Carra, Wegela Vote Together Nearly 50% Of The Time

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 01/20/2026) So far in the 103rd Legislature, Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) – one of the chamber's conservative members – has voted with the most progressive member – Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) – nearly 50% of the time.

In some cases, both were the only no votes on the board.

An analysis conducted with MIRS News' bill tracking software found that Carra and Wegela have voted the same 193 times and differently 199 times, an agreement rate of 49.23%.

By comparison, Carra and House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) have voted together 236 times this term (60.2%). Hall and House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) have voted together 261 times this term (68.15%).

In short, Hall votes with the Democratic leader more often than one of the chamber's most conservative members, although the statistic may say more about Carra than Hall. Hall voted with another conservative member, Josh Schriver (R-Oxford), 91.6% of the time.

(Hall noted that the numbers show he's reasonable in terms of the issues that are brought up for a vote, and for all the rumblings on the other side about how allegedly divisive he is, he puts up issues 68% of the time that the Democratic leader can get behind.)

In calendar year 2025, Carra voted “no” 147 times, tied with Rep. Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing) behind Wegela (204) for the most “no” votes in the chamber.

The next closest Republican to Carra was Rep. James DeSana (R-Carleton) with 64. Hall and 16 other House Republicans voted “no” twice.

Asked about voting with Wegela nearly 50% this term, Carra said, “Whether it's the Lansing lobby corps or when our leadership tells members to fall in line, we're coming from principled perspectives, although those principles are often very different. It brings us similar votes.”

Carra said Wegela stands for big government, while he stands for minimal government. Yet, they land on the same side often times.

For example, HB 4104 creates an occupational therapy state licensure compact – an agreement between the states to create uniform licensing standards for occupational therapists. Wegela and Carra were the only “no” votes.

Wegela said he doesn't like anybody other than government regulators setting occupational standards. He's also concerned these compacts open the door to union busting.

Carra said he prefers reciprocity in these cases as opposed to compacts. He doesn't like an unelected board with authority, presumably, over setting fees or rules. He's concerned about “unelected overlords” monitoring private business activity.

Another issue is data centers. Wegela doesn't support using government resources for an industry that's advancing a technology that could eliminate working-class jobs in time.

Carra hasn't released a full public position on data centers yet. However, he voted against the 2024 use tax exemption for data centers because he doesn't like the Legislature picking “winners and losers” when it comes to tax cuts.

“It is weird to see the number of things where we vote for the same position, even though 80% to 90% of the time it's for entirely different reasons,” Wegela said.

One thing they do primarily agree on is their opposition to “corporate welfare.” Neither believes preferred industries should get a boutique tax break, although they split here, too. Carra believes in a low, across-the-board tax rate, while Wegela believes in higher corporate rates for public benefit.

So, does this mean Wegela and Carra are pioneering the new frontier on the dark side of the political moon? Both are two philosophical points that meet, but don't touch outside the public's view.

Wegela said he sees the political spectrum as more of a grid as opposed to a circle or a horseshoe. "Political philosophy is nothing you can put on a line," he said.

Carra said he credits a lot of his “no” votes to his libertarian streak. He's also someone who meticulously goes through each bill to see if the bill's objectives match his principles, something Wegela does, as well.

It's a reason why the two not only find themselves on the same page, but also get along.

“If there's any of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle I would consider a friend, it's Dylan,” Carra said.

Matt Hall (R) & Ranjeev Puri (D)

- Total votes together in 2025-26 term: 383

- Voted the same: 261

- Voted differently: 122

- Agreement rate: 68.15%

Matt Hall (R) & Steve Carra (R)

- Total votes together in 2025-26 term: 392

- Voted the same: 236

- Voted differently: 156

- Agreement rate: 60.20%

Steve Carra (R) & Dylan Wegela (D)

- Total votes together in 2025-26 term: 392

- Voted the same: 193

- Voted differently: 199

- Agreement rate: 49.23%

Matt Hall (R) & Josh Schriver (R)

- Total votes together: 381

- Voted the same: 349

- Voted differently: 32

- Agreement rate: 91.60%