Democratic primary elections for all 38 districts in the Michigan State Senate took place on Aug. 2, 2022. Of the 38 districts up for election in 2022, 14 had a Democratic primary election with more than one candidate.
Across all contested Democratic primary elections, candidates raised $2.2 million. Incumbents raised an average of $192,184 per candidate and challengers raised an average of $15,090 per candidate.
Five primary elections with the most fundraising
The table below details the five Democratic primary elections with the most fundraising in the State Senate. Winning candidates’ names are in bold.
| District | Money Raised | Officeholder | Candidates |
| District 8 | $669,873 | Douglas Wozniak (R) | Mallory McMorrow and Marshall Bullock |
| District 3 | $392,930 | Sylvia Santana (D) | Stephanie Chang, Toinu Reeves, Alberta Tinsley-Talabi, and John Ulaj |
| District 27 | $240,280 | Jim Ananich (D) | John Cherry, Monica Galloway, Bill Swanson, and David Davenport |
| District 2 | $213,096 | Adam Hollier (D) | Sylvia Santana, Maurice Sanders, and Adel Mozip |
| District 5 | $165,978 | Betty Jean Alexander (D) | Dayna Polehanki and Velma Overman |
The officeholders above are listed for the current districts they hold. However, this is a redistricting year, so candidates have been identified below as incumbents even if they are running in a different district than they currently hold.
#1 District 8 – $669,873
Incumbent Marshall Bullock raised $112,650 and Incumbent Mallory McMorrow raised $557,223.
Mallory McMorrow advanced to the general election with 68 percent of the vote and Marshall Bullock received 32 percent of the vote.
#2 District 3 – $392,930
Incumbent Stephanie Chang raised $392,930, Alberta Tinsley-Talabi raised $0, John Ulaj raised $0, and Toinu Reeves raised $0.
Stephanie Chang advanced to the general election with 83 percent of the vote, Toinu Reeves received 17 percent of the vote, Alberta Tinsley-Talabi was disqualified, and John Ulaj withdrew.
#3 District 27 – $240,280
John Cherry raised $239,480, Monica Galloway raised $800, Bill Swanson raised $0, and David Davenport raised $0.
John Cherry advanced to the general election with 64 percent of the vote, Monica Galloway received 25 percent of the vote, Bill Swanson received 6 percent of the vote, and David Davenport received 5 percent of the vote.
#4 District 2 – $213,096
Incumbent Sylvia Santana raised $213,096, Adel Mozip raised $0, and Maurice Sanders raised $0.
Sylvia Santana advanced to the general election with 81 percent of the vote, Maurice Sanders received 19 percent of the vote, and Adel Mozip withdrew.
#5 District 5 – $165,978
Incumbent Dayna Polehanki raised $165,978 and Velma Overman raised $0.
Dayna Polehanki advanced to the general election with 75 percent of the vote and Velma Overman received 25 percent of the vote.
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Michigan PACs submitted to the Michigan Secretary of State. Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Annual/January | 1/31/2022 |
| 2022 April (PACs) | 4/25/2022 |
| 2022 July (PACs) | 7/25/2022 |
| 2022 Post-Primary | 9/1/2022 |
| 2022 Pre-General | 10/28/2023 |
| 2022 Post-General | 12/8/2022 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.
Learn More
