South Michigan News

Senator Roger Hauck of Mt. Pleasant has criticized Governor Gretchen Whitmer for the delay in calling a special election to fill the vacant seat in Michigan’s 35th Senate District. The governor announced the election after more than seven months, which Hauck says is much longer than usual.

“Let’s be clear: You’re no hero, governor. You didn’t save the day — you simply did a job you should have done months ago — and did so only after your lack of action received national headlines and criticism from within your own party,” Hauck said Friday.

Hauck pointed out that previous governors have taken an average of 17 days to call special elections, while this vacancy lasted over seven months. He stated that during this period, thousands of residents in the Great Lakes Bay Region had no representation in the state Senate.

“The average time it has taken the governor to call a special election in Michigan is 17 days. It has taken over seven months for Gov. Whitmer to call this election. In that time, thousands of residents across the Great Lakes Bay Region were left without a voice in the state Senate. There has been no urgency. No explanation. Just silence,” he said.

Hauck argued that this was not an example of leadership but rather “a political calculation.” He noted that decisions made in Lansing continued to affect people in his district even though they lacked representation as budget discussions for the next fiscal year approached.

“The people of this district have been taxed, regulated and impacted by every decision made in Lansing — and now, as we work to finalize the upcoming fiscal year budget, these residents will continue to be without a voice on how their tax dollars are spent,” Hauck said.

He further claimed that Governor Whitmer acted quickly to schedule special elections when it benefited her party but delayed when there was less political advantage.

“The governor knew how quickly she could act. She’s done it before — and faster — when it benefited her party. This time, when the benefit wasn’t as clear, she waited. Let’s not pretend that finally calling the election was about principle — it was about politics from the very beginning. Her attorneys even argued in court that she didn’t have to schedule an election after a lawsuit was filed compelling her to do her job,” Hauck added.

He concluded by saying: “Her long-overdue action today doesn’t erase the months of neglect, the voices that went unheard, or the purely political display. I’m glad the people of the 35th District will finally get their seat back. But the delay speaks volumes.”