The Detroit News editorial board has endorsed candidates in 21 Michigan House districts across Oakland County and nearby communities. Its choices include open seats, incumbents and challengers from both major parties.
Regina Weiss is not seeking reelection in the 5th District, while Natalie Price is running for the state Senate from the 6th. Those are two of the open-seat races covered by The Detroit News editorial board, which endorsed candidates in 21 Michigan House districts across Oakland County and nearby communities.
The list includes Democratic and Republican candidates. It also backs two Democratic challengers to Republican lawmakers. The board declined to endorse Republican Rep. Matt Maddock in the 51st District and instead chose Democrat Stacey McDuffie.
The districts run from Detroit and Oak Park through Novi and Troy to Oxford Township. Several also reach into Genesee, Livingston, Macomb and Washtenaw counties. A Detroit Free Press election guide published Oct. 3 described the House contests as part of a wider campaign across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The available election materials did not include final results.
Voters in Farmington-area communities should check their district, polling place and ballot through the State of Michigan departmental registries and their local clerk. Countywide political descriptions are not enough. The City of Farmington and the City of Farmington Hills handle separate municipal services and elections, while state House lines can cross city and township boundaries.
Open seats draw split recommendations
In the 5th District, which includes north-central Detroit, Royal Oak Township and Oak Park, the board endorsed Democrat Candace Calloway over Republican Chris Venable. Calloway works in construction for the city of Detroit. She previously worked as a learning coach with Detroit schools and on infrastructure projects for the Nature Conservancy.
The Michigan Association for Justice separately listed Calloway among its 2026 House endorsements. Its list also included Regina Ross, Darian Counts, Shannon Dare Wayne, Jen Strebs and Angela Witwer in other districts. That recommendation came from a different group.
Democrat Melanie Macey received the board's endorsement in the 6th District after incumbent Natalie Price began her state Senate campaign. Macey is a public interest attorney. She served on the Royal Oak City Commission from 2017 to 2025 and was mayor pro tem from 2021 to 2023. As policy and government affairs director for Promote the Vote, she has focused on election law.
The 6th District includes Berkley, Huntington Woods, parts of Birmingham, Royal Oak and Southfield, along with Bloomfield Township. Macey also took part in a public candidate interview about the race. The district covers several municipalities and parts of larger cities. Residents should use the address lookup maintained by election officials before deciding which House contest applies to them.
Ryan Foster won the board's endorsement in the 18th District over Democrat Kelly Garrett. The open seat covers southern Southfield, Lathrup Village, Farmington Hills, Farmington and Oak Park. Garrett is a former Lathrup Village mayor who supports stronger paid sick leave and gun control laws. Foster previously worked as a Detroit police officer and Michigan prison guard.
Local voters can use the City of Farmington portal for municipal contacts and civic information. City services do not replace the official state and county systems used to verify legislative districts or election results. The Farmington Public Schools board and other local public bodies also operate within their own jurisdictions. They do not set state House boundaries.
In the 54th District, the board endorsed Republican Roman Gaskey over Democrat Sarah Pounds. The district includes Auburn Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Orion Township and part of Oakland Township. Donni Steele is leaving the seat to run for the state Senate.
Gaskey serves on his community's downtown development authority and has experience with technology start-ups. His stated priorities include artificial intelligence and housing. Published primary results show that Pounds ran unopposed on the Democratic side. Gaskey narrowly defeated former Oxford Township trustee Jeffrey Omtvedt in the Republican primary.
The general-election matchup is Gaskey and Pounds. Steele is running for the Senate seat.
Incumbents and challengers
The endorsements do not follow one party line. The board backed Democratic incumbents Mike McFall in the 14th District and Noah Arbit in the 20th District. It supported Republican challengers Kevin Hammer in the 19th District, Ross Barranco in the 21st District and Miriam Corvino in the 23rd District.
McFall is seeking a third term in the district covering Center Line, Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Warren. Arbit is also seeking a third term. His district includes West Bloomfield Township and parts of Commerce Township, Bloomfield Township, Orchard Lake Village, Keego Harbor and Sylvan Lake.
The board said Arbit's decision not to endorse Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed showed independence from party leadership.
In the 19th District, the board criticized Democratic incumbent Samantha Steckloff's votes on taxes and regulations. It endorsed Hammer, a conservative attorney who supports making Michigan easier to do business in and expanding phonics-based reading instruction.
Barranco received the endorsement in the 21st District over incumbent Democrat Kelly Breen. Corvino was chosen over Jason Morgan in the 23rd District, which includes parts of Washtenaw, western Wayne and Oakland counties.
The board also endorsed Green Party candidate Stephen Boyle in the 8th District. Boyle was chosen over Democrat Chris Gilmer-Hill and Republican Bruce Langran. The district includes Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge and Detroit's near west side. Boyle has listed mental health treatment and closing the digital divide as priorities.
Some candidates have run limited campaigns. The board said Venable, Mike Steger in the 6th District and Langran had little or no visible campaign presence. Green Party candidates Jeff Sparling in the 14th District and Christina Marudas in the 23rd District are also on the ballot.
Republican incumbents receive broad backing
Republican Ann Bolin received the endorsement in the 49th District. The district includes Brighton City and Township, Green Oak Township, Wixom, Commerce Township, New Hudson, Lyon Township, Walled Lake and Novi.
Bolin has served in the Legislature since 2019 and chairs the appropriations committee. Her Democratic opponent is Dan Pelchat, a former South Lyon mayor and school technology staffer.
Republican Mike Harris received the endorsement in the 52nd District, which covers Clarkston, Lake Angelus, Independence, Springfield and Waterford townships. Harris is seeking a third term and serves as majority whip. The board said his influence in the House would be difficult to replace.
Harris faces Brendan Leddy, a Clarkston substitute teacher and Michigan Tech graduate.
In the 55th District, the board backed Mark Tisdel over Democrat Alex Hawkins. Tisdel represents Rochester, Rochester Hills and part of Oakland Township. The board cited his work on the classroom cellphone law, a bipartisan road funding package and a housing bill as examples of cooperative lawmaking.
Other Republican incumbents endorsed by the board include Thomas Kuhn in the 57th District, David W. Martin in the 68th District and Mike Mueller in the 72nd District.
Kuhn represents Troy, Sterling Heights and Madison Heights. He has sponsored legislation focused on legislative transparency and ethics. Martin is seeking a fourth term in a district that includes Groveland Township and parts of Genesee County. Mueller is seeking a fifth term in a district that includes Fenton, Linden, Holly and parts of Livingston County.
For families in the Farmington area, the Farmington Public Schools board remains separate from the Legislature. School-board agendas, minutes and district decisions can help residents assess local education issues. State House candidates would vote on statewide laws and appropriations affecting schools across Michigan.
The board rejects some Republican incumbents
The board again declined to endorse Matt Maddock in the 51st District. It cited what it called his personal ambition and lack of civility in the lawmaking process. Instead, it endorsed Democrat Stacey McDuffie of White Lake over the incumbent Republican.
McDuffie is a realtor and former professional sports and defense industry executive.
In the 53rd District, the board said the area needs new leadership. It endorsed Republican Melissa Schultz over Democratic Rep. Brenda Carter. Carter is seeking a fifth term in the district covering Pontiac, Waterford Township and Auburn Hills. Schultz is a Waterford small-business owner.
The board chose Democrat Ned Zimmer in the 66th District over Republican incumbent Josh Schriver. The district includes Bruce and Washington townships in Macomb County, along with Brandon, Addison, Oakland and Oxford townships in Oakland County.
The board criticized Schriver's efforts to roll back gay marriage and his promotion of the Great Replacement Theory.
Republican Ashok Baddi received the endorsement in the 56th District over Democratic incumbent Sharon MacDonell. The district includes Troy, Clawson and parts of Birmingham, Royal Oak and Bloomfield Township. Baddi runs a small printing company and is a leader of the Hindu community.
The board also endorsed Roman Gaskey in the open 54th District and Kevin Hammer in the 19th District. It supported Democratic candidates in several other contests. The split reflects the board's stated focus on individual candidates and legislative records rather than a single party preference.
What voters will see
The endorsements cover state House contests in districts that cross municipal and county boundaries. Some races feature incumbents seeking a third, fourth or fifth term. Others opened after lawmakers began campaigns for state Senate seats.
Oakland County's political identity has shifted from a Republican stronghold to a solidly Democratic county over the past decade. The districts on the board's list still include suburban communities, Detroit neighborhoods and multi-county areas with different candidate fields.
The Oakland County administration provides county-level information. Voters still need to confirm the legislative race assigned to their individual address.
The board's Democratic recommendations include Candace Calloway, Melanie Macey, Mike McFall, Noah Arbit, Stephen Boyle, Stacey McDuffie and Ned Zimmer. Its Republican choices include Ann Bolin, Mike Harris, Mark Tisdel, Thomas Kuhn, David W. Martin, Mike Mueller, Melissa Schultz, Roman Gaskey, Ashok Baddi and Kevin Hammer.
The wider Metro Detroit picture includes competitive races outside Oakland County. The Detroit Free Press identified contests such as Democrat William Lawrence's challenge to Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in the 7th District. House control is being contested across the region, not only in Oakland County.
Readers seeking more election context can review this Michigan voter-roll audit. The endorsement list does not decide any race. It records The Detroit News editorial board's recommendations before voters choose who will represent each district.
Available pre-election reporting contained no published final results for these contests. Voters should focus on the race in their own district instead of treating Oakland County as one political bloc. The board crosses party lines, favors some challengers over incumbents and rejects several candidates it views as ineffective or polarizing.
That is the practical limit.
The endorsements show the newspaper's priorities. They do not replace checking the candidates, district boundaries and ballot assigned to an individual voter.
