Citizens across the state and throughout the country continue to digest and process the results of the 2024 election. Many pundits had expected a close race, so close that many assumed a conclusive result would not be available for days or weeks. The electorate, in typical fashion, is impossible to predict and complicated, and it surprised the talking heads with definitive results at both the national and state House levels by the time most of the nation was waking up on November 6. This election is ushering in significant changes at both the national and state level which will undoubtedly impact public policy discussions in both Washington DC and Lansing.

Michigan is a reliably purple state, and in this election that independent and ticket-splitting streak was in full display. At the national level, the state-supported Donald Trump by more than 78,000 votes. Michigan voters also elected U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin to replace retiring U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow in a razor-thin election, with just over 20,000 votes separating Slotkin from GOP nominee Mike Rogers. Both Michigan State Supreme Court seats went Democratic, while Congresswoman Slotkin’s Congressional seat flipped from blue to red as the Republican nominee and former State Senator Tom Barrett defeated former Democratic State Senator Curtis Hertel. Retiring Congressman Dan Kildee’s Congressional seat stayed blue with current Democratic State Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet vacating her Senate seat early to head to D.C.

Specifically at the state level, the Michigan House will be controlled by Republicans in January 2025, ending a trifecta of Democratic control the last two years. Republicans were able to flip four Democratic seats and protect all their incumbents leading to a 58-52 majority next legislative session. The House seats that flipped include:

• Representative Jaime Churches (Wyandotte)>Rylee Linting (MI GOP Youth Chair)
• Representative Nate Shannon (Sterling Heights)>Ron Robinson (Small Business Owner)
• Representative Jennifer Hill (Marquette)> Karl Bohnak (Meteorologist)
• Representative Jim Haadsma (Battle Creek; unofficial results)>Steve Frisbie (Paramedic)

Besides the Battle Creek seat (which at the time of publication remained unresolved with Mr. Frisbie ahead of Representative Haadsma by 58 votes) the other flipped seats saw the incumbents unseated by at least 1000 votes.  These districts were very competitive, and the top of the ticket had clear implications down ballot.

The legislature will embark on an active three weeks of lame duck session upon their return from hunting/Thanksgiving recess. Lame duck is expected to run from December 3-19. Priorities the Democratic trifecta hope to accomplish before the House flip in January are long and varied. But from a healthcare perspective, active bills that could see action include nurse staffing ratios, expanding medical liability for a wrongful death, restructuring and modernizing sex education taught in Michigan schools and expanding full practice authority for nurses.