Special elections today to decide balance of power in Michigan House of Representatives

Special elections Tuesday in two Metro Detroit districts will decide control of the Michigan House after more than five months of a 54-54 split among Republicans and Democrats in the lower chamber.

The two Democratic candidates — Mai Xiong in the Warren area's 13th House District and Peter Herzberg in the Westland area's 25th House District — are favored to win their respective races in the Democratic-leaning areas of Macomb and Wayne counties.

But Republican candidates Ronald Singer in the 13th and Josh Powell in the 25th say they won't stop fighting for the seat despite those odds.

Robert Stano is running as a U.S. Taxpayer Party candidate for the House's 25th District.

The seats were left vacant in November when Democratic state Reps. Lori Stone of Warren and Kevin Coleman of Westland were elected mayors of their respective cities. Since then, the House has been at a stalemate with few meaningful pieces of legislation able to find the majority needed for passage because of the tie.

The winners of the 13th and 25th House district races will serve out the remainder of Stone and Coleman's terms — through December — and will likely run for a full two-year term in the August primary and November general elections.

The 13th District includes a corner of northeast Detroit; the 25th District includes parts of Canton Township, Dearborn Heights, Garden City and Wayne. Polling precincts close at 8 p.m. Tuesday in both districts.

Assuming the Democrats win both seats, Michigan will see a return to a very narrow Democratic majority in the House and, soon after, the advancement of the annual state budget and other policy priorities, said Adrian Hemond, CEO of the Lansing-based consulting firm Grassroots Midwest.

"They can’t afford for anybody not to be at session or to move legislation that doesn’t have a bipartisan tinge to it," Hemond said.

"The size of the majority will continue to be an issue for Democrats. But they’ll have one after Tuesday.”

Before Stone and Coleman departed, Democrats had total control of state government — the Legislature, the Supreme Court and the governor's office and other executive branch offices.

Even with Democrats favored to win the special elections, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has remained somewhat active in the races, putting up about $48,000 to support Xiong and Herzberg and decrying Powell's conservative views on abortion.

"The trifecta is on the line and the DLCC is leaving nothing to chance to ensure that Speaker Tate remains the leader of this powerful chamber," said Abhi Rahman, communications director for the committee.

The 25th House District is primarily made up of the cities of Westland and Wayne and parts of Dearborn Heights and Canton Township. The 13th House District is primarily made of the city of Warren and some parts of northeast Detroit.

The winner of the 13th House District will run in a reconfigured district in August, using new district lines redrawn under court order and adopted in March.

The districts largely lean Democratic. Stone won her state House race in 2022 with 67% of the vote and Coleman won his with 63% of the vote; both were incumbents.

Xiong is a Macomb County commissioner and, if elected to the House, would be the first Hmong American to be elected to the chamber.

The 39-year-old mother of four who was born in a refugee camp said Michigan has always been a place of opportunity for her and her family. She said she'd like to return the favor and plans to focus on local government funding, public transit and food insecurity.

"We have to do more to make sure that we give families the opportunity to advance," Xiong said.

Singer, 72, is a mechanical engineer, father of two daughters whose work has focused on design engineering. Singer, who was unsuccessful in a challenge of Stone last year, said he has been knocking on more doors this election cycle and is hopeful about Tuesday's special election.

If elected, he said he would work to reign in taxes and regulations and ensure more efficient spending on any education system that works.

"I think we need adult supervision in Lansing," Singer said. "It just seemed like once Democrats got control it was kind of like anything goes. I don’t think there was a lot of thought put into it.”

Herzberg is a Westland city councilman who, if elected, would replace his cousin, Coleman, in the House.

The 32-year-old Westland resident, who did not return calls seeking comment this week, told The News in January that he’s focused on securing more funding for the city to improve education and recreational opportunities as well as water infrastructure improvements. He said he’s not focused on “political taglines” or policy that makes a statement but lacks substance.

“If there’s any opportunity to get funding and work with the mayors of Wayne and Westland to provide more opportunities for the youth, I think that’s going to be a big thing going forward,” Herzberg said.

Powell is an IT professional who has made unsuccessful runs for the Westland City Council in the past. If elected, the 37-year-old said he would focus on issues such as transparency, accountability and lower taxes.

He also keeps in mind the needs of residents like his son, who recently graduated from high school.

"I’m trying to do something that will help keep him around because he doesn’t really see a future in Michigan, like a lot of kids," Powell said.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has drawn attention in recent months to comments Powell made earlier this year regarding his opposition to abortion "without exception."

Powell told The News Wednesday he remains opposed to abortion, but recognizes voters' adoption of a constitutional right to abortion in 2022 left little room for potential legislation that could oppose it.

Still, Powell said he would still fight for certain abortion regulations, such as parental consent and informed consent laws.

eleblanc@detroitnews.com