Steele Most Conservative In House, Wegela Most Liberal

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 12/30/2025) In a caucus with such conservative brands as Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford) and Rep. James DeSana (R-Carleton), two-term Republican Rep. Donni Steele (R-Lake Orion) ended up with the House's most conservative record based on 46 roll call votes selected by MIRS.

Reps. Donni Steele and Dylan Wegela

With around 380 roll call votes to choose from, MIRS selected policy-related votes on bills and resolutions in which at least three members dissented. Transparency, budget and procedural voters were not used. Also avoided were votes in which traditionally conservative members, such as Carra and DeSana, voted against a bill alongside the chamber's more liberal members, like Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City), Rep. Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) and Rep. Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing).

One example of many was HB 4026, which ended the sunset on sales and use tax exemptions for firearm safety devices. The chamber's conservative members opposed the bills for completely different reasons than the more liberal members.

Steele didn't often find herself in these types of voting combinations. Wegela did. 

This year's most liberal voting member was Wegela. He voted for the conservative position 0 times out of the 46 votes on bills and resolutions used. Steele voted for the conservative position 44 out of the 46 bills used.

“I'm always looking out to protect the people of the state and make sure that we're running government as effectively and efficiently as possible, while still being transparent,” Steele said. "Better government is often less government. It's government that doesn't infringe on personal freedom while using fewer tax dollars.

Steele was re-elected last year to a politically competitive House seat, but decided earlier this year to run for an open Senate seat in 2026. Asked if that decision was "liberating" in that the Senate seat is much more conservative and not politically competitive after the primary, Steele said, "My voting record is who I am. It's not a product of me striving for my next seat.

“I'm doing this job for the citizens of the state of Michigan and not for any self-interest.”

The votes that separated Steele from Carra and DeSana, who shared the second-most conservative record (91%), were HB 4065, which allowed for the expansion of alcohol at Macomb Community College; HB 4391, which expands intoxicated driver testing options; and HB 4260, which created the Public Safety Trust Fund.

Steele's two non-conservative votes were yes votes on HB 4225, Steele's own bill that created an expansion to the OK2Say program, and HB 4968, a budget/road funding implementation bill that asks the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for a waiver permitting Michigan to continue collecting provider taxes on service providers like hospitals, nursing homes and ambulances. 

On the Democratic side of the aisle, Wegela's 0% conservative rating was higher than that of Rep. Tonya Myers Phillips (D-Detroit)'s 7% and Reps. Rheingans, Kara Hope (D-Holt) and Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids)'s 9%.

The votes that put Wegela over the top were his no vote on the Public Safety Trust Fund; HB 4493, which removes state licensure costs for legally blind and visually impaired Michiganders who operate concessions in state-owned buildings; and HB 4314, which allows lakefront property owners to clear toxic, free-flowing algae without a permit. 

Wegela said he sees himself as more of a socialist than a liberal or a “progressive.” He said he's proud to cast votes in support of the working class and against corporations seeking special handouts.

House Votes Used

 1. Roll Call 4, HB 4001 restores the tipped wage for wait staff, while creating a permanent minimum wage structure that's less pronounced than a passed ballot initiative. The conservative vote is yes.

 2.  Roll Call 5, HB 4002 creates an earned sick time policy that proves more palatable to the business community. The conservative vote is yes.

 3. Roll Call 20, HB 4018 allows juvenile offenders over 16 years old to be transported by police with adult offenders under the age of 25 if they committed the same crime. The conservative vote is yes.

 4. Roll Call 24, HB 4153 allows school districts to issue local teaching certificates to individuals who have received at least a 3.0 GPA in their underlying degree for up to five years.  The conservative vote is yes.

 5. Roll Call 28, HB 4065 allows Macomb Community College and Wayne County Community College to receive permanent liquor licenses for their event spaces. The conservative vote is no.

 6. Roll Call 29, HB 4014 ends the ability for a property’s tax to be “uncapped” if ownership of the property is changing hands between a previous owner’s immediate family members. The conservative vote is yes.

 7. Roll Call 32, HB 4170 lowers the income tax to 4.05% from its current 4.25%. The conservative vote is yes.

 8. Roll Call 34, HB 4181 takes the sales tax off gasoline. The conservative vote is yes.

 9. Roll Call 49, HB 4195 grants driver’s licenses regardless of citizenship status. The conservative vote is no.

 10. Roll Call 47, HB 4154 allows trade schools to be eligible for dual enrollment. The conservative vote is yes.

 11. Roll Call 53, HB 4157 creates a different standardized testing pilot program as an alternative to MSTEP. The conservative vote is yes.

 12. Roll Call 59, HB 4260 creates the Public Safety and Prevention Trust Fund, a direct state revenue stream to local law enforcement agencies in high-crime areas. The conservative vote is yes.

 13. Roll Call 67, HB 4255 creates steeper penalties for trafficking opioids such as heroin, fentanyl or carfentanil. The conservative vote is yes.

 14. Roll Call 72, HB 4027 repeals legislation passed in 2023 which allows the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to site clean energy projects instead of local governments. The conservative vote is yes.

 15. Roll Call 74, HB 4338 prohibits local governments from enacting a policy or practice that is at odds with federal immigration policy. The conservative vote is yes.

 16. Roll Call 77, HB 4340 ensures that Michigan residents with citizenship or those who are documented non-citizens are the only parties that can access taxpayer resources such as food assistance, Medicaid or housing programs. The conservative vote is yes.

 17. Roll Call 83, HB 4233 bans countries of concern from purchasing agricultural land in Michigan and owning any land whatsoever within 20 miles of a military installation.  The conservative vote is yes.

 18. Roll Call 91, HB 4007 allows Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engine (RICE) generators in the Upper Peninsula to qualify as a renewable energy source. The conservative vote is yes.

 19. Roll Call 107, HB 4225 requires OK2Say program contact information to be included on certain student identification cards. The conservative vote is no.

 20. Roll Call 114, HB 4350 allows wildlife feeding under certain conditions. The conservative vote is yes.

 21. Roll Call 117, HR 91 supports President Donald Trump's policy to increase energy infrastructure, which includes speeding up the emergency permitting for Enbridge's Line 5. The conservative vote is yes.

 22. Roll Call 131, HB 4066 bans transgender student athletes from playing on sports teams based on their preferred gender. The conservative vote is yes.

 23. Roll Call 134, HB 4285 instructs the Michigan Department of Education and the state's Department of Natural Resources to create a model elective firearm safety course for grades sixth through 12th. The conservative vote is yes.

 24. Roll Call 154, HB 4257 removes regulatory burdens on anaerobic digesters. The conservative vote is yes.

 25. Roll Call 161, HB 4493 removes state licensure costs for legally blind and visually impaired Michiganders who operate concessions in state-owned buildings. The conservative vote is yes.

 26. Roll Call 164, HB 4426 lowers the minimum age for a driver to transport hazardous materials across state lines from 21 to 18 years old. The conservative vote is yes.

 27. Roll Call 168, HB 4391 allows police officers to test a potentially impaired driver’s saliva or other bodily fluid that could reveal controlled substances on the side of the road. The conservative vote is yes.

 28. Roll Call 172, HB 4506 allows judges to impose a life-without-parole sentence – including against youthful offenders – for the most heinous crimes. The conservative vote is yes.

 29. Roll Call 177, HB 4707 bans the use of ranked choice voting. The conservative vote is yes.

 30. Roll Call 188, HB 4017 allows owners of a family farm to face reduced penalties for not reporting to state officials a death occurring on their premises within eight weeks. The conservative vote is yes.

 31. Roll Call 190, HB 4024 requires schools to require individuals to only use the restroom or locker room of their sex assigned at birth. The conservative vote is yes.

 32. Roll Call 205, HB 4664 criminalizes blocking or impeding traffic during a protest. The conservative vote is yes.

 33. Roll Call 224, HB 4522 limits heavy commercial and truck traffic from driving in the left lane of a three-or-more lane highway. Conservative vote is no.

 34. Roll Call 232, HB 4968 asks the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for a waiver permitting Michigan to continue collecting provider taxes on service providers like hospitals, nursing homes and ambulances. The conservative vote is no.

 35. Roll Call 234, HB 4951 creates a new wholesale tax on marijuana to fund the roads. The conservative vote is no.

 36. Roll Call 239, HB 5055 gives sergeants of arms statewide jurisdiction as law enforcement officers, not just the Capitol or office buildings. The conservative vote is yes.

 37. Roll Call 248, HB 4961 wipes away state business tax cuts created through Trump's Big Beautiful Bill to prevent revenue loss. The conservative vote is no.

 38. Roll Call 253, HB 4375 lowers the tax liability of those buying a new electronic device if they are trading one in. The conservative vote is yes.

 39. Roll Call 257, HB 4690 strengthens the sentencing guidelines for fleeing or eluding police arrest to a five-year mandatory minimum for first-degree fleeing and a two-year mandatory minimum for second degree. The conservative vote is yes.

 40. Roll Call 286, HB 4073 requires court-issued warrants to search property regardless of the search’s environmental protection intentions. The conservative vote is yes.

 41. Roll Call 290, HR 195 calls on the Department of Education to rescind its support of its own health education standards based on its recommendations for gender and sexual education. The conservative vote is yes.

 42. Roll Call 301, HB 4926 allows anyone licensed through LARA to apply for infractions to be dropped from their record if they missed the window for completing continuing education requirements. The conservative vote is yes.

 43. Roll Call 308, HB 4843 allows law enforcement to use devices that use conducted electrical energy to subdue someone. The conservative vote is yes.

 44. Roll Call 320, HB 4314 allows lakefront property owners to clear toxic, free-flowing algae without a permit. The conservative vote is yes.

 45. Roll Call 321, HB 4917 eliminates a requirement that only a grader approved by the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development can grade butter. The conservative vote is yes.

 46. Roll Call 358, HB 4486 prevents local governments from banning natural gas as a heating source. The conservative vote is yes.

Past Most House Liberal Member

2003 - Rep. Mary Waters (D-Detroit)

2004 - Rep. Jack Minore (D-Flint)

2005 - Rep. Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit)

2006 - Rep. Aldo Vagnozzi (D-Farmington Hills)

2007 - Rep. Steve Lindberg (D-Marquette)

2008 - Rep. Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit)

2009 - Rep. Coleman Young II (D-Detroit)

2010 - Rep. Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) 

2011 - Rep. John Olumba (D-Detroit)

2012 - Rep. John Olumba (D-Detroit)

2013 - Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods)

2014 - Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit)

2015 - Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D-Oak Park)

2016 - Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor)

2017 - Rep. Robert Wittenberg (D-Oak Park)

2018 - Rep. Tom Cochran (D-Mason)

2019 - Rep. LaTanya Garrett (D-Detroit)

2020 - Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor)

2021 - Rep. Regina Weiss (D-Oak Park)

2022 - Rep. Lori Stone (D-Warren)

2023 - Rep. Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck)

2024 - Rep. Felicia Brabec (D-Ann Arbor)

2025 - Rep. Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City)

Past Most Conservative House Member

2003 - Rep. Jack Hoogendyk (R-Kalamazoo), Rep. Fulton Sheen (R-Plainwell)

2004 - Rep. Ken Bradstreet (R-Gaylord)

2005 - Rep. Bob Gosselin (R-Troy)

2006 - Rep. Bob Gosselin (R-Troy)

2007 - Rep. Brian Palmer (R-Romeo)

2008 - Rep. John Garfield (R-Rochester)

2009 - Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville)

2010 - Rep. Tom McMillin (R-Rochester)

2011 - Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville)

2012 - Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville)

2013 - Rep. Bob Genetski (R-Saugatuck)

2014 -  Rep. Bob Genetski (R-Saugatuck)

2015 - Rep. Tom Hooker (R-Byron Center)

2016 -  Rep. Tom Hooker (R-Byron Center)

2017 - Rep. Shane Hernandez (R-Port Huron)

2018 - Rep. Lana Theis (R-Brighton) 

2019 - Rep. Steve Johnson (R-Wayland Twp.)

2020 - Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford)

2021 -  Rep. Steve Johnson (R-Wayland Twp.)

2022 - Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers) 

2023 - Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) 

2024 - Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford)

2025 - Rep. Donni Steele