Does Michigan tend to follow the shifting partisan sands of Washington D.C.?  You bet.  Over the past 50 years (25 terms) the Michigan House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives have mirrored each other when it comes to party control, with the exception of just two terms.  Prior to 1993, Michigan Democrats controlled the House for 26 straight years, however, that changed in the 1992 election.  During the 1993-94 term, the U.S. House was led by Democratic Speaker Tom Foley while in Michigan, there was a very rare partisan 55/55 split, so the House was run by co-speakers, Speaker Curtis Hertel (D) and Speaker Paul Hillegonds (R).  The only other time in the past 50 years that the U.S. House and the state House differed in who controlled the reins was in 1997-98. During that term Michigan bucked past trends when Democrats took control of the Michigan House of Representatives. In Michigan, Speaker Curtis Hertel (D) was elected Speaker, while in D.C. Newt Gingrich (R) retained Republican control and his speakership.

This November’s mid-term election is fast approaching.  With less than a month to go, all signs indicate that the U.S. House of Representatives will flip from R to D for the first time since 2010.  The real question: “Will Michigan follow historic trends?”  Michigan Republicans currently hold a majority in the State House with 63 members and Democrats would need to pick up nine seats to gain control.  While insiders predict that the D’s will gain seats, expectations are that R’s will win a few of the necessary races to keep control, and with that small majority, choose the next speaker.

In what is an energized mid-term election, with anticipated high turnout that could change the partisan control in Michigan and D.C., here’s a look at how Michigan has mirrored the partisan changes in D.C. over the past 25 years.

Michigan House of Reps:                            US House of Reps:

1969-1990       D                                                    D

1991-1992       D                                                    D

1993-1994      D/R                                                  D

1995-1996       R                                                     R

1997-1998       D                                                     R

1999-2000       R                                                     R

2001-2002       R                                                     R

2003-2004       R                                                     R

2005-2006       R                                                     R

2007-2008       D                                                     D

2009-2010       D                                                     D

2011-2012       R                                                      R

2013-2014       R                                                      R

2015-2016       R                                                      R

2017-2018       R                                                      R

2019-2020       ?                                                       ?

When Washington’s power shifts, Michigan tends to follow…. Or will it?

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.