Michigan Democrats flip three U.S. House seats in 2026 midterm, hold majority in the state
With Democrats holding the majority in the U.S. House and Senate after the 2026 midterm election, the same occurred in Michigan, where Democrats flipped three House seats, giving them the majority in the state.
After Tuesday's election, Michigan Democrats took nine of the state's 13 districts, which were redrawn in 2021. Democrats previously held a slight majority after the 2022 midterm election but lost it in 2024.
In the 4th congressional district, state Sen. Sean McCann unseated incumbent Bill Huizenga, bringing a Democrat back to the seat for the first time since George Foulkes was elected in 1932. The district covers all of Allegan and Van Buren counties, as well as portions of Berrien, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties.
McCann was first elected to the state House in 2010, then to the Senate in 2018. This flip ends Huizenga's long time in the House after more than 15 years.
Meanwhile, progressive William Lawrence defeated Republican Congressman Tom Barrett in the 7th congressional district race, which was said to have received the most monetary support. Barrett, who only served one term, flipped the seat in the 2024 election, succeeding now-Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin. The district covers all of Clinton, Ingham, Livingston and Shiawassee counties, most of Eaton County and parts of Genesee and Oakland counties.
Barrett was one of the first House Republicans to break with President Trump and vote on war powers resolutions to end the war with Iran without congressional approval. He still campaigned with the president and received his endorsement.
Lawrence, a climate activist who co-founded the Sunrise Movement and is a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America, defeated two moderate candidates who split the vote in the Democratic primary.
In the 10th congressional district, the seat was left wide open after Republican Congressman John James ran for governor of Michigan. Attorney Christina Hines defeated Army captain and Trump-backed Michael Bouchard in a district that has not elected a Democrat since David Bonior in 1993.
The district covers several communities in parts of Macomb and Oakland counties.
Outside of those seats, a new face will take over the 11th district, which was vacated by Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate. State Sen. Jeremy Moss will replace Stevens after defeating Republican Troy Mayor Ethan Baker. Moss became the state's first openly gay congressman.
Moss' election allows Democrats to maintain control of that district, which encompasses Oakland County and includes major cities such as Royal Oak, Pontiac, Troy, West Bloomfield Township, Ferndale, Auburn Hills and Wixom.
Another new face to the U.S. House is state Rep. Donovan McKinney, who defeated incumbent Shri Thanedar in the August primary for the 13th district. McKinney went on to defeat Republican T.P. Nykoriak in the general election. It is the first time the district has had a Black representative since Thanedar was elected in 2022.
Meanwhile, Democratic incumbents Rashida Tlaib (12th district), Kristen McDonald Rivet (8th district), Debbie Dingell (6th district) and Hillary Scholten (3rd district) were reelected on Tuesday.
