Xiong and Herzberg win special primary elections in Democratic-leaning state House districts

Macomb County Commissioner Mai Xiong and Westland City Council Member Peter Herzberg won their respective Democratic primary elections Tuesday to fill a pair of state House seats representing heavily Democratic districts in metro Detroit.

Xiong will face off against Republican Ronald Singer in the 13th state House District and Herzberg will go up against Republican Josh Powell in the 25th state House District in a special general election this spring.

While Democrats still control the state House, the empty seats have left the chamber with an even 54-54 split between Democrats and Republicans, stalling any legislation that faces united GOP opposition. The special primary elections held Tuesday bring Democrats one step closer to restoring their voting majority.

The 13th and 25th state House District seats were vacated after two former Democratic state representatives won mayoral elections last fall. Shortly afterward, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for special elections to fill the seats and then took the unusual step of endorsing candidates in the contested Democratic primaries. While Xiong received Whitmer's backing, the governor backed one of Herzberg's opponents, Westland City Council Member Andrea Rutkowski.

13th state House District

Xiong received nearly 79% of the vote in the Democratic primary for the 13th state House District that includes parts of Detroit and Warren, according to unofficial election results. Warren Mayor Lori Stone previously held the seat. Xiong received Whitmer's endorsement ahead of her primary against former state Rep. LaMar Lemmons, D-Detroit, and Warren Democrat Suzanne Ostosh.

"This victory is just the beginning of our journey towards a brighter, more inclusive future," Xiong wrote in a Facebook post celebrating her victory. Xiong was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and received her U.S. citizenship a decade after she arrived in the U.S. at 3 years old.

In the upcoming special general election, Xiong will face off against Singer, who received nearly 64% of the vote in the Republican primary, according to unofficial results.

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25th state House District

Herzberg won almost 36% of the vote in the special Democratic primary for the 25th District, according to unofficial results. The district includes parts of Canton Township, Dearborn Heights and Westland along with all of Wayne. Westland Mayor Kevin Coleman previously held the seat and endorsed Herzberg in the race. Whitmer-endorsed Rutkowski received the second-highest vote share in the five-candidate field.

In a Facebook post shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday, Herzberg shared an image celebrating his election win with Coleman and other supporters by his side. "WE WON!!" reads the post thanking voters in the district. Herzberg has lived his entire life in the same Westland neighborhood he grew up in, according to his campaign website. He has served on city council since 2016.

Herzberg will face off against Powell who ran unopposed in the special GOP primary.

What's next?

Special general elections will be held in the two districts on April 16.

Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Only one of Whitmer's picks won special House primaries