Schuette Opts Out Of SD-35; New Polling Shows 'Jumpball'

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 09/15/2025) Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland) is not running in the special election for the open 35th Senate District, the two-term House member announced Friday, creating a scramble for Senate Republicans who saw the competitive Tri-cities district as a favorable pick-up opportunity.

Schuette was expected to announce his candidacy for the state Senate on Monday when U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon appeared at his fundraiser, but when no announcement came, questions arose whether Schuette was willing to risk losing his state House seat on a competitive Senate bid.

The two-term House member said he will seek to continue his public service by running for re-election next year.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set the special primary election date for Feb. 3, before the April filing deadline for the 2026 election cycle. The general election date is May 5, meaning that if Schuette won the primary, he would not be able to file for his House seat if he lost the May general election.

Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland)

“Public service is not about titles or job climbing, it is about working to make your home, state and nation a better place,” Schuette said. “The people of mid-Michigan deserve a state representative who will work hard for them full term, not create another open legislative seat with which the Governor can play politics.”

Fresh polling completed today by Target Insyght for MIRS shows the race to replace U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) in the 35th Senate District is a jump ball. Both Schuette and Rep. Timothy Beson (R-Bay City) are running competitively with two of three Democratic contenders.

The Sept. 8-Sept. 11 survey of 400 respondents found Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland) up on State Board of Education President Pamela PUGH, a Democrat, 47 to 40 percent. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Schuette is tied with Saginaw Fire Capt. Chedrick Greene at 45 percent with 10 percent undecided, but leading judicial law clerk Grant Rivet – McDonald Rivet's son – 56 to 38 percent.

“This is insane. You show the candidate that he's winning, and he drops out," said Target Insyght pollster Ed Sarpolus.

The 35th Senate District is made up of parts of Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties. Unlike prior iterations of the district, however, the district includes the cities of Midland, Saginaw and Bay City.

Were Beson the Republican nominee, Pugh would beat him 43 to 37 percent. Greene beats Beson 43 to 38 percent. Beson beats Rivet 50 to 44 percent.

The polling was conducted at roughly the same time as another poll that was running negative information on the Democratic candidates. The MIRS/Target Insyght poll did not  run negative bios on any candidate.

Pugh said she heard about the negative polling, so to hear today's results, she sees it all as a "statistical dead heat.'

“Voters want a fighter and that I've been. I've been fighting for the children and families, and we're going to work hard to win this seat,” Pugh said.

Republicans have one candidate to have filed for a campaign committee in the 35th Senate District, Mountains Movers Chief Operations Officer and Brexy Management co-founder and operational advisor Chadwick Twillman. The Democrats have a third candidate in the race, Brandell Adams, the Saginaw County Democratic Party chair and the chair of the Disciplinary Committee of the Michigan Board of Psychology.

On the run for Governor, voters in the 35th Senate District favored Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson 46 to 36 percent over Republican John JAMES (R-Shelby Township) with independent Mike Duggan at 10 percent in a hypothetical matchup. Another eight percent were undecided.

Benson had a 39 to 27 percent favorable/unfavorable rating. James's favorability was underwater, 39 percent unfavorable to 31 percent favorable. Duggan was at 23 percent favorable and 23 percent unfavorable with 54 percent undecided or not knowing Duggan's name.

For U.S. Senate, Republican Mike Rogers was up 44 percent to 41 percent in a hypothetical matchup with Democratic U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham).