LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Hauck on Monday echoed calls from area legislators and Senate Republican leadership encouraging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to schedule a special election to fill a seat left vacant after former state Sen. Kristen McDonald-Rivet was elected to the U.S. Congress.
“The core principle of our government is representation within our elected bodies,” said Hauck R-Mount Pleasant. “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.”
Hauck pointed to previous action by the governor to quickly schedule two special elections when the Democrat majority was weakened after two state House of Representatives were elected to local office in 2023.
“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. 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.”
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