Michigan election results: Coleman, Stone win mayor bids; Dems lose House edge

• State Rep. Kevin Coleman wins race for Westland mayor; Rep. Lori Stone wins in Warren 
• That means Democrats have lost their two-seat edge in the state House
• Patmos Library funding passes; marijuana businesses fail in metro Detroit

Nov. 22: Gov. Whitmer sets April 16 election date for vacant state House seats
Nov. 14: Michigan Dems to lose majority for months; quick special elections unlikely
Nov. 8: Michigan House will soon be divided between Dems, GOP. Gridlock coming?

Michigan voters turned out to the polls on Tuesday, electing two state representatives as mayors of southeast Michigan communities and costing Democrats the majority in the state House as a result.

State Rep. Kevin Coleman, D-Westland, won handily over interim Westland Mayor Mike Londeau in the race to succeed longtime Mayor Bill Wild. 

In Warren, fellow Democratic state Rep. Lori Stone became the first female mayor of Michigan's third-largest city, defeating human resources director George Dimas in the contest to replace term-limited Mayor Jim Fouts. 

The twin victories mean that Democrats will at least temporarily lose their 56-54 edge in the state House of Representatives, putting a pause on their first majority of both chambers of the Legislature in four decades.

Related:

• West Michigan library defunded over LGBTQ books wins tax support on 3rd try
• Marijuana sales, school bonds, mayoral races on Tuesday Michigan ballots
• Democratic majority of Michigan House may depend on two mayoral races Tuesday
• Two House Democrats survive mayoral primaries in Warren, Westland

The loss of majority could prove short-lived: Both districts trend Democratic, and House rules stipulate that Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, retains control of the legislative agenda in the event of a tie between the vacancies and the subsequent special election, which would be set by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

House Democrats are considering adjourning early because of the deadlock, but also to ensure legislation passed earlier this year to move up the state’s presidential primary is enacted in time for the 2024 election cycle. 

In the past few weeks, Democrats have prepared for the possibility, rushing to adopt a host of priorities, including repeals of abortion restrictions, energy mandates to require clean power by 2040 and new financial rules for office holders.

The shakeup came as voters in 73 of Michigan’s 83 counties cast ballots Tuesday, deciding mayorships, city council races, 195 tax request and renewal ballot measures and at least 45 school bonds.

Other notable races statewide: 

• Royal Oak and Kalamazoo voters approved measures to adopt ranked choice voting, a system that allows voters to rank candidates for mayor and city commission. A similar measure was on the ballot in East Lansing, but results were not available at 11:45 p.m. Eastpointe and Ferndale are the only Michigan cities that have that type of voting. 
• In Ottawa County, voters approved a tax to keep open the Patmos Library in Jamestown Township, 63 percent to 37 percent. Two previous tax requests have failed over controversies about LGBTQ-themed books.
• Voters in three Oakland County communities — Birmingham, Keego Harbor and Rochester — as well as Grosse Pointe Park defeated measures that would have allowed retail marijuana businesses to open in their communities. 
• In Traverse City, voters approved a tax request to make the Fire Department the primary ambulance provider for the city.

Finally, Ohio voters are projected to approve two measures that could impact cities in southern Michigan: A constitutional right to abortion and the legalization of marijuana, according to the Associated Press. 

Both are legal in Michigan, which has experienced a dramatic increase in out-of-state abortions since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. 

Some estimates claim about a third of customers in marijuana dispensaries in southern Michigan, meanwhile, are from out-of-state.