camilleri, Roger Hauck selected to lead Michigan Senate

Michigan Democrats on Thursday have elected their new majority leader as the party maintains control of the state Senate following Tuesday's midterm election.

Officials selected Sen. Darrin Quiroz Camilleri as the new majority leader, making him the youngest Senate majority leader in the country and the first Latino to lead the chamber in the state. Camilleri, 34, will replace outgoing Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, who was elected lieutenant governor on Tuesday. Brinks was elected alongside outgoing Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who was named the next governor.

Camilleri, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, serves the 4th District.

"I'm honored that my colleagues have chosen me to lead our caucus through the next four years," said Camilleri. "Voters sent a clear message on Tuesday. They are fed up with the kind of politics that has repeatedly ignored the needs of working-class families. They want leaders who are ready to take the gloves off and actually fight to lower costs and deliver on their promises."

Camilleri was elected to the Michigan House in 2016 before serving in the Senate, where he was selected as assistant majority leader. Camilleri will also be the first Senate majority leader from Wayne County in over 40 years.

This comes as Democrats reclaimed control of the state House after Republicans flipped it in 2024. This will the Democrats a trifecta, including the governor's office.

On the other side of the aisle, Michigan Republicans elected Sen. Roger Hauck as the minority leader. Hauck (R-Mount Pleasant) was reelected to the 34th District. He served three terms in the House before he was elected to the Senate in 2022.

Both men will take over their new roles in January.

"I believe in working across the aisle to get things done for the people we represent, and that will not change in my new role," Hauck said in a statement. "I congratulate Senate Majority Leader-elect Camilleri and his leadership team, and I look forward to finding common ground wherever possible. But we must also be realistic about Michigan's challenges. Republicans will stand firm against proposals that raise costs, hurt families or move our state further in the wrong direction."